College of Professional Studies

Federal Pell Grant

Federal Pell Grants are need-based grants provided by the federal government to qualified undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) below a threshold designated annually by the US Department of Education, based on the amount of program funds appropriated by Congress.

State Grants

A state funded program provides grants to state residents who demonstrate the highest level of financial need as determined by the results of the FAFSA. Amount varies and is based upon enrollment status. Any state grant amount listed in your financial aid notice is an estimate and becomes finalized only when your state agency notifies Villanova University’s Office of Financial Assistance.

Not all states award grants to students studying out of state, and each state has its own set of criteria.  Please check with your state of residence for more information.

Due to the delayed availability of the 2425 FAFSA, student financial and personal information will not be able to be electronically transferred to individual state grant applications for the 2024-25 academic year.   We strongly encourage students from the states that provide grant reciprocity to log in to their state’s individual grant system and manually apply for their state’s grant program.  States that continue to support students attending schools in Pennsylvania and their respective portals are below:

Pennsylvania Grants

Residents of Pennsylvania may be eligible to receive a grant from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).  Students must submit the FAFSA before PHEAA’s deadline and complete the State Grant Form. For more information visit the PA State Grant Program website.

The Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee)

The Chafee program is a partnership between PHEAA and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), which is authorized under the Foster Care Independence Act 1999 as amended by the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. The Chafee Program offers grant assistance to Pennsylvania undergraduate students aging out of foster care who are attending an approved Federal Title IV postsecondary institution. Learn more at https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other-educational-aid/chafee-program.shtml. 

Each school has a point of contact available to support eligible students throughout their college careers with the following:

• Assistance in completing admissions and financial aid applications
• Obtaining verification of eligibility
• Providing referrals for on- and off-campus resurces and support services

If you have questions, concerns, or need assistance applying for the CHAFEE/FosterEd Program, please contact Morgan Dawson, Assistant Director of Financial Assistance.

Federal Direct Loan

The William D. Ford Federal Direct Stafford Loan (Direct Loan) Program is the best financing option for a student to pursue, and should be considered before any private educational loan options.  The loan is available to students regardless of the level of financial need. Direct Loans are funded by the US Department of Education through Villanova University and are managed by federal loan servicers, under the supervision of the Department of Education.

Subsidized Loan

• This federal education loan is available to students who demonstrate financial need. It is available to students accepted/enrolled on at least a half-time basis in an undergraduate program.   The advantage of a Direct Subsidized Loan is that interest does not accrue while the student is enrolled at least half-time.

Unsubsidized Loan

• This federal education loan was established by the federal government for students who are not eligible or have limited eligibility for the Subsidized Direct Loan. It is available to students accepted/enrolled on at least a half-time basis in an undergraduate program.  Students may borrow under the same terms as the Subsidized Direct Loan program with one exception; the government does not pay the interest on an Unsubsidized Loan (note: see difference in interest rate below).  The student either pays all interest that accrues on this loan during the time of enrollment, grace period and repayment, or may capitalize the interest during the period of enrollment.

For additional information regarding interest rates, origination fees, annual and aggregate limits please view the Federal Direct Loan Information page.

In accordance with the regulations governing Federal Student Aid, students who are enrolled in pre-requisite or preparatory coursework for admission into a degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate degree are eligible for a limited amount of Federal Direct Loans.  A preparatory course of study is considered to be at the undergraduate level, and so the annual loan limits for a student enrolled in a preparatory course of study are the same as the limits for a first-time undergraduate student, even if the coursework is at the graduate level.  Please note that per federal guidelines, students can only qualify for Federal Direct Loan funding for Pre-Requisite Coursework ONCE.

A student enrolled in a preparatory course of study is only eligible for funding from the Direct Loan Program and for no more than 12 consecutive months.  If the student continues enrollment in a preparatory course of study that exceeds 12 consecutive months, the student ceases to be eligible for Direct Loans after the 12-month period.

If you are a student enrolled in at least 6 credits per semester in pre-requisite or preparatory coursework at Villanova University, and are interested in borrowing a Federal Direct Loan, the student will need to provide the following information to the Office of Financial Assistance

• A signed letter from the student confirming that they have never used Federal Direct Loan funding for Pre-Requisite Coursework
•  A signed letter from the degree-seeking program you will be attending confirming the courses you are taking at Villanova University are required to be completed before granting admission/enrollment into the program. The letter provided must specifically state which courses you are taking at Villanova.

The signed letters can be submitted to the Office of Financial Assistance via our secure Dropbox.  Please allow approximately 2 weeks for the documents to be reviewed and your Federal Direct Loan eligibility to be determined.

The Federal Direct Loan funding can only be used to cover the courses required to be completed as Pre-Requisite/Preparatory coursework; you are not able to take additional courses to meet the 6 credits enrollment requirement.

If you are a new or returning undergraduate student in the College of Professional Studies who plans to enroll for at least 6 credits during the summer sessions, please notify the Office of Financial Assistance in writing by sending an email to finaidloan@villanova.edu from your email account. 

Please Note: To have your Federal Direct Loans secured for the summer term, the Office of Financial Assistance needs to be notified in advance of the start of the summer sessions.  We are unable to retroactively award Federal Direct Loans for the summer term once the summer sessions have concluded.