With students adjusting to the new semester, many are still spending time trying to figure out their eligibility for financial aid.
Even though the economy is in a downturn right now, funding is still available for students.
“There is a lot of funding, which is the federal Pell grant, but the student has to meet all the criteria for it,” Hortense Cooper, director of financial aid and scholarships, said.
In order for students to get aid in a timely manner, they have to submit all the correct documentation on time, and make sure that all the correct information is completed.
“It varies when a student receives aid. If a student applies early, the student doesn’t have to go through the appeal process and may receive a check the first week of college,” Cooper said.
Recently, President Barack Obama an his administration came out with a budget plan that calls for direct government funding of student loans, which cuts out the middleman giving the funds to students.
“The affects of the Obama budget plan were that there was an increase in the Pell grant. This qualifies the student to receive up to $5,350, but they have to be enrolled as a full-time student for fall and spring, and have zero family contribution,” Cooper said.
Even though the Obama budget calls mainly for student loans it also does affect financial aid as well as funding coming directly from the government.
“The largest funding from the government is the federal Pell grant, and the Supplemented Ediucational Oppourtunity Grants (SEOG) which is a Federal Supplemental grant. Also federal work study is direct funding,” Cooper said.
Some students face positive encounters when applying for financial aid, yet other students face issues when applying because of some of the things required to be qualified to receive aid.
“I have had both a positive and negative experience with financial aid. Out of high School I didn’t go to college because I couldn’t qualify for financial aid and I didn’t have money to go to school. I was an independent student, and that was never an option, on the FAFSA questionnaire until now Keythema Bush 19, business major, said.
Another part of the application process is having students maintain a certain grade point average and completing courses.
“Issues that students face with financial aid are that they don’t complete their classes, they don’t maintain a 2.0 GPA or they have been at the school for too long,” Cooper said.
Cooper also said that most students are not prepared for applying for financial aid due to student awareness of sources that are constantly available to them.
“A large part of the problem with students is that they don’t attend orientations. They don’t meet with the counselors and they make their own plans. They do not look for the resources that are available,” Cooper said.
Students who do apply for financial aid should also be aware and make sure that they are not only prepared to submit documentation but be prepared to wait for the process as well.
In doing so, students are encouraged to find out their status online on the financial aid webpage as well as on their “My ECC” account.
“Currently, there is information on the financial aid web page on workshops targeting students who are not in good standing and can check their status, but few students are showing up to the workshops,” Cooper said. “We are trying to find other ways for the students to find out about financial aid.”
Financial aid will be providing a workshop today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.pm in the Student Service Center for students who may need help with applications.