Penn State students receive four types of student aid: grants, scholarships, loans, and federal work-study.
Grants
Grants are awarded based solely on financial need, have no requirement of repayment, and can come from the federal government, the state, or Penn State.
Penn State's Office of Human Resources offers a child care subsidy program for qualifying low-income undergraduate student parents enrolled in a degreed program.
Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement. For many University scholarships, financial need is an additional criterion of eligibility. There is no requirement of repayment.
Loans
Loans are low-interest awards that must be repaid after students leave Penn State.
Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study awards are based on a student' financial need and allows students to earn money towards their school expenses. Work-study earnings are not applied directly to a student's semester bill because work-study students receive a paycheck.