Financial aid is vital to furthering college career
Emmanuel Casillas
STAFF WRITER
February was proclaimed Financial Aid Awareness Month all over the state of Indiana in an effort to keep students from forgetting to take the necessary steps toward securing financial aid.
“Financial Aid Awareness Month is a statewide endeavor. It’s [about] getting the information to the student, getting their attention and helping them to understand the importance of what they’re doing and the importance of a deadline. It’s really what Financial Aid Awareness Month is all about,” said Linda Handy, director of financial aid.
At UIndy, at least 88 percent of the student body receives some sort of financial assistance, whether through scholarships, grants, loans or part-time work. According to the UIndy Web site, the average package of financial aid for a student amounts to roughly $17, 265, and more than half of new students receive scholarships that can cover part or all of their tuition expenses.
“We have a lot of students who are on financial aid. We’ve had a tradition of admitting students who represent a broad range of income groups, and a good number of first-generation students, so that creates the need, because financial aid resources are modest,” Handy said.
According to Handy, financial aid at the university does not differ much from any other school, except when it comes to the university’s private institution status.
“We’re a moderately private institution. But by being a private institution, we don’t get state subsidies. So the cost of education is by the students and also by donations and endowments,” Handy said.
According to Associate Director of Financial Aid Heidi Carl, UIndy gives away quite a bit of its own money.
On the UIndy Web site, a checklist informs students about the steps to attain financial aid.
The site also lists possible scholarships and awards, departmental and otherwise.
First, students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The deadline for submission is March 10. It’s a federal form, and paper copies were not printed this year but can be printed online. The form is completed electronically. Then students must fill out the UIndy financial aid application, available in the Financial Aid Office and on the UIndy Web site. It can be submitted either in person or via fax.
Once the university receives the FAFSA, students will be notified of any additional documents or information that is needed.
“We will package you for financial aid, and we will send you a financial aid award letter. And on there, we’ll estimate for you charges based on what you tell us your enrollment status is, or your housing or meal plan…it’s to give you an estimate of what your cost is going to look like,” Carl said.
If no information is needed, a financial aid award letter is created and sent to the student as early as March. Later in the summer, a billing statement is sent to students informing them of any necessary payments.
The UIndy Web site has all the necessary information and complete listings of scholarships and awards, but students who prefer a more hands-on approach can go to the Financial Aid Office in Esch Hall, Room 141.
