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“I was a senior student mom last year,” smiles Christina Okiyama from a table in the Career Center at Buena High School, “so what do you want to know about financial aid and scholarships?”
Okiyama’s son is currently a freshman on a free ride at Notre Dame (worth roughly $35,000 a year), and in her job as Career Center coordinator, is on a mission to make a difference in the lives of Buena students who — along with many of their parents — labor under misconceptions regarding financial aid and scholarships for higher (post-secondary) education.
“I push them a little,” she admits. “Because I know money is important and it can hold people back from trying for what they really want.”
 Cochise College Financial Aid System Tech Janet Johnson is giving students helpful tips on how to apply for financial aid for the college on Thursday morning at the Cochise College Sierra Vista Campus. (Beatrice Richardson-Herald/Review) |
Regardless if you are a fresh-faced 18-year-old, or a “non-traditional” (read “older”) student considering returning to school or making a career change, the facts are well-understood: For most people, college costs money, college takes time, college requires sacrifice, and the average undergraduate at a public university in Arizona carries a debt in the neighborhood of $17,000.
It’s not unusual for students at private institutions to face $30,000 of loan repayments upon graduation.
So what’s a kid, a family, a single mom, a returning soldier, a restless workforce member, or a “never-had-the-chance-before” education-seeker supposed to do?
“Most people don’t get approved for financial aid because they don’t apply,” says Janet Johnson of the financial aid office at Cochise College. “They think they don’t qualify, or they have to be a straight-A student, or they have to be enrolled full-time.”
At Cochise — and quite likely at any two- or four-year college out there — financial assistance may be more available than most people think. For example, The Cochise College Foundation dispenses approximately $400,000 a year in scholarships to hundreds of students — many of whom carry a “C” average. Johnson’s office processes an additional $8 million a year in federal and state aid and veterans’ benefits.
But for aid of any type, it’s critical to take the right steps in a timely manner in order to keep out-of-pocket expenses as low as possible.
“Go for the free money first,” says Johnson. “Grants and scholarships don’t have to be paid back. And before you take out a loan, see if there isn’t some other source to make up whatever gap you might have for expenses.”
“It’s impossible to stay on top of every scholarship out there,” comments Allen Wright, the Buena counselor who coordinates financial aid and scholarships at the high school. “But what I see over and over is that students don’t apply for as much as they should.”
There are some core concepts that anyone considering continuing his or her education needs to know.
First and foremost is the need to complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is a must-do, in order to become eligible for a wide range of assistance — from federal Pell grants to low-interest loans, to “in-house” scholarships offered within a college or university, as well as some “outside” scholarships that can be used at any accredited institution of higher learning.
The FAFSA can be completed and submitted online, and results can be sent to up to six schools where a would-be student is considering enrolling. Online processing of the FAFSA takes 48 hours, with the goal of determining the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) — upon which the amount of aid is based.
“The EFC is the critical number,” says Ronnie Shellnut, financial aid counselor at the University of Arizona South. “This determines the size of the federal grant an individual is entitled to, and you want that number to be low. The government has a formula, and they take into consideration every aspect of a household — the number of people, the income, the whole situation.”
Shellnut — and all the college financial aid experts interviewed by The Herald/Review — recommend filling out a FAFSA worksheet offline, then plugging in the appropriate answers and numbers directly into the government Web site.
“They call it snail mail for a reason,” Shellnut says with a wince. “The information is verified with other government agencies. If you don’t do it online, it might take four to six weeks for processing, and you could miss some important deadlines.”
Deadlines are another core concept to be aware of when seeking financial aid for college. All colleges and universities have a deadline by which they require the FAFSA information — and those dates vary widely. At the University of Arizona, it happens to be Thursday.
“If that day comes, and we have your information and you’re admitted,” says Shellnut, “we can pretty much guarantee some money if you’re eligible.”
Another core concept — this time for scholarships — is the need to know that not only do they, too, have differing deadlines, but that scholarships almost always come with strings or restrictions attached — for eligibility, qualifications, and performance in order to win, maintain or renew the on-going financial subsidy.
A scholarship might mean you’re required to maintain a certain grade point average. The funds might not be allowed for books or living expenses. You might have to carry a certain number of credits per semester to keep the scholarship alive. Applications may have to be re-newed on an annual basis to ensure continuation.
“A lot of scholarships initially require the applicant to write an essay or personal statement,” says Johnson. “You’ve got to put your personality, your hardships, but most important, your goals into what you write. Let the scholarship committee see you as a deserving, worthwhile individual.”
Be sure you understand any financial aid contract you’re entering into, and keep copies of all your applications and all correspondence with a funding entity.
When exploring financial aid, the modern world demands you explore the multiple Web sites that can be of help. Both Cochise College and Buena High have lists they will be glad to share. A primary site advocated by both is www.fastweb.com. There are many more, such as www.collegenet.com, www.aauw.org, and www.scholarships.com.
And both the high school and college organize special financial aid information activities and events, where they help with filling-out-FAFSA and offer presentations by admission officers from Arizona’s public universities.
“We have a pre-orientation right here,” says Okiyama, “for the students going to to ASU, U of A, and NAU.”
For the 2007-2008 school year, tuition at Arizona’s three public universities is set to go up by 5 percent, a hike recently approved by the state Board of Regents — but less than had been requested by the universities’ administrations. It results in an average tuition of $4,600 for an in-state resident at Arizona State University in Tempe, University of Arizona in Tucson, and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
But there are some new opportunities for help that students and parents should know.
“I’m getting a lot of questions from parents about the AIMS waivers,” says Buena’s Allen Wright. “It’s about the only automatic thing out there anymore.”
Under the officially-titled “Honors Tuition Waiver” program through the Arizona Department of Education, students who exceed standards in all the AIMS high school tests and meet other qualifications can have their tuition waived at the state’s three public universities.
The program became effective with the graduating class of 2006.
Cochise College’s Janet Johnson also reports a new-this-year “add-on” to Pell grants for students who have completed more rigorous math and science courses in high school.
Known as “academic competitive grants,” they can mean an additional $750 to college freshmen, and $1,300 for sophomores.
“I think most of our students are going to school with some form of financial aid,” is the overall assessment of UA South’s Shellnut. “By the time they get to us they’re pretty savvy,” she says.
UA South offers college-level courses for the junior and senior year, and limited master’s degree programs. A consortium agreement with Cochise College allows students to continue financial aid when taking at least six credits at each school.
“At the community college level, tuition is low,” concludes Cochise’s Johnson. “You may not agree with the government’s formula for assistance, but we really take financial need, not just grades, into consideration.”
At Cochise College, you become a sophomore after 29 credits and a tuition expenditure of $2,625. At the University of Arizona, the freshman year tuition next fall will be $4,824, plus fees.
The local experts’ bottom-line answer to getting money for college?
“Go for it, and don’t give up!”
Financial aid timeline
If you’re in high school
JUNIOR YEAR: Attend college information nights and education fairs.
Take PSAT, ACT, SAT exams.
In spring and summer, visit schools that interest you; call ahead to arrange campus tours
Investigate “in-house” scholarships from your short list of institutions; check scholarships offered by the church, fraternal organizations or civic and business groups your parents may belong to; investigate if large corporations in your career field offer scholarships.
SENIOR YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER: Collect admission, scholarship and financial aid information from schools where you want to apply; request reference letters from teachers, employers, counselors, community leaders. As soon as possible after Jan. 1, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); this will require figures from your 2006 taxes in order to compute your potential aid for the school year beginning in Fall 2007. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that will indicate the amount of money you may be entitled to receive.
The college or university in which you have chosen to enroll will inform you what you need to do in order to actually “claim” the money.
If you’re returning to school
Meet or correspond with the financial aid office of the schools in which you are considering enrolling.
Investigate “in-house” scholarships from your short list of institutions; check scholarships offered by the church, fraternal organizations or civic and business groups you may belong to; investigate if large corporations in your career field offer scholarships, or if your current employer would contribute in any way.
Collect all admission, scholarship and financial aid information from schools where you want to apply; request reference letters from teachers, employers, counselors, community leaders
As soon as possible after Jan. 1, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); this will require figures from your 2006 taxes in order to compute your potential aid for the school year beginning in fall 2007. You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that will indicate the amount of money you may be entitled to receive. If you are applying for enrollment mid-year, the previous year’s tax information is acceptable.
The college or university in which you have chosen to enroll will inform you what you need to do in order to actually “claim” the money.
Applying-for-scholarships anxiety
-- It may seem overwhelming; don’t panic.
-- Take your time. It can be more than worth the investment.
-- Read all instructions; pay attention to detail; customize your application to the particular scholarship requirements.
-- Keep a positive attitude; it will reflect in your application.
-- You aren’t going to a bank for approval; scholarship committees want to give the money away, so stand out from the crowd by projecting your goals, your personality, your commitment when writing personal statements, essays.
Herald/Review reporter Cindy Skalsky can be reached at 515-4611 or by e-mail at cindy.skalsky@svherald.com.
Tony P wrote on Nov 25, 2008 12:24 AM: