<p>One topic that has not received much attention is how much State financial aid grants can vary depending upon where a student attends college.</p>
<p>Each state has its own policies for their own state-funded college need-based grants. However, several provide much smaller grants or no grants if the student attends an out of state college. Over 4 years, this can add up to a noticeable amount of money.</p>
<p>For example, in Pennsylvania, the average lower income or middle income family attending a moderate or expensive college within PA. can receive a state grant of $2,500 to $4,100 a year from PHEAA, PA's college financing agency. However, if that same student attended a college in New York, New Jersey or Maryland, they cannot receive any PA. grant. That is apparently because those states do not allow their own state grants to be used in PA. If that PA student attends a college in most other states, they are eligible for a maximum grant of $600 a year. Therefore, the state where a student from PA. attends college could cause a variation of $10,000 to $16,400 in total expenses over 4 years.</p>
<p>PHEAA also offers some grants for attending colleges during the summer.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that most state grants are only available to students who stay instate. Certainly the case in my state and in California, and I think the Florida program. I would guess the ones that allow it to go with a student out of state are probably the exceptions.</p>
<p>I don’t know of any state that allows you to take a grant OOS. Why would they, they want to benefit in the future from your education. That’s the whole point of state grants. And federal grants can’t leave the country either.</p>
<p>Re state grants available to Connecticut residents, and taken from the “rejection” letter:</p>
<p>Capitol Scholarship recipients may take their scholarships to eligible institutions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Awards range from $500 to $3,000 annually for recipients attending Connecticut colleges. Recipients enrolled at eligible out-of-state colleges receive annual awards of $500. Awards are primarily funded by the state of Connecticut and may also include federal funds from the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) grant or the Special Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) grant.</p>
<p>Trying to think of state grants I have seen mentioned here on CC. </p>
<p>Pretty sure the Georgia Hope can only be used in GA.</p>
<p>I remembered a student from Ohio posting a while back about their state aid and went and checked - it looks like theirs can be used in Pennsylvania (thought the amounts are small). Wonder if that means PA has aid that can be used in Ohio.</p>
<p>I am under the impression that most, or maybe all, of the New England states have reciprocity so that their grants can be used throughout the region. NYS grants cannot be used anywhere else.</p>