Many Community-College Students Miss Out on Aid Because They Don’t Apply

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, October 7, 2008

Community colleges serve a large proportion of low-income students each year, but nearly 40 percent of their full-time students don’t even fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

By BECKIE SUPIANO

Community colleges serve a large proportion of low-income students each year, but nearly 40 percent of their full-time students don’t even fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Many of even the poorest students those with family incomes of $0 to $9,999=97do not apply for federal aid. For example, 29 percent of dependent students in that income range do not apply. Students offer a number of reasons for not making that effort, according to a http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/acsfa/applytosucceed.pdf”>re=port, Apply to Succeed: Ensuring Community College Students Benefit from Need-Based Financial Aid,” released Monday by the federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Some don’t think they are eligible, others say they have enough money to cover the cost of college, and a small percentage say the Fafsa was too complicated, according to data from the 2008 Community College Survey of Student Engagement cited in the report. Whatever the case, many of those students may be missing out on need-based aid.

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2 Responses to “Many Community-College Students Miss Out on Aid Because They Don’t Apply”

  1. Carol says:

    Almost 40% of full-time community college students don’t apply for financial aid and many of the poorest students who qualify (those whose parents make 0 to $9,999) don’t apply for aid, according to a report released by the Federal Advisory Committee. Reasons range from students who don’t think they are eligible , to those who were stumped by the FAFSA form, to those who think they don’t need the money.

    Questions to consider:

    1) How can high schools work with both juniors and seniors to help every student on
    free and reduced lunch complete and submit the FAFSA?

    2) How can parents and educators in low income families be informed of the FAFSA so that they can oversee this with their child, guardian or foster child?

  2. Erica says:

    School should be cheap. Period. Thousands of dollars going to these institutions is deplorable.

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