91ÖÆƬ³§

Please begin by visiting our Seven Steps to Financial Aid for step-by-step instructions about the financial aid application process, including how to file your FAFSA. 

We recommend that all students review the Scholarships, Grants and Loans page. There you'll learn more about 91ÖÆƬ³§'s institutional scholarships and will be able to search for scholarships from a wide range of private organizations. 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2026 - 2027 is live! We recommend you complete your FAFSA online via :

If you cannot or do not wish to complete the FAFSA online, you can use a PDF version of the FAFSA. The PDF version of the FAFSA is available for you fill-in electronically or to print and fill out manually. To print a PDF FAFSA file from within your reader, we recommend you use the PDF's print button rather than the browser's print function. 

Download a PDF version of the 2026-2027 FAFSA using the following links:

English Version -

Spanish Version -

The printed version of the FAFSA must then be mailed into the Department of Education. Be sure too make a copy of pages 7 through 20 for your records. Then, mail the original of pages 7 through 20 to:
Federal Student Aid Programs P.O. Box 70204, London, KY 40742-0204

The Federal tax code includes a number of provisions designed to reduce or partially offset the costs of higher education for students and families. Among those are the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, both designed to help families pay for at least a portion of higher education tuition and fees and related costs. However, based on both anecdotal information and data from the IRS we believe many students and their families do not take advantage of these tax credits that could save them thousands of dollars.

For more information about these tax credits .

If your 2026 - 2027 FAFSA has been selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, you will have received an email from the Financial Aid Office informing you of this. Please log into your to review any required materials that have been requested of you. 

For each form you have been asked to complete, the student will first complete the student section in its entirety. If a parent signature is required for a form, after the student section has been completed the form will be forwarded to the parent via email. When all sections are completed and appropriate signatures have been entered, the parent submits the form. The form is then routed to the financial aid office for review.

The electronic forms system collects the required legal electronic signature on each form. Therefore, the parent cannot complete and sign the form on behalf of the student. Only forms that are originated by the student will be considered valid. 

91ÖÆƬ³§ recognizes that many families experience unexpected financial strain when preparing to pay for college. This financial strain might be for many reasons, but is often due to a reduction in income.

If you expect that your 2026 income will be less than what was received in 2024 (the year on which the FAFSA information is based for the 2026-2027 academic year), we want to make sure that you are aware of the availability of our Change of Circumstances Form (CCF). The purpose of the CCF is to collect information on expected 2026 income and unreimbursed medical expenses so that we can recalculate your eligibility for financial aid for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The CCF is not available for download. If you feel you have a circumstance in which your family income will be significantly lower in 2026 than it was in 2024, please contact our office to speak with a financial aid professional who can advise you on whether or not your circumstances qualify for use of the CCF. If so, we will provide you with the form. You can contact us at:

Financial Aid Office
91ÖÆƬ³§
1 University Avenue
Mechanicsburg PA 17055
Phone: 717.691.6007

finaid@messiah.edu

It is important to understand that there is no guarantee that your circumstances will warrant a recalculation or that any additional aid will be available to you if we do a recalculation.

Covenant Grants are awarded to full-time undergraduate students who are members or regular attendants of Brethren in Christ churches. An application is required. The amount of the Covenant Grant is $500 per school year. A travel allowance, ranging in amounts of $75 to $300, is available to non-Pennsylvania residents who also qualify for the Covenant Grant.

One application is sufficient for all four school years.

Download Covenant Grant Application

Dean's Scholarships for Continuing Students are awarded to current 91ÖÆƬ³§ students who have distinguished themselves as outstanding leaders in specific activities while attending 91ÖÆƬ³§ and:

1. Must be a full-time student at 91ÖÆƬ³§.
2. Must have completed at least 30 credit hours of work at 91ÖÆƬ³§.
3. Must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better.
4. Need not demonstrate financial need, but financial need will be taken into consideration.

Fifteen $1,500 Dean's Scholarships for Continuing Students are awarded each academic year. 91ÖÆƬ³§ students already receiving one of the leadership scholarships listed on the application are not eligible to receive Dean's Scholarships for Continuing Students.

Application deadline is June 1. The scholarship application will go live later in the spring semester of 2026. Keep your eyes out for a mass email to your messiah.edu email!

Students, age 30 years or older, will be granted a 25% mature student discount on tuition only, for all courses for which they enroll.

This document highlights portions of the financial aid application packet to which international students should pay close attention.

Memo for international students

The purpose of this form is to collect information from you about any non-institutional/private scholarships you will be receiving. This means scholarships that are NOT from state, federal or 91ÖÆƬ³§ sources.

Please read: It is the student's responsibility to report additional resources to the Financial Aid Office and this should be done as soon as you become aware that you will receive the additional assistance. We must account for all sources of aid, even if they are not processed directly through the Financial Aid Office (i.e. a scholarship check that is sent directly to the student and not to the Financial Aid Office). 

Overawards can also result from application errors by the student or the Financial Aid Office. Regardless of the reason for the overaward, the Financial Aid Office is bound by Federal regulation to correct the overaward. Exceptions cannot be made for anyone. Students are encouraged to direct questions to finaid@messiah.edu. 

If you are a veteran, or the dependent of a veteran, and plan to receive veterans' benefits to help pay your educational expenses, please review 91ÖÆƬ³§'s policy entitled Military Benefits and Institutional Aid. This information will help you understand how your veterans' benefits will interact with 91ÖÆƬ³§'s institutional financial aid programs. In some cases, 91ÖÆƬ³§'s institutional financial aid will need to be reduced to allow your veterans' benefits to fit into your institutional financial aid package. After reviewing the policy, please complete the Veterans' Benefits Reporting Form and return it to Steve Gross, Suite 3010 on the third floor of the Kim Phipps Welcome Center.

 Veterans' Benefits Reporting Form

Students who are eligible to apply for benefits under the Yellow Ribbon Program should complete the Yellow Ribbon application. Yellow Ribbon applicants should read and understand the 91ÖÆƬ³§ Policies and Procedures for the Yellow Ribbon Program before applying for Yellow Ribbon Program benefits.

Download Yellow Ribbon Program application