Clarion County Career Center
(814) 226-4391
447 Career Lane Shippenville PA 16254
Financial Support
Our program is approved for Pell Grants and Direct Loans. The Pell Grant is a federal grant and is a “no payback” grant. The Direct Loan must be paid back. Payments start six (6) months after leaving the program.
A Financial Aid Officer is available to provide information as well as supplying applications for financial aid. It is very important that you talk to the Financial Aid Officer before applying for financial aid. Contact Donna Hoffman, Financial Aid Officer, via email at dhoffman@clarioncte.org
The Practical Nursing Program is approved for Veterans Education Benefits for eligible veterans To determine eligibility, contact the Veterans Affairs Office nearest you. Applications and the ability to ask questions are also available on their website www.gibill.va.gov. Replies from the website take 4-5 days.
The WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) has created funding managed by a WIB (Workforce Investment Board), who sponsors some students based on their criteria and student need. The agency handling this is CareerLink. Contact the Clarion Office at Clarion CareerLink, phone 814-223-1550 for more information.
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is available for persons who have a condition or situation that makes them eligible for rehabilitation funding.
- Erie Office: 814-871-4551 or 1-800-541-0721
- Warren Office: 814-723-2790
You may also contact caseworker Melody Troup at 814-226-1700.
The following scholarships are available for qualifying students:
1. Graduates of Union High School: The Margaret W. & Irvin W. Lesher Foundation Scholarship. Contact person: Cheryl Reichel, Program Manager. Phone: 507-931-8205; Fax: 507-931-2103
2. Graduates of Clarion Area High School: Clara Louise Kiser Memorial Fund Scholarship and Charles Wein Memorial Scholarship
Additional scholarships available through the Clarion Hospital Foundation are as follows:
John E. Brooks Scholarship
Joseph and Helen Miller Memorial Scholarship (2)
Frank Shope Memorial Scholarship (2)
James B. Alexander Memorial Scholarship
Dr. John L. Johnston Memorial Scholarship
Clarion Hospital Foundation
One Hospital Drive
Clarion, PA 16214 Phone: 814-226-1262
To be eligible, the following must apply: 1) be a Clarion County high school graduate; 2) have a
GPA of 3.0 or above for the past 3 years, and SAT or ACT scores for your senior year (you will need
an official transcript); and 3) be accepted into a post-secondary health care education.
The deadline for application submission is March 31.
The following is the complete section regarding financial concerns. Carefully review payment obligations, as well as the legal commitment you will be required to sign.
The Program tuition is set by the Joint Operating Committee of the Clarion County Career Center
- Full-Time Program - $14,000 (Subject to Change) – Begins every September
- Part-Time Program - $14,000 (Subject to Change) – Begins November (odd numbered years)
Costs in addition to Tuition include the following:
- Registration Fee - $250
- Textbooks – Approximately $680 for Required Texts
- Uniforms, white stockings, and white shoes – approximately $250
- Lab Kit Supplies - $150 (Subject to Change)
- Health Care – Physical Examination and Immunization – student’s expense.
- Supplies – Pens, pencils, notebooks, stethoscope, penlight, watch with second hand – student’s expense.
- N-Clex Exam - $200 (National); $35 (State); and $35 (Temporary Practice Permit)
Financial Aid Information - Student Accounts:
All students who accept a position in the Clarion County Career Center Practical Nursing Program are responsible for payment of tuition according to terms described in this policy. Failure to meet the tuition payment obligation will result in dismissal from the program.
All students are required to pay the Registration Fee of $250.
Students are responsible for payment on their account. Unfunded balances must be paid prior to the start of the first term (900 clock hours) and prior to the start of the second term (remaining 651 clock hours).
Prior to the beginning of classes, ½ of the Term I tuition is due. The remaining tuition for Term I is due after 450 clock hours of the program have been completed by the student.
Prior to the beginning of Term II, ½ of the Term II tuition is due. The remaining tuition is due after 1070 clock hours of the program have been completed by the student.
Statements will be mailed to individuals for payment.
Students will not receive refund of any funds until their account has a credit balance, even if they are funded by an outside agency. Students are not required to request refunds when they are due. The Business Office will mail the refund to the student within fourteen (14) days from the date the credit balance occurred on the account.
The student may decline the refund and the Career Center will refund the money to the student’s lender.
A certificate will be issued and an application to sit for State Board Examination will be given to the student after the student’s account is paid in full at Graduation. This includes any funding that is to be paid by an outside agency.
Students who are reimbursed by their employer for any costs of attendance must provide the LPN Secretary a letter to authorize release of any requested grades, attendance or transcripts to the employer.
Financial Aid
Clarion County Career Center Practical Nursing Program participates in the Federal Pell Grant, Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), and the Parent Plus Loan. To become eligible for financial aid, the student must demonstrate need. Need is the difference between the cost of the student’s education and the amount the student and his/her family are expected to contribute toward the education based on a standard formula used for all students. Every student is encouraged to apply for financial aid to
determine need/eligibility. Students and/or parents should contact Donna Hoffman, Financial Aid Officer, via email at dhoffman@clarioncte.org
A student must have completed all required paper work and be making satisfactory progress to be eligible for the release of funds to the school or the student.
A student that has been selected for verification must have completed the verification process to be eligible for aid.
A student must be enrolled thirty (30) days before the school can receive student loan money. In the event the student withdraws before 30 days, they will be responsible for the balance due.
Students need to be aware that financial aid may not cover the entire cost of attending school. Other sources of funding education needs should be investigated.
Clarion County Career Center is approved for Veterans Education funding. Other educational assistance may be available for such as OVR, WIOA, and TAA funding.
Students are encouraged to seek out other sources of funding through local high schools, employers, job-training agencies and service organizations.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Financial Aid Grants and/or Scholarship eligibility always include satisfactory student progress with grades of 80% or greater, satisfactory clinical performance and satisfactory attendance. Any student who is placed on Probation (academic, clinical or behavioral) will not be eligible for financial aid until Probation is completed.
Grade Level Advancement
When a student has completed 900 clock hours and 28 weeks of instruction, they will be eligible to advance to a grade level two; loan for the remaining hours in the program will be pro-rated.
If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement, which must be paid within 120 days of the student’s withdrawal.
The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 45 days after the date of determination of the date of the student’s withdrawal.
Refunds are allocated in the following order:
Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS Loans)
Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
Federal Perkins Loans
Direct PLUS Loans
Federal Pell Grant for which a Return of funds is required
Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a Return of funds is required (e.g LEAP)
Institution Refund Policy
A student that does not receive Title IV funds and withdraws from the Clarion County Career Center Practical Nursing Program will be refunded according to our Institutional Refund Policy. The Institutional Refund Policy is determined by using the clock hours earned in the payment period divided by the clock hours in the payment period. This is the percent of hours that the student has completed. The school will retain this percent of the amount charged for the payment period. The payment period is defined as half of the number of hours in the term.
A student that has completed 60% of the payment period will not be eligible for a refund.
Withdrawal date will be the student’s last day of physical attendance as recorded by Clarion County Career Center.
Any refund will be returned to the student within 30 days of the date of determination.
All students that enroll in the school and do not complete the period of enrollment for which they have been charged will be refunded according to the Title IV Refund Calculation.
Title IV Refund (Return Of)
The Financial Office is required by Federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 61% of a payment period or term. Federal Title IV financial aid programs must be recalculated in these situations.
If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 61% of a payment period or term, the financial aid office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula: Percent of payment period or term completed = the number of hours completed up to the withdrawal date, divided by the total hours in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of aid earned.
Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:
- Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.
If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.
Maintenance of Records
Financial Aid records are maintained in a locked fireproof cabinet in the Nursing Office as mandated by Federal Law. These records are retained for three (3) years from the last date of the award year for which the student received financial aid. Access to the Financial Aid files is only by the Financial Coordinator and the Practical Nursing Coordinator, with prior authorization by the Financial Coordinator.