Student veterans still waiting on their financial aid this fall have finally gotten a bit of relief from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The VA announced Friday that due to delays in processing requests for veterans’ education benefits under the new post-9/11 GI Bill, they will be issuing emergency checks of up to $3,000 available to students whose benefits are still pending.  These advances will be available through regional VA offices starting October 2, and students will need to bring a photo ID, a class schedule, and a certificate of eligibility to receive them.  The emergency funds will come out of future benefits checks due to the students.

The massive backlog at the VA office first began to make headlines in August and early September when it was revealed that the VA had made it through only a tiny segment of pending benefits requests.  The VA has hired additional staff and ramped up processing since then and anticipates dispensing with the backlog entirely by November 1.  However, as the weeks wore on, a clamor has been growing among veterans and the press as students went days, then weeks, and now potentially months without receiving payments for tuition and fees or, more importantly, monthly stipends that allow them to pay for living expenses while attending college.

Part of the delay is due to the massive popularity of the new benefits, with requests simply overwhelming the capacities of the VA office, especially since implementing new rules and procedures can also slow down processing.  In addition, the procedures themselves make speedy processing difficult.  The VA cannot issue benefits checks until schools have confirmed students’ enrollment and tuition charges, which in some cases didn’t take place until late summer.  Between back and forth correspondence with schools and veterans, and the manual labor involved in processing each claim, a backlog built up quickly and veterans wound up having to borrow money or use credit cards to pay for rent, books, and other expenses.

Colleges have been working with veteran students to minimize the impact of delays, accepting late tuition payments without dropping students from their classes, allowing students to charge books to their bursar accounts, and issuing emergency loans where possible.  Between schools’ efforts and the new emergency aid through the VA, most student veterans should be able to make it through the next month until they–hopefully–begin receiving regular benefits checks.

Posted: under Back to School, College News, Financial Aid.
Tags: Back to School, college news, Financial Aid, GI Bill, military, veterans

Comments (0) Sep 29 2009

As students begin the fall semester, news of the H1N1 swine flu virus spreading across college campuses is everywhere.  But whether the flu has hit your college or not, getting sick at school is a real concern and can quickly derail your semester.

Living far away from home, many college students aren’t well-equipped to take care of themselves and stay on top of their coursework while ill, especially if they contract something more serious than a cold.  While the flu’s getting all the attention now, other common illnesses can put students out of commission for days, or even weeks, causing them to miss class, miss work, and get behind on projects that are crucial to their success in school.  Missed work due to illness can even jeopardize your financial aid.  Part of taking care of yourself when you’re sick at school is taking care to minimize the impact of illness on your semester.

Beyond attending to your immediate needs (seeing a doctor, getting rest, etc.), the most important thing to do if you get sick is to contact your professors, preferably before you miss a class or an assignment.  If you’re really ill and need to miss more than one class or an important assignment, quiz, or test, the earlier you establish communication, the better it will go.  If you have a diagnosis, you can share it, but don’t go into the minute details of what your body is doing and don’t assume that because you’re sick with something verifiable, your professors will instantly cater to your every whim.  A doctor’s excuse doesn’t always go as far as demonstrated willingness to take responsibility for your missed work and to work with your professor to get caught up. Most instructors will be willing to provide you with information and course materials from missed classes, and depending on circumstances and how you approach the situation, they may allow you to make up work, as well.

If you’re going to miss a lot of school or you have professors unwilling to budge, contacting your academic advisor is a good step, as well.  A note from an advisor carries more weight than a call from a student, and if you lack the time or energy to address each professor personally and immediately, talking to your advisor can save you some time.  They can also give you advice and information on what to do about missing class, and help you keep from falling behind.

Finally, once you’re healthy, back in class and taking care of your missed work, there may still be other matters to attend to.  Even if you have tried your hardest, you may wind up with too much work to catch up in a class.  If talking to your professor and your advisor about incompletes and other options doesn’t bear fruit, you may need to drop classes or you may see your GPA suffer.  If you have scholarship awards or other financial aid, lower grades or less than full-time enrollment can have an impact on your eligiblity for these awards.  Be aware of the GPA and enrollment requirements for your scholarships and grants (even some student loans) and if you are in danger of not meeting them, talk to the scholarship provider or your financial aid counselor to find out your options.  Your financial aid office is also a good place to stop if illness has generated medical bills or lost income for you–they may be able to adjust your aid package to help you deal with these expenses.

Posted: under Back to School, College Culture, College Life, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, campus life, College Life, college students, college tips, student life

Comments (0) Sep 16 2009

The new Post-9/11 GI Bill went into effect on August 1, bringing expanded educational benefits for students who have served in the military since 2001.  These benefits are supposed to be available to students for the fall semester, but a mounting backlog of applications has the Department of Veterans Affairs saying recipients should expect processing delays of up to 8 weeks.

This means that many veterans attending college may not receive their first payments from the VA until potentially October or even November, despite classes starting in August and September.  So not only will their tuition and fees go unpaid, but they also will have to find other sources of funding for housing, books, and living expenses, which many veterans expected to rely on VA stipends to pay.  While most colleges are working with their veteran students to arrange stopgap financial aid, the delayed payments still represent a huge problem for students going back to school after military service.

The application process for VA benefits under the GI Bill is somewhat complex and involves multiple steps between a student’s initial decision to enroll in college and his or her ultimate receipt of a check from the VA.  Students, schools, and the VA all need to complete paperwork to set up benefits, and May 7 was the earliest students could begin applying.  In addition, current VA employees and new hires needed to be trained to process applications under the new program, so processing is taking longer than normal.

Add in the popularity of the expanded GI Bill benefits, the recession bringing students back to college in droves (with fewer financial resources available to them), and colleges across the country dealing with massive budget crises and increased demand for emergency aid, and you get the potential for disaster.  More students are applying for benefits, the VA is less able to process these applications in a timely manner, and schools have more students in difficult situations to assist.  All parties have fewer resources at their disposal to deal with the situation, making it still more challenging.

Still, vets who have found their benefits delayed should talk to the financial aid and veteran’s affairs contacts at their school if they need additional financial aid to cover their expenses in the short term.  While money is scarce, it is still available in most cases.

Posted: under Back to School, College News, College and the Economy, Financial Aid.
Tags: Back to School, College and the Economy, College Costs, college news, Financial Aid, GI Bill, military, veterans

Comments (0) Sep 04 2009

Back to school season is also college rankings season, and in addition to well-known lists like those published by U.S. News and Princeton Review, several other organizations publish their own college rankings based on often-overlooked criteria.  One such list was released this week by G.I. Jobs Magazine, naming the top military-friendly schools in the United States.  To make the list, a school must be in the top 15 percent of colleges, universities, and trade schools in the nation when it comes to recruiting and serving military veterans.

This information is timely for many veterans who may be starting their college search after the new Post-9/11 G.I. Bill took effect at the beginning of this month.  Expanded benefits will help more veterans pay for school at more institutions, with funding available for up to the full amount of tuition and fees at the most expensive state college in each state, as well as housing and book allowances.  However veteran students, like other adult students, often need additional support to succeed in college, both where their coursework and their financial aid are concerned.

Rather than just including four-year universities, the military-friendly schools list also features community colleges and trade schools, institutions that attract veterans and other returning students, and that are expected to play an instrumental role in President Obama’s push to increase the number of Americans attending college.

Based on survey responses and published information, G.I. Jobs ranked schools on their committment to recruiting veterans, providing programs for military students, and maintaining overall academic excellence.  The complete list, as well as survey questions and information on methodology can be found on the G.I. Jobs Guide to Military Friendly Schools website.

Posted: under Back to School, College News, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, choosing a college, college news, college rankings, College Search, military, Tips, veterans

Comments (0) Aug 18 2009

The stress and financial hardships of textbook buying may soon be a thing of the past, as a vast array of textbook rental options are expected to debut or expand this year.  According to a recent article in The New York Times, students will have increasing options for renting, instead of purchasing, the required books for many common courses.  Rental prices are usually substantially discounted from the retail value of the book and students who rent textbooks will not have to worry about whether or not the bookstore will buy back their text at the end of the semester.

A number of colleges and universities have unveiled on-campus textbook rental programs in recent years, making the texts for popular introductory courses available for a small fee.  More bookstores have begun to get in on this, with Barnes and Noble announcing a pilot program this year that will allow students at a few colleges to rent textbooks from their campus bookstores.  These programs allow students to rent textbooks as easily as they can buy them from the campus store, though they’re still only available at a handful of colleges and for a handful of textbooks.

Several websites have emerged in the last couple years offering online textbook rental services to students anywhere in the country.  These sites often have a wider array of books available for rental, though after shipping costs are figured in, their discounts may not necessarily be as deep as those offered by some bookstore-based rental programs.  Similar to buying textbooks online, online rentals also require some forethought and don’t work well with last-minute schedule changes.  Students have to order their books early enough to have them in hand by the time they begin receiving reading assignments.

Addressing this need for immediately available content is one publishing house that recently announced plans to enter the textbook rental market.  One company, Cengage Learning, plans to rent a number of its most popular titles to students and make the first couple chapters of each book available online to customers who have rented a physical text.  This reduces the stress of waiting for the book to arrive.

Taking advantage of textbook rental programs, as well as other options like used books and free online books, can help you stretch your college savings and scholarship awards further.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, College News.
Tags: Back to School, books, College Classes, College Costs, college news, college students, college tips, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 14 2009

Both for students starting college for the first time in the fall and for undergraduate students returning for another year, textbooks are too often an unwelcome and unexpectedly large expense.  With your scholarship awards and hard-earned money already going towards tuition and room and board, it’s difficult and unpleasant to have to shell out well over $100 for a book you’re unlikely to even enjoy reading.  There are ways to ease the pain of college textbook purchases, though.

Start Early and Get It in Writing

With classes starting up in August or September at most schools, your professors and the bookstore staff probably already know what books will be needed for fall, even if the textbook section of the campus bookstore isn’t open for business yet.  If you have your fall schedule figured out, now is a good time to start tracking down textbooks.

First off, get a book list for each course as early as possible.  This could take some doing, as not all professors in all departments have the courtesy to make book lists and syllabi available on a course website.  Typically, professors have to get lists to the bookstore, though, and the bookstore is generally supposed to make this information available to students.  If you can’t find this information anywhere, don’t be afraid to ask your professor through a polite e-mail.

Comparison Shop and Buy Used

With book list in hand, make note of prices at the campus bookstore, any off-campus textbook stores in the community, and popular websites that sell new and used books.  Try to find the best deal, and be sure to factor in shipping costs and how long it will take the books to arrive.

While the used book stacks are always the first to go at the bookstore, this isn’t the only place used books are available.  Check local used bookstores, as well as online retailers.  I’ve found books for literature classes at library sales, yard sales, and thrift stores too, so be on the lookout if you happen across any of these.  There’s nothing like picking up a $15 text for 15 cents.

Find It for Free

Got friends or older siblings who may have taken similar classes?  See if they hung onto their books and could lend you one or two.  You may want to try posting flyers in your dorm and common areas on campus, or utilizing free online classifieds for your campus and community.  The end of the semester is often the best time for this, but it could still pay off now.

Don’t forget the campus and public libraries, either, especially if you have the option of checking out a book for an entire semester, or if you will only need a book for part of the term.  Most colleges participate in pretty generous inter-library loan programs, and some let students keep books or renew books for fairly substantial lengths of time.

If you can’t borrow, you may also want to look into renting.  While not free, textbook rental services are less expensive than purchasing new books, and you don’t have to worry about trying to sell the books back at the end of the semester.

Apply for Textbook Scholarships

Many scholarship opportunities allow winners to apply costs towards any school-related expenses, including textbooks.  Additionally, several scholarship providers offer students money specifically for buying books.  Some are local scholarships and others are major-specific, but they are out there!  Do a free college scholarship search today to find some textbook funds.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, books, College Classes, College Costs, college students, college tips, Scholarship Search, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 13 2009

We’re nearly a week into August, and for many students, that means that back-to-school preparations have begun.  Whether you’re picking out notebooks and XL twin sheets, or trying to squeeze one last trip or a few more hours of work into your calendar, now is a good time to start looking ahead to the fall term if you’re in college.  This includes thinking about financial aid.  One of the least pleasant aspects of the start of the semester is finding yourself in the line for the college financial aid office as it grows to epic proportions the first week of class.

Luckily, at most colleges the fall rush has not yet started, so if you have some extra time now, you can take steps to make sure you won’t find yourself standing in a packed office and trying not to panic on the first day of class.  From a financial aid office veteran, here are three things to check into now to avoid waiting in line later.

First, if you are applying for federal student financial aid, by now you should have filled out a 2009-2010 FAFSA and received a financial aid award notice from your college’s financial aid office.  If you’re still waiting to complete a FAFSA or hear back from your school, now would be a good time to take care of these things.  You may want to call your college’s financial aid office, or check your account online if you have the option, to make sure that everything is in order for timely disbursement of your fall financial aid.  Ask if you have any other paperwork you need to complete (such as verification or a master promissory note), especially if it is your first time receiving financial aid.  Double check disbursement dates, as well, so you know when you are due to receive the money.

Second, if you’ve won any scholarship awards (and we hope you have!), now would be a good time to make sure you know when you will be receiving the funds, whether the checks will go to the school or to you, and whether you will need to sign anything or wait for the school to do any additional paperwork before you receive the money (the financial aid office may need to recalculate your aid based on the scholarships you’ve received).  Many scholarship providers notify you of disbursement arrangements or include this information in their official rules, so review correspondence with them, as well as information they’ve published.  If you have questions, you can check with your college and the scholarship provider.

Finally, make sure you will have sufficient funds to cover your bill and make arrangements if necessary to take care of whatever costs grants, scholarships, or federal student loans do not cover.  Your parents may want to take out a PLUS loan, or you may want to take out a private loan to cover whatever gap is left.  You will want to do paperwork for these as soon as possible, as processing times may take up to a few weeks, especially once things get busy.  Many colleges also offer payment plans if you’d like to pay the rest of your bill without borrowing, but you cannot afford to do so all at once.

Posted: under Back to School, FAFSA, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Student Loans, Tips.
Tags: Back to School, college, College Grants, college scholarships, college tips, FAFSA, Financial Aid, scholarship tips, Scholarships, Student Loans, Tips

Comments (0) Aug 06 2009

College rankings, such as those published this week by Princeton Review, always generate media buzz and factor heavily into students’ decisions (”Do I really want to go to one of the top 20 party schools?”).  However, rankings are not everything, nor is cost (even in a recession), and in your college search, you may find that many colleges offer things that can’t be easily quantified.

Rising high school seniors returning from their first round of campus visits and newly admitted undergraduate students who have gone through orientation and registration have likely experienced some of this.  In addition to offering good financial aid, academic programs, extracurricular activities, and dorm food, the best colleges will also entice students to imagine themselves living on campus and being a part of the culture there.  While prestige is certainly nice, your college experience will be enriched by feeling as though you are engaged with those around you and like you really belong to the campus community.

How colleges try to create this impression varies greatly.  I’ve seen tongue-in-cheek Facebook groups for several colleges, including my alma mater, declaring students’ decisions to enroll were based on receiving a free t-shirt, but gestures like this can make a difference.  The small liberal arts college my sister ultimately chose to attend offered a package of cookies from the local cookie factory to students who took a campus tour, which we happily munched on while driving home from an impressive campus visit.  The most interesting college freebie I’ve heard of comes from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, which sends each incoming freshman a box of Walla Walla onions.  That definitely makes a unique impression!

This has us wondering: have you received anything cool from a college you’ve visited or chosen to attend?  What unconventional things have caught your attention during the process of choosing a college?

Posted: under Back to School, College Culture, High School.
Tags: Back to School, choosing a college, college admissions, College Culture, College Search, college tips, High School, high school students

Comments (1) Jul 29 2009

Yesterday, President Obama announced a new focus on community colleges in a speech delivered at Macomb Community College in Michigan.  Obama pledged $12 billion to improve facilities, increase enrollment, and boost graduation rates at the nation’s community colleges, a shift in education policy from the traditional focus on K-12 education and public universities.  In addition to the proposed federal funding increase, Obama’s speech also called for community colleges to graduate five million more students by the year 2020.

Community colleges have already seen increased enrollments and publicity in recent years.  According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, community colleges saw the greatest enrollment boom since the 1960s during the first half of this decade.  The current economic downturn has prompted even more first-time college students and unemployed adults to enroll at community colleges this academic year. Community college officials and the Obama administration hope that the increased attention paid to community colleges will prompt more students to consider enrolling, either as a path to a career training degree or certificate, or in order to transfer to four-year colleges.

Beyond Presidential endorsement, there are many other incentives to pursue a degree at a community college.  Tuition is typically much lower at two-year schools than at private colleges or state colleges, and courses are often offered with the scheduling needs of working adult students in mind.  Additionally, numerous scholarship opportunities exist specifically for students pursuing two-year degree programs.  Community college students can do a free college scholarship search to learn more about funding opportunities available.

Posted: under Back to School, College News, College and the Economy.
Tags: Back to School, college news, community college, President Obama, returning students, Scholarship Search, Scholarships

Comments (0) Jul 15 2009

On August 1, the new GI Bill will kick in, bringing with it increased education benefits for people who have served in the military since 2001.  At least in theory.

The new GI Bill covers an undergraduate student’s full tuition and fees at any four-year state college anywhere in the country, which is a more generous benefit than the veteran aid students received under the old GI Bill.  Eligible students will also receive an additional monthly housing stipend, and thanks to the recently approved HEA Technical Corrections legislation, these benefits won’t be counted as income for purposes of determining federal student financial aid eligibility.

The GI Bill also includes a new program that gives veterans benefits at private colleges and allows schools to match federal VA benefits for their students.  More than 1,100 private colleges signed up to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which should allow veterans to attend a larger number of institutes of higher education at little cost.

However, the formula for determining benefits under the Yellow Ribbon Program has been mired in controversy since its announcement, and as the deadline for the GI Bill to go into effect nears, many people are looking at the wide disparity in Yellow Ribbon benefits nationwide and scratching their heads.

Veterans attending private colleges can receive up to the full amount of tuition and fees at the most expensive public college in the state from the government, with their institution agreeing to assist with additional tuition costs at Yellow Ribbon schools.  But the amount the federal government will cover varies widely from state to state, with government benefits ranging from just over $2,000 to just under $40,000, depending on how the department of Veterans Affairs calculated the maximum in-state tuition in each state.

These differences have caused some private schools to limit their Yellow Ribbon participation, meaning many veterans may still be on the hook for most of their college costs if they choose to attend private colleges.  The wide variation in benefits also can cause confusion and uncertainty for veterans considering attending private universities but unsure of the financial aid they’ll be eligible to receive.

Posted: under Back to School, College Costs, College News, College in Congress, Financial Aid.
Tags: Back to School, College Costs, College in Congress, Financial Aid, GI Bill, military, private colleges, state colleges, state news, veterans

Comments (0) Jul 14 2009