Need-based aid demand rises

The number of financial aid applicants has risen consistently by almost 3,000 students each year from 2008 to 2011.

But Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid, said she thinks this year the number of applicants for need-based aid will finally flatten out.

“It means a sigh of relief,” Ort said. “It’s incredibly challenging to try and come up with the resources to maintain this pattern.”

In the 2011-12 year, there were 21,368 students who requested need-based aid.

The deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, was March 1. Ort predicts there will be 21,500 applicants this year.

“Here’s my hope,” Ort said. “That we’re going to stay pretty constant. All of this can be affected with what is happening in the economy.”

FAFSA is a standard test for determining eligibility for student aid, Ort said.

“The formulas are the same whether you live in Michigan or Texas or North Carolina,” she added.
After the application’s completion, the federal government determines an “expected contribution.”

From there, institutions work to provide a level of aid meeting the amount determined by FAFSA.

“Students from less affluent backgrounds do not have the luxury of discretion in their choice of college. Without financial aid, there is no choice to be made as the tuition simply cannot be paid,” said Phillip Asbury, deputy director of scholarships and student aid.

In the past, the University has provided at least 65 percent of need-based aid with grants and scholarships, Ort said.

But last year, students brought in more than $4 million in outside scholarships so the University was able to provide 74 percent of the needed aid, Ort said.

During the 2010-11 academic year, the office gave more than $325 million to about 18,600 undergraduate and graduate students.

With possible cuts from the state concerning the percentage of the new tuition revenue the University can give out to students, Ort said she is worried about the future of financial aid.

“We don’t know if we’re going to be able to maintain that 65 percent,” she said. “We hope so.”

“It’s incredibly challenging to try to come up with the resources to maintain this pattern while we’re experiencing this kind of growth.”

Sarah Jane Bassett, an out-of-state freshman, said her experience with financial aid has been less than satisfying.

“I got an $800 work study grant, which was relatively unhelpful,” she said, adding that her parents are paying for her two older brothers to attend college as well.

But Bassett said she will continue to apply for aid.

“It can’t hurt to try.”

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