The Observer, April 4, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 23
Students get A+ aid packages for turning forms in on time
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Douglas Adams, the author of the noted Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, is attributed with the quote, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Case students are burdened with a lot of deadlines that they might wish they could let fly by, like those that determine their semester grades, next year's housing, and now an especially important one – their financial aid package.
Case's Office of Financial Aid has always had a deadline for turning in the necessary forms to secure grants and loans to offset a year's tuition, but this year it's serious. "Students haven't always adhered to it," said Donald Chenelle, Director of Financial Aid. "And we haven't always enforced it."
May 15 is the final day for students to submit the three sets of aid forms – the FAFSA, the Case Financial Aid Form available online, and copies of W-2s and tax returns for both students and their parents. Students submitting these forms after May 15 may find themselves without need-based aid for the 2008-2009 academic year.
In previous years, the deadline for applying for aid has been the end of April, but some students have not even begun the filing process until after the school year is out. This disrupts the financial aid disbursement process and causes a lot of guesswork to happen. Chenelle works with a budget for aid that is based on the amount of aid needed and provided in previous years, but changes in family situations or income, like divorces or siblings entering college, will affect the numbers.
When students file their information late, they run the risk of losing aid that has already been passed to other students. According to Chenelle, there have been a few times that the budget has been depleted, leaving late applicants without any Case aid.
Having students' forms in by one date will allow the financial aid office to see any changes all at once and give each student the amount of need-based aid he or she deserves. "I want to see us do everything we can for the students," said Chenelle.
To start the process, students submit their three sets of forms to the government and the financial aid office. The FAFSA is reviewed by a government contractor for inconsistencies, including mistyped numbers, a significant change in income from previous years, or anything else that might affect aid. If any are found, Case is tasked with having the student fill out a fourth form to verify the FAFSA entries. According to Chenelle, around 40 percent of Case students end up filling out this form every year.
After everything is submitted and verified and government funds are doled out, Case is able to divvy up its available financial aid among the students who need it. Case gives out need-based money in the form of grants-in-aid, student loans, and work-study funding.
Of those currently enrolled, 5868 students received financial aid from the university, including 3805 undergraduates. The financial aid application does have a clause that says that late applications will be considered within the remaining funds, but if nearly all of the students get their applications in by May 15, money for the late students will be extremely limited. An additional perk of filing early, or at least on time, is that those students will receive their aid packages before the July invoices are sent out.
