HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) reminds students and families that this is the student financial aid application season.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2013-14 is available online at PHEAA.org/FAFSA or fafsa.gov.

Because schools have different financial aid deadlines, it is recommended that families complete and submit the FAFSA to the federal government as soon as possible to ensure that all deadlines are met.

The FAFSA determines eligibility for federal grants, the Pennsylvania State Grant, many scholarships, reduced-cost federal student loans, work-study programs and some school-based student aid programs.

Filing the FAFSA is the most important step that students and families can take when looking for assistance in paying for higher education.

“PHEAA offers many free resources to help families navigate the student financial aid process,” William Adolph, PHEAA board chairman, said in a news release.

Because most families complete their FAFSA online, the federal government will no longer provide paper FAFSAs unless specifically requested through the U.S. Department of Education at 800-4-FED-AID. Families have the choice of submitting the form electronically or printing the form and sending it to the U.S. Department of Education via traditional mail.

“Families should also take advantage of PHEAA's free FAFSA Completions Sessions scheduled from now through April at locations across the Commonwealth,” said Wayne D. Fontana, PHEAA board vice chairman, in the release.

A schedule of those sessions can be found at PHEAA.org/FAFSA.