Financial aid available
By Lyndsey Shinoda
Special to the
Summer Forty-Niner
Millions of dollars
in financial aid are up for grabs and getting your chunk is not as hard
as it might seem. It might be as simple as filling out the right form.
During the 1998-99
academic year, 13,806 Cal State Long Beach students were awarded over $83
million in financial aid, said Gloria Kapp, director of admissions and
financial aid. This includes grants, loans, and athletic and academic scholarships.
Almost everyone qualifies
to receive some sort of financial aid, Kapp said. This may be a student
loan, which can be paid back at a low interest rate, or federal grants,
which are given on the basis of financial need.
First, a student
must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which
is available from Enrollment Services. If guidance is needed, financial
aid counselors are available at any given time.
Kapp said she is
very pleased with the way that the programs are operating.
She said that the
federal government has made the process of applying for aid much easier
by having the applications available on-line. It is necessary to re-apply
for aid each year due to possible changes in economic status, therefore
affecting the amount of money to be received, Kapp said.
"Things are as streamlined
and smooth as they have ever been since Iíve been working in financial
aid," she said.
Kapp believes that
with the help of financial aid, it is possible for any person to make college
affordable. It is also proven that students who finish college with a bachelorís
degree will earn more money than those who attend some or no college at
all.
Preston Anderson,
a senior economics and finance major and a Presidentís scholar at CSULB,
is grateful for the opportunities he has been given.
"Scholarships and
financial aid are the main reasons why I came to Long Beach State," he
said. "Money was a huge factor in determining which college I would attend."
The largest programs
are federally funded, Kapp said. Grants may be state or federally
funded. Private parties and banks also donate monetary gifts to schools.
California provides more state funding for higher education than any other
state.
CSULB students receive
$17 million to $18 million in federal grants and $12 million from state
grants. The number of students in attendance drives the amount of financial
aid given to each school.
The amount of money
given to CSULB is comparable to that of other large state schools such
as San Diego, Northridge, San Jose, and San Francisco, Kapp said.
Once financial aid
payments begin, the student must maintain a certain number of units each
semester to remain eligible. This means a student who has applied as a
full-time student must maintain a classload of at least 12 units for the
semester.
Financial aid has
been in existence since the Higher Education Act of 1965 was passed. CSULB
started its financial aid programs shortly thereafter.
The financial aid
office is located in Brotman Hall, Room 101. The phone number is (562)
985-4641. |
![[news]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/news.gif){kind=icon}
![[sports]](http://www.csulb.edu/~d49er/Icon/sports.gif){kind=icon}