Student Financial Services
Financial Aid
Financial aid is a necessity for almost everyone attending college today, and the Office of Student Financial Services at Lackawanna College is sensitive to the challenges students and families face in paying for their studies.
Financing higher education should be a partnership between the student and his/her family, the state and federal governments, and the institution. It is our hope that this partnership will make it financially feasible to help our students find their future.
Nearly 95% of the Lackawanna student body receives some form of financial aid. Each student’s financial situation is individually assessed after a thorough review of their submitted financial information. In order to begin the financial aid application process, the federal government requires you to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Lackawanna College School Code: 003283).
Additional data is available online at www.studentaid.ed.gov.
Lackawanna College also offers a number of scholarships, and there are also grant and loan opportunities to help you pay for your college education.
Payment of Tuition and Fees
The College requires that all tuition and fees be paid in full or alternate arrangements made prior to classes beginning in any semester or term. A tuition payment plan is available from the Office of Student Financial Services to any student who qualifies.
Grades and/or transcripts will not be released to students who have outstanding balances. Students with an outstanding balance will also not be able to participate in commencement ceremonies. Registration for subsequent semesters is blocked for students with unpaid balances or who are delinquent on the payment plan.
Lackawanna College also reserves the right to forward unpaid balances to our contracted collection agency or dismiss any students who do not adhere to scheduled payments or who attend classes without satisfying their financial obligations. Any and all collection expenses incurred by the College to collect any delinquent receivables are the responsibility of the student.
All questions concerning tuition costs, student invoices, payments, and payment dates should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Services.
Payment Options
The Office of Student Financial Services accepts cash, personal checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. Credit card and electronic check payments may be made online using the Student Portal.
Monthly Automatic Payment Plan
Lackawanna College offers an interest-free monthly auto payment plan to all students who qualify. To sign up for a payment plan, access payment plan options and information through the Student Portal.
Employer Deferment
Payment of tuition may be deferred if the student has provided a completed Employer Deferment Form signed by the student’s employer. Students are required to pay all fees and any portion of tuition not covered by their employer by the semester due date or at registration. The form can be accessed through the Student Portal.
In compliance with federal regulations under HEOA Sec. 489 amended Sec. 485B (d) (4) (20 U.S.C. 1092b), the College is required to notify you that approved loans will be submitted to the NSLDS by the U. S. Department of Education and will be accessible by guaranty agencies, lenders, and institutions determined to be authorized users of the data system as determined by the U. S. Department of Education.
Loan Default Prevention
A student loan is a serious obligation and must be repaid.
National Student Loan Data System
Constitution Day
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005 states that “each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution.”
For more information, visit the Constitution Day website.
Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver (FosterEd)
General Information
In 2019, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passed Act 16, creating the Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver (FosterEd) Program, amended by Act 91. The FosterEd Program provides tuition waivers at postsecondary institutions for eligible youth who are or have been in foster care. The program is being administered collaboratively by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) in conjunction with the PA Departments of Education (PDE), Human Services (DHS), and Labor & Industry (L&I).
To be eligible for a FosterEd waiver, the student must:
- Be a current resident of Pennsylvania at the start and during the term for which the waiver is awarded.
- Have not reached the age of 26 by July 1 of the upcoming academic year for which the FosterEd waiver is received.
- Have graduated from high school or have received a Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma.
- Be eligible for services under Pennsylvania’s John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood.
- Be identified as a youth who is in foster care, or was discharged from foster care on or after attaining age 16, OR has exited foster care on or after age 16 to adoption or permanent legal guardianship.
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate, at least half-time, in a postsecondary institution that is approved by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IV student assistance programs in PA.
- Have unmet cost for the PA Chafee Education and Training Grant (Chafee ETG), as determined by the postsecondary institution.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution.
- Not be in default on a federal student loan or owe a refund on other Title IV aid.
- File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the academic year for which the waiver is being requested.
- File an application for Chafee ETG.
- Have not previously received a waiver for five (5) years (consecutive or not), defined as ten (10) semesters or the equivalent, for undergraduate study.
If you have any questions about the FosterEd, please contact:
Rebecca Cerra, Manager of Student Success
501 Vine St.
Scranton, PA 18509
570-961-6111 office
cerrar@lackawanna.edu
Sharon M. Danks, Student Financial Services Counselor
501 Vine St.
Scranton, PA 18509
570-961-7863 office
dankss@lackawanna.edu
Important Info
Student Account questions? Contact the Student Financial Services Office.