Difficulties with financial aid can hinder student success
By Jalaya Briggs, Staff Writer/photo by Jalaya Briggs
It’s important for new students to become familiar with what FAFSA (Federal Application for Federal Student Aid) is and how it operates. Students gaining better support with financial aid can minimize any form of delays in students receiving their financial aid grants.
FAFSA is a federal grant that is offered to low-income college students. FAFSA determines the SAR report (Student Aid Report) to identify how much students can receive from FAFSA. A SAR report is a statistical percentage of how much financial aid you receive based on the school you’re attending.
In the experience I had applying for financial aid at several community colleges, I went through a long process of answering questions about my student educational background along with my plans after community college. After filling out numerous questions, the FAFSA made me feel like I was applying for healthcare.
Financial aid and healthcare are similar because your eligibility for very important services is determined by tedious amounts of information. Although there are so many questions, they don’t always accurately reflect how much financial aid a student actually needs. For example, single parents can have difficulties with financial aid when the other parent is not legally separated, or contributing when that parent can’t be reached for documentation. It makes it inequitable for single parents and their children compared to families with two-parent homes.
On one occasion, I didn’t get my financial aid because my FAFSA was still processing, so I couldn’t buy my textbooks on time, which made my teacher withdraw me from two classes. The W’s (Withdrawals) on my transcript prevented me from enrolling in the Merritt College Paralegal Studies program. Financial aid is crucial for students like me who are not able to pay for college expenses on our own.
Laney College Financial Aid Specialist Joseph Koroma said financial aid workshops in partnership with local high schools help raise awareness of what students and parents need to do to complete the FAFSA. He also said FAFSA and the Dream Act application are available every Oct. 1, and students should prioritize completing their financial aid application on time. Koroma said it takes four to six weeks to process.
Koroma suggested that students attend financial aid workshops in the Laney College financial aid office. These are available every Thursday afternoon from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Koroma said there are several issues that occur with financial aid filings. One major problem is that students often don’t complete the entire application.
Incomplete applications and “students not turning in requested or required documents to the financial aid office” are also common problems that students have, he said.
Another setback students can face is when their grades are below 2.0 and don’t complete classes — failing to have satisfactory academic progress can negatively affect financial aid.
I would hope that the federal government can make adjustments for FAFSA — students can be overwhelmed with unclear instructions in the application.
In the meantime, the financial aid office, students, and counselors can work together to integrate workshops and help make the process more effective.
