As Financial Aid Assistance Increases, So Do On-Campus Resources

It’s certainly no secret that college expenses add up—and fast. With the costs of tuition, transportation, supplies and books, it isn’t financially easy to be a college student, especially today. Luckily, the BMCC Office of Financial Aid can help students apply for federal assistance, one step at a time.

According to Howard Entin, Director of Financial Aid at BMCC, the number of students applying for financial aid at the college, “is up about 15 to 20 percent over the last year.”

Federal statistics and the Web site universities.com ranked BMCC #6 in the country for the dollars dispersed in PELL Grants (a federal grant program in which financial need is determined by the U.S. Department of Education using a standard formula established by Congress) and #8 in the number of students receiving these grants.

“The only schools that ranked ahead of BMCC were proprietary schools like University of Phoenix and Kaplan University,” said Entin. “BMCC followed behind distance-learning type schools. This is pretty impressive.”

What is FAFSA?
FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and how it works is this: the federal government uses FAFSA to determine a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid, which includes grants and scholarships.

This year’s FAFSA deadline at BMCC is April 15th. With help from the Financial Aid office, students can also file for Work Study, supplemental grants, student loans and even the TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) application.

An “aggressive campaign” attracted students
For the 2010-2011 academic year, the Office of Financial Aid sent out approximately 24,000 emails to BMCC students, which Entin called, “an aggressive campaign,” reminding them to file for federal aid and complete their FAFSA forms.

“A combination of environmental factors, such as the increase in the number of students here, our emails, extended Web Lab hours and our Web site are ways that we try to make it easier for every eligible student to receive financial aid,” he said.

Financial Aid Awareness Day, which was recently held in BMCC’s Richard Harris Terrace, gave students the opportunity to learn about the many different resources available to help pay for college, via grants, loans, Work Study and scholarships.

Financial Aid Awareness Day helpful for busy students
Since so many BMCC students juggle jobs, homework, classes, commuting and home life, it can be tricky to find time to stop by the Financial Aid office, which is why Financial Aid Awareness Day was so beneficial.

At the event, representatives from the Financial Aid office thoroughly answered BMCC students’ inquiries about FAFSA, TAP and scholarship opportunities. Some students were able to file their 2010-2011 FAFSA application on the spot, as computers were set up around the room, providing easy access to the Office of Financial Aid’s Web site.

“Financial Aid Awareness Day ran until 6:00 p.m., which gave us a chance to capture both day and evening students,” said Entin. “We wanted to show the students that filing for financial aid can be fun and the people who work in the Financial Aid office are dedicated solely to their success and getting students through the process.”

According to Kelly Abdel, Coordinator of Outreach Services in the Financial Aid Office, at the event, more than 1,000 students stopped by for assistance with their FAFSA worksheet, filing their FAFSA on the Web, and more. “

In reviewing more than 400 completed surveys from Financial Aid Awareness Day, the vast majority of students were extremely pleased with how it went,” said Abdel. “In addition, many students made thoughtful suggestions we plan to implement at future financial aid events.”

Leisa Folkes, a business administration major and Work Study student thinks it’s important for students to apply for financial aid—especially in today’s economy. “You might not think you’re qualified, but you never know until you fill out the forms.”

Folkes also says that working in the Office of Financial Aid as a Work Study student, “makes it easier for me to work around my classes.” The federal Work Study program provides part-time employment to students with financial need to help with their educational expenses. Filing for Work Study is done through FAFSA.

The earlier, the better
Entin wants students to recognize the importance of filing early for FAFSA—in fact, the earlier, the better. “There’s an expression:  Vote early and often. We’re, ‘File early and every year’,” said Entin. 

Students must apply (or re-apply if they already received financial aid for the current semester) for federal aid every semester they are a student. The later they submit their FAFSA, the greater chance they have of running into a problem.

Some of the benefits of filing early include: avoiding the long financial aid lines during registration, getting financial aid credited to your tuition bill automatically and receiving a PELL Grant book the first week of classes.

Thanks to technology, and the power of the Web, applying for financial aid has become a much smoother process over the years. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has made a number of enhancements to the FAFSA Web site and even partnered up with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), allowing students and their families to transfer their income information directly from their income tax returns on to the FAFSA by simply checking a box.

“Filing costs nothing and you can always come to the Lab (Room  N-764) or visit us at the counter,” said Entin of his department. “Our office is getting the word out and getting the response from students. I think it’s important for students to know that the financial aid process is not as difficult as they might think.”