More Poor Students Not Applying for Aid

[Judi Lynn]

More Poor Students Not Applying for Aid
By JUSTIN POPE
AP Education Writer

February 11, 2006, 1:22 PM EST

Even as the price of college rises, more low-income students who would likely get federal financial aid aren't even bothering to apply.

A new report by the American Council on Education estimates 1.5 million students who would probably have been awarded Pell Grants in 2003-2004 did not apply for them. That's up from ACE's estimate in a previous survey of 850,000 who missed out on aid in 1999-2000.

A major reason is probably confusion over the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. On Sunday, at stations set up in high schools, libraries and other buildings across in 25 states, volunteers will help students and families with the forms as part of a program called College Goal Sunday.

Tally Hart, who co-founded the program and is director of student financial aid at Ohio State University, says too many students simply assume they will not be eligible because of their income level, when in fact other factors such as recently losing a job or having other children in college can extend a family's eligibility.
(snip/...)

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-college-financial-aid,0,5247961.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[VegasWolf]

1. Compassionate conservatism. If you don't have wealthy parents, then

you have no need for college.

:sarcasm:

[bluestateguy]

2. Students have nothing to lose in filling out the FAFSA

And seeing what happens. During my earlier years in graduate school, I filled out the FAFSA just to see what would happen, and I was stunned to see that I was awarded $600 in grants each semester (I was also awarded loans, which I declined). I think that all students, except for those from very wealthy families, should be encouraged to fill out the FAFSA and see what happens. There are also appeals processes, which my father navigated very well for me when I was an undergraduate (he was a banker).

[bbinacan]

4. I did the same thing and was

pleasantly surprised when I was granted a Pell Grant, money from a scholarship fund, and given a "work study" job in a mail room at the university. Why in the hell don't they apply. You never no what you might get until you try. BTW, my experience was 1982-1986 at UNC-Chapel Hill. The financial aid folks there were great.

[LisaL]

7. I got paid to go to graduate school.

I got paid to go to college too. But that was because it was not in US.

[f-bush]

3. Just what the bushbots want...

an underclass for a ready supply of cheap labor!

[alfredo]

6. It is the desired outcome according to the neo con

Straussian inspired philosophy. They want a small, powerful, educated elite ruling a poor, compliant, undereducated majority.

We spend a lot of time talking about their tactics, but what is their end game? What would a neo conservative paradise look like?

[sandnsea]

5. It's not enough to make a difference

If you go away to college, you still need thousands of dollars of loans and the thought of carrying at least $20,000 of loans on a $50,000 a year job doesn't seem quite smart to alot of people. That's why they aren't applying for the grants.

[gizmo1979]

8. Did you ever fill out a fafsa loan

form?It's not an enjoyable experience I could see why people would quit.

[MountainLaurel]

9. Oh yeah

It's complex, and can be a problem for those who might be estranged from their parents or guardians, since the FAFSA requires that you provide their income info as well for students younger than 25. Or those with limited English language or computer skills (since the FAFSA is online only these days). And then there are those students who may not realize how to access federal aid. If you're in a high school where only 10 percent of students go on to college, you may receive almost no information on FA or assistance from guidance counselors. And if no one you know has gone to college, you won't have that frame of reference.

[Nikia]

12. Guidance counselors need to do their job

Unfortunately, my guidance counselor was not that competent either. He spoke to the class as a whole a few times, but never mentioned applying for federal aid. As I mentioned in my other post, some poor students didn't realize that they could get aid. I knew about it because I knew that I was going to college and got all the literature that I could get a hold of. The colleges that I applied to mentioned applying for financial aid as well.
When my college plans were firm, I donated all the college related literature that I received to the guidance office.
I didn't find FAFSA too much of a hardship compared to the other application materials that I had to submit. I suppose that if you don't have access to your parents W2s though, it could be a problem.

[gizmo1979]

14. Fafsa is long and arcane.

It's a real tedious task .

[Nikia]

19. I'm just saying, I filled it out with all the other applications

The colleges that I applied to didn't just want my name, address, phone number, and high school I attended. It is good practice for filling out detailed job applications, tax forms, and health insurance forms. The most tedious application I ever filled out was a health insurance form that wanted complete health hisotry details.

[MountainLaurel]

20. Amen

I'd still like to go back and kick my brother's counselor, who didn't know (or didn't impart the information) that my brother could go to college for FREE because he was legally disabled (he's hearing impaired and had gone to public school as the first deaf child to be mainstreamed in our county) according to state law. My brother only discovered this fact because his athletic department advisor -- he had a partial track scholarship -- knew. He didn't have to pay tuition and also got a waiver for textbooks as well, as long as he maintained a 2.0 grade average.

[kayice]

13. I just filled out 2 fafsas last night.......easier this year.

I must say from stressing over the last two years and it was awful....but the website has changed! It was a lot easier this year and I hope more poor people do apply because it does help, I know we are poor. Your kids will still have loans but it can be done. Whenever, my oldest says something about his engineering homework, all I say is Wal-Mart Distribution----his summer job of throwing heavy boxes from trucks for 12 hours....he shuts up.

[Nikia]

10. All poor student should be encouraged to apply for aid

I went to a private liberal arts college, even though the price tag was approximately the same as my parents yearly combined wages. A few other poor college bound students were going to a 2 year public college and planned to transfer to a 4 year public without even trying to apply for aid. They didn't believe that they could a lot of financial aid. At graduation parties, some parents even had the nerve to ask my parents why I wasn't going to an affordable public state college.
The most I paid out of pocket, while in school, was $3,000 my senior year. My freshman year, it was only about $1200. The decrease in aid was due to my father getting raises every year. This does not include work study. I was paid that money by check and used it for books and other incidentals. There were other students at my college who almost got full aid too.
I am paying on my federal loans still, but the interest did not accumulate until after college. The interst rate is low compared to a car loan so I am actually making a good deal of progress on it.

[Army]

11. Too Lazy To Fill Out A Form

Then you probably wouldn't have done that well in college anyway. Still, no shame in getting a blue collar job. Most of the people on our dock make more than the educated office people.

[thinkingwoman]

15. It's not confusion

This statement from the article:

"A major reason is probably confusion over the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form."

This shows how little understanding people with money have about people without. Poorer students are not applying because even if they're approved, they still cannot afford to go. Student aid, even full grants, don't begin to cover the actual costs of attending college.

Poorer students are simply priced out. Middle class students are soon to follow.

[Judi Lynn]

16. Thank you for making the point. It should be easier for some people

to grasp than it seems to be.

[thinkingwoman]

17. you're welcome

I just wish the point didn't need making. I also wish I didn't understand it firsthand. Oh well, what can you do? :shrug:

[Nikia]

18. That isn't always the case

That is what people believe and is why they aren't even applying. I don't know how things are for non traditional students with family committments or other issues. There were several students at my college who did receive nearly full aid, which also covered room and board expenses. The college that I go to does have a large endowment and alumni who give money specifically to scholarships. About half of my aid was in the form of need based scholarship given by the college.
When I applied for college, I looked for the words in their literature which said "Meets 100% of financial need." Not all colleges can do that. All three coleges that I applied to had those words in their literature, but I received three very different aid packages. One didn't seem to do a good job of meeting my financial need. The college that I went to provided sufficient aid that I was able to get by working very little during the school year so that I could participate in athletics and other extra curriculiar activites and not take out additional loans. The other college provided a package that I probably could have found a way to afford, amounting to having to shell out $5,000 per year.
Strangely, some of the colleges with the most expensive sticker prices actually give the most generous aid packages to students.

[thinkingwoman]

24. You're lucky

The grants I received in the 80s and early 90s didn't begin to cover 100% of financial need, and I only made 12,000 per year at the time.

I was not eligible for scholarships.

I had to borrow an unbelievable amount of money to cover living expenses and I did NOT live extravagantly by any means.

I went to college in two spurts...first as a traditional student, later as a non-traditional (mother of 2 young children). I actually found attending as a non-traditional easier financially.

I take issue with this statement:

"That is what people believe and is why they aren't even applying."

I think that's insulting. People in this financial situation know exactly what is available to them and what they can or cannot afford.

[Nikia]

25. How can they know what they can afford if they don't apply?

If I hadn't applied for financial aid, my options would have been community college or being involved with the military through the National Guard or ROTC, which I did consider.
I went to a $24,000 college instead, paying less than $3,000 per year every year while I was in college. Other students at my college were in the same situation. Between my junior and senior year, I had gone to a academic related camp where I met some other financially disadvantaged students who I kept in touch with for a while who also were able to go to good colleges, Georgetown University and Yale, for a price which they were able to afford. The only reason that I do not name my college is that it is small enough that I feel that my anonymity might be compromised.
Yes, the loan situation is scary. I am sorry that you had bad luck with finding a decent paying job after graduation. I don't make that much myself. Unfortunately a college diploma doesn't guarentee a high paying job anymore.

[kayice]

22. I do agree with you there, we are learning with trial and error

with my oldest, he has himself on a strict budget. He will have some major loans to pay off when he is done but he has gotten some grants that have helped so much. I'm lucky the college both my sons wanted to attend is in-state. Certain colleges would be out for them.

Right now the two kids in high school are breaking me with community college classes, sports, activites and all the extras that go with a senior. Geez......it is 'I need money for this or that at school' all the time.

[thinkingwoman]

23. I'm still paying off 50,000

in loans (twice what I borrowed because they spent several years in default while I struggled to keep food on the table).

My post college employment (I'm 40 now) has paid me 1/3 what was projected to me in the mid 80s. The switch to a service economy, well, we know what that has done to real wages.

Anyway, I have two teens and neither will borrow so neither will go. Period. These are kids with genius level IQs and we live in a university town.

We are working poor. College is not an option for us.

[kayice]

26. God bless you....they will probably be close to

ten thousand but hopefully we can keep it under....my sons are smart and I'm encouraging to remember they may need something to fall back on later. My daughter probably will not go to college, hopefully a trade school. School is not her thing, but very outgoing--probably do the best out of all of them, lol.

I got lucky, this small high school offers courses (have to pay half cost) in the jr/sr yrs from community college that counts as credits at their university so they can go in as a soph.; This helps some.

[michiganbuckeye1970]

21. Not thinking the debt is worth it

We hire a number of college age adults where I work, and what I am seeing is that many individuals are not willing to go into debt to get a degree. I don't know if it is the rampant standardized testing that has taken place, but many of them seem to think that the degree they are working toward is really some sort of job training...

When I mention to them that it is quite possible to work outside of the area they are getting their degree in, they seem unable to grasp that. I try to let them know that being able to communicate and problem solve are far more important factors with being successful than majoring in the right subject. Sadly, many of them are not particularly good problem solvers or communicators. But, in time they will be able to develop these skills (if they want to).