More students are applying for financial aid, and the University has the funds to support them.
This year, 15 percent more students — about 4,000 — applied for aid across the University, but an increase in federal and University contributions has provided adequate resources to support the influx in need, said Vice President for Enrollment Management Courtney McAnuff.
“We expect to disburse about $614 million in financial aid,” he said.
University Director of Financial Aid Jean McDonald-Rash said this fall, 28,634 students had their financial aid packages completed to date.
Of the 23,000 applicants who filed for need-based aid under the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application, 91 percent have their aid, she said.
“We are still waiting for about 700 students to submit documents and complete the financial aid application process,” McDonald-Rash said.
The slow-up stems from the large amount of applicants, McAnuff said. This year, 4,700 students as opposed to 4,200 last year did not pay their term bill by mid-September. The majority of the cases should be resolved by this weekend.
“It’s somewhat overwhelming; they’re working through the backlog of student applicants,” he said.
There was a small increase in tuition this year, and students’ need versus the cost changed a little, McDonald-Rash said.
“What has changed is that many families have had a reduction in income or loss of employment,” she said.
McDonald-Rash said more students have applied for Tuition Aid Grants and federal Pell grants; for public institutions like the University, it is not uncommon to see more need than there is aid.
“There are sufficient resources to meet the needs once we get to the students,” McAnuff said.
Millions of dollars have been disbursed through increases in need-based federal financial aid programs such as the Pell Grant Award and Federal Work Study programs, according to the University’s Office of Federal Relations.
“In fact, more than $180 million in Pell grants and $4 million in work-study funds have been awarded to students attending colleges and universities in New Jersey through the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act],” according to an e-mail from the Office of Federal Relations.
The University received $14.3 million in Pell grants, $858,000 in work-study funds and another $500,000 in student financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education, according to the Office of Federal Relations. Federal stimulus funding for the state provided the University with $55 million for student assistance programs.
The University also increased its own pool, McAnuff said.
“The University has upped its contribution by several million dollars in need-based aid to respond to the economic downturn,” he said. “There are lots of families who are experiencing hardships — not just students — and we have to deal with them one-by-one as we review their situation.”
McDonald-Rash said every student’s case is unique and individually examined to determine which students require the most aid.
Douglass College senior Rachel Palao said the increase in students who need aid did not affect the amount of aid she received.
“I think I got about the same amount [as before],” she said.
But School of Arts and Sciences junior Wafa Zahedi did not.
“I’ve been getting less,” she said.
Students must file the FAFSA form to be considered for financial assistance at the University — a process that has not changed in many years, McDonald-Rash said.
The FAFSA process is extensive, and it is up to the student to check up on it, Zahedi said.
“It’s an elaborate process because you’re spending other people’s money, so the documentation … is pretty rigid,” McAnuff said.
McDonald-Rash said the University is now focused on trying to help people with paying the balance.
“The Office of Financial Aid and Office of Student Accounting will do whatever we can to assist students so they can stay in school,” McDonald-Rash said.
Aid office to award $614M after increase in applicants
Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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