Financial aid stress has cure

By Brandi Lee
Special to the Daily Forty-Niner

When a student hears the word, "Financial aid," stress and lack of funds immediately comes to mind.

The reason may be that financial aid is nice if you are fully covered, yet it is stressful knowing you have to pay it back when you graduate.

Many students are unfamiliar with financial aid and how to obtain it, given the rules and regulations seem to be forever changing.

"There are so many different ways a student may obtain assistance," said Jennifer Morgan, financial consultant for College Loan Corporation. "Prospective students just need to educate themselves on what services are available to them. It's just a matter of doing your homework."

Today, there are many ways a student may obtain financial assistance. To begin the long journey in receiving assistance, students must first fill out an application, known as FAFSA, or Free Application For Student Aid. This can be done online or at the chosen university.

Many students are either uninformed of what it takes to fill out the application and what documents are needed, or they just don't want to deal with the situation. Such documents needed include taxable documents as well as personal information, including military status and if a student has ever been a ward of the state.

If students feel the document process as cumbersome, they can also apply online. However convenient though, not every student has a home computer.

Although students went through the laborious application process, some may not qualify for financial aid.

When students are found ineligible for financial aid, they often do not know where to turn. Many are unaware they may qualify for scholarships, but again are discouraged by the application process.

Other programs administered by Financial Aid Offices include State Graduate Fellowships, Cal Grants, Federal Pell Grant Programs, Stafford Loans, and scholarships if the student meets the grade criteria.  However, the process is still long and grueling.

Although the process is at times too time consuming, students should not let lack of funds stop them from learning.

To learn more about financial aid, prospective and continuing students should contact their school or check online for assistance.  There are so many opportunities to receive money for school, it just takes time and effort to obtain the information available.