When the first week of school rolls around, many students have issues getting their financial aid checks on time.

People who have encountered this tend to say it’s the financial office at fault. However, students trying for a scapegoat won’t receive the answers they want because the office says most problems are fixable by the student. The office has to abide by federal law and disperse the checks every quarter no later than 14 days after classes start.

Each student has to pass a few requirements to ensure they qualify for aid. Their GPA must stay above a 2.0, they must pass all classes and receive a 66.7 percent attempted versus earned GPA.  Also the financial aid office has to reassess aid for a student if they are not enrolled in full-time credit before the quarter begins and wait-list classes don’t count.

Students must take responsibility and sign up for classes early as possible and be proactive. Being proactive includes checking Eaglenet, which is one of the best ways for tracking progress. Also calling and asking office staff to make sure your paper work was received.

Another big miss for people is the master promissory note, which needs to be done every year. The date to have all this turned in is Feb. 15. Even if you haven’t finished your taxes, make sure to start your financial aid application and fill in the tax information later on. This will ensure that your aid is disbursed on time.

It’s best to save a little of the overflow disbursement from the previous quarter for books so you can get the cheapest prices and not wait for shipment. This will help students from getting into trouble the first week of classes.

Sincerely,

James Mctaggart            

Jeremy M. Owen 

Miguel A. Lopez 

Ariel N. McMillan