Frequently Asked Questions 
Financial Aid for Graduate and Medical Students

Graduate and medical students are considered independent for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) purposes. When you complete the FAFSA to apply for PCOM financial aid, you will not need to provide parent information.

Graduate students are ineligible for Federal direct subsidized loans and Pell grants. Graduate and medical students qualify for the Federal direct unsubsidized loan and the Federal Grad PLUS loan as well as private student loans.

To ensure a quick FAFSA application process, have the following items ready:

• Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID
• Personal information
  • Be sure you enter your name and contact information as it listed with the Social Security Administration.
• Social Security number
• Previous year’s tax returns
  • Note: The PCOM Financial Aid Office highly recommends you transfer your tax information electronically using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA.
• Our school code is 015979. Use this code for PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia.

No, graduate and medical students are considered independent for FAFSA purposes. You will not need to provide parent information.

If you have not filed yet filed your taxes, you may enter estimated values into the FAFSA using last year's tax returns. Once you have filed your taxes, be sure to log back into the FAFSA and enter the actual values.

Most PCOM students will borrow the Federal direct unsubsidized loan, the Federal Grad PLUS loan, private student loans, or a combination of these. Learn about the differences between federal and private student loans. Schedule an appointment with PCOM's financial aid staff to discuss the pros and cons of federal and private student loans.

PCOM offers a variety of scholarships for new and returning students. Students must complete three requirements by mid-February of each year in order to have priority consideration for PCOM scholarships:

1. FAFSA
2. PCOM Scholarship Profile (see Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM)
3. Any "Needed Documents" requirements (see Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM)

Scholarships for new medical and graduate students

The College offers a limited number of full- and partial-tuition scholarships to newly admitted incoming students at PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia. Graduate and medical students will be considered by the Office of Admissions and selection committees based on the admissions process—academic record, strength of interview and promise of exceptional achievement.

Financial need scholarships

The PCOM Office of Financial Aid awards financial need scholarships to admitted and returning students. There is limited funding available for financial need scholarships, so priority is given to returning PCOM students who complete their requirements on time and demonstrate financial need.

Endowed and merit scholarships for returning students

There are numerous merit-based scholarships available to returning medical and graduate students. Consideration is based on academic performance, school and community involvement, specialty interest, financial need and other factors.

Diversity scholarships

PCOM is committed to enrolling qualified minority students that are underrepresented in the fields of medicine and science. View our diversity scholarships available for various degree programs.

PCOM provides ample opportunities to work on-campus with the Federal Work Study program.

Our office also provides resources for external scholarship opportunities which include a database of scholarships for medical and graduate students, National Health Service Corps, Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarships and the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans.

Each academic program's cost of attendance figures include tuition and fees, books and supplies, loan fees and reasonable costs for living expenses (housing, food, transportation, health insurance and personal expenses).

Our office provides budgeting worksheets to help medical and graduate students determine how much they may need to borrow in student loans to meet their educational and living expenses.

If you borrow more student loan funds than your PCOM tuition charges, the remaining funds or "living expense refund" will disburse to you 7-10 days after your first date of enrollment for the term. Learn more about how disbursements and refunds work at PCOM.

Yes, PCOM students must complete the FAFSA application each year. The PCOM Scholarship Profile (see Financial Aid Self-Service within myPCOM) keeps the information you entered in the previous year, but our office encourages you to update it each year.

In order to keep prior Federal student loans in an in-school deferment status, you must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree seeking program or eligible certificate program (usually at least 3 credits each term). Your enrollment information will be automatically be sent through an electronic clearinghouse to all lending parties.

For private student loans, you may need to complete an enrollment verification through the PCOM Registrar Office.

Students may pursue what in financial aid is called a Professional Judgment (PJ). When you reach out to our staff via online form or other communication, we will consider your circumstances and will be able to assess any changes to the component in question.