Due to the changes in Pell Grant eligibility, many students at Eastern Michigan University are left to wonder how they’ll pay for class or whether they’ll graduate on time.
Hospitality management major Latasha Jones is one of the students who has been affected by the changes.
“I just don’t understand why they’re making it so hard for us to go to school. I’m not going to be able to take any summer classes,” she said.
Jones also said the changes will delay her graduation plans.
“It’ll probably add another semester,” she said.
EMU Financial Aid Director, Cynthia Van Pelt offered clarity for anyone who still might be confused regarding the changes in Pell Grant eligibility.
“The change in the federal Pell Grant program regulations is putting the spending level back to the way it has been since the 1960s with the exception of two years,” she said.
“For students who attended summer 2010 and summer 2011 classes and who were Pell Grant
eligible, we were able to award Pell Grants even if they were full time in fall and winter semesters those years.”
“With the regulation changing back to the original language, students who were full time this fall and winter, will not have Pell Grant eligibility for summer if they plan to enroll.”
With all these changes, many students might resort to taking out additional loans or begin taking out loans if they haven’t done so already. Van Pelt suggested students only borrow what they need and not what they’re offered.
“Reduce student loan offers whenever possible,” she said. “We always have to offer what the student is eligible to receive, but we tell them to reduce it. You don’t need to take that much because they’ll end up getting a refund, and they may not need all of that. To take it all right up front really expands that loan debt.”
During 2007-08, 53 percent of full-time undergraduates received loans, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
There are options for students who wish to graduate from college with as few loans as possible.
Van Pelt said Free Application for Federal Student Aid is an essential step for anyone who plans to attend college.
“The FAFSA really does it all,” she said. “It gets them consideration for every form of federal financial aid money that’s out there, so just by filling out the one form, it takes care of it all.”
To learn about FAFSA deadlines, different filling options and other information, visit fafsa.ed.gov.
Many students at EMU are busy juggling three to five classes along with a part-time job, so another alternative to taking out loans would be picking up an extra shift at work.
Students might be surprised at how small changes can make a big difference. For example, working an additional 10 hours per week at minimum wage during the fall and winter adds to approximately $2,000, which is enough money to take at least two classes during the summer.
Psychology major Alexis McCree said she has to work extra hours to pay for tuition.
“I have three jobs. I’m working 36 hours a week,” she said. “If I can work to save money to take a summer class, then I will, so I don’t have to take out loans.”
Another option is going at a slower pace. McCree said she has no other choice than to attend school part time to avoid taking out loans.
“It’s frustrating. I don’t really get grants, but had I gotten grants, I would’ve been able to take 12 credits,” McCree said. “I was taking six credits, but I had to drop a class.”
Although reduced credit loads help students avoid debt, they also keep students from graduating as soon as they would otherwise.
“I’ll be 25 next year,” McCree said. “I don’t want to be in college when I’m 28.”
Some students are rushing to graduate as soon as possible and prefer taking out loans instead.
Marketing major Alonte Barefield, said she’s one of those students.
“I’d rather take the loan and get out of here in a reasonable amount of time,” she said. “Getting a great job with benefits and paying off my loans sounds much better than dragging out a four-year degree to six or seven years.”
Many college students rely on scholarships to pay for tuition. Melissa Jones, EMU assistant professor/chair of the English department scholarship committee, said she encourages students to take advantage of the many scholarship opportunities available.
“I think students should apply for as many as they can,” Jones said. “Don’t just pick one. Pick five and keep applying.”
Jones said the English department uses several strategies to inform students of scholarship opportunities.
“We have different types of promotions,” she said. “We did fliers one year. We try and get faculty to get the word-of-mouth out. We have it on the website and then I think once you establish a process where people know that they’re coming, then I think it’s easier to get applicants.”
She added, “I think it takes faculty intervention. I think you have to make it your job to get the money to students. You can’t imagine it’s the student’s job to get the money.”
Besides university scholarships, students might want to find out if there are any endowed scholarships available.
With endowed scholarships, the money is invested through the university foundation every year, and four percent of the money is set aside to put toward the scholarships.
Endowed scholarships are available through academic departments such as English, math, biology, economics, philosophy, history et al.
Students can visit emich.edu/finaid to browse through scholarships.
Also, there are thousands of scholarships available outside of EMU. Some useful websites include scholarships.com, mycollegeboard.com and mycollegedollars.com.
Jones said she encourages students to reapply for scholarships if they’ve been rejected.
“We [English department] always encourage students, even if they got rejected once, to reapply. Some years, you’ve got 20 people applying. Next year might only have five, so your odds change each year,” she said.
Barefield said she applied for numerous scholarships.
“I didn’t want to take out as many loans my junior year and I needed the extra money,” she said. “I didn’t receive any funding. They could have given me something.”
Jones said although scholarships provide some type of assistance, they aren’t enough to cover a four or five-year program.
“Our [English department] scholarships are a one-time-only deal and range from
$170-$1,000,” she said. “Even though this helps to cover book costs and unexpected expenses, it is somewhat limited if you’re trying to cover a four [or] five year educational program.”
Jones said students should think of scholarships as a way to pay for “stuff you wouldn’t necessarily be getting a loan to cover, but you would be putting on a credit card or you would have to take up extra hours.”
