In my Higher Education career, I’ve heard all too often
complaints about the dreaded financial aid office. Things take too long, they lost my paperwork
or I have to provide more paper work, are just some of those complaints. But don’t give up hope. Not to defend the office but your typical financial
aid office staff will sift through tons of Federal regulations and rules as
each student is evaluated for awards. At
some larger schools, that is a lot of students to evaluate.
Your best bet as a student is to treat them with courtesy,
be persistent and ask questions if you have them. The Financial Aid office staff is there to
help you find funding to attend the institution. This is not the place to go get money to buy
a car or a big screen TV. Use the
funding wisely and don’t take more than you need. When you examine your financial aid package,
think twice about whether or not you need that student loan. Also, I recommend you keep copies of
everything you are asked to send in. You
just never know if and when things get lost.
I had the opportunity to talk with a current Financial Aid
Staff member by the name of Tammie P. and this is what she shared with me.
As the Spring semester winds down and college students are
getting ready to leave campus, what things should they do before they leave
campus?
Students should come into the
Financial Aid office and fill out the 2013-2014 FAFSA application. Many
times there are additional forms needed for verification before Federal Aid can
be paid for the next Semester. Being proactive with this process reduces
the risk of starting the semester without your Financial Aid.
Now, what are the forms that need to be filled out again?
Each year prior to starting the
Fall semester, students need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal
Student Aid) this allows student to receive aid for the upcoming year. It is free to fill out. www.fasfa.ed.gov
What happens if my parents earn a lot of money? Should I even apply for Financial Aid?
Yes, the FAFSA is a central
application that not only awards grants based off a family’s need but also
serves as a tool to awards loans. Just because you may not qualify for a
Pell Grant does not mean you will not qualify for some type of Federal
Aid. Also the application takes many variables into consideration, for
instance your parents may earn a lot of money but they may be supporting a
large family or have more than one child in college they are supporting. Sometimes
the financial office will use the students FASFA information for elegibility
purposes to award private scholarships with certain criteria. It is worth the time to apply.
Now for a returning student, are their scholarships I can
apply for to be used this upcoming year?
Scholarship application
deadlines at most colleges have passed for this upcoming Fall. It is
always a good idea to talk with the Department Head of the area you are
Majoring in and ask about possible funding from their specific Department.
Students should check the Financial Aid & Scholarships website and apply
for the next year so they do not miss out on that opportunity in upcoming
years.
Does it make sense to check-in with the Financial Aid office
over the summer?
It is a good idea to contact the
Financial Aid office after your final grades for the Semester have posted if
your GPA is lower than a 2.0 or you have received any failing grades.
This could affect your ability to receive aid the following semester without
going through the Academic Warning process.
The Federal government wants you to be successful in college if they are
giving you funding. That means getting
at least a 2.0. But they also understand
that things happen and a system is in place for students to appeal to continue
getting Federal funding even after a bad semester. But, just like in Baseball, three strikes and
you are out at most institutions.
Any advice for students as they get ready to return for
classes in the Fall?
Contact the office to check in
at least 2-3 weeks before school starts. Call or visit. You do not want to wait and have a problem
that needs to be resolved before you get your Financial Aid. It is
important to have everything in line so you receive your aid in time to have
all of your books and supplies in order to start the semester out on the right
foot.
I went to apply for FAFSA and they tried to charge me for
it, is that right?
NO, you should never pay to
complete a FAFSA after all it is the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid. The correct website is www.fafsa.ed.gov
Well there you have it folks. Right from the source.
Hope you to see you around campus!
