Campus Talk: Season 2 - Episode 4

Synopsis

David hosts a Christmas-season edition of Campus Talk devoted entirely to the changing world of college financial aid. His guests are Susan Longor, assistant director of financial aid, and Georgia Prell, East Stroudsburg University’s director of financial aid and a member of the Pennsylvania Executive Council of Financial Aid Administrators.

Georgia explains the federal reauthorization process, through which Congress periodically reviews the nation’s financial-aid programs and determines how they will be regulated and funded. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in July 1992 created numerous changes that would affect students during the 1993–1994 academic year.

Among the most significant changes is the introduction of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The new common application will determine eligibility for programs including Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans, and college work-study. Pennsylvania students will also complete a separate state grant form.

The guests discuss revised rules for determining whether a student is financially independent. Students may qualify based on factors such as age, marriage, military service, graduate enrollment, or supporting children of their own. However, a previous provision allowing some self-supporting students to claim independence has been removed, potentially returning them to dependent status. Financial-aid administrators may still make exceptions in unusual circumstances, such as when a student has been raised by grandparents or has no contact with their parents.

Susan and Georgia explain changes to Pell Grants, including a reduced maximum award and newly expanded eligibility for some part-time students. They also outline the university’s satisfactory academic progress requirements. Students must successfully complete a minimum number of credits based on their enrollment status and maintain the required grade-point average. Withdrawals and repeated courses can affect eligibility, making it important for students to consult a financial-aid counselor before changing their schedules.

The discussion continues with financial aid for summer classes, limits on the number of semesters for which students may receive state and federal assistance, and increased Stafford Loan amounts for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Georgia also explains PLUS Loans for parents, Supplemental Loans for independent students, and the transition from Pennsylvania’s nonsubsidized loan program to a national unsubsidized loan program.

Students are reminded to meet ESU’s March 15 financial-aid filing deadline and submit student-loan applications by July 1 to ensure that their fall bills can be deferred. The guests also warn that limited funding will restrict new work-study placements during the spring semester.

The episode concludes with information about the financial-aid office’s counseling system, in which students are assigned to staff members according to their surnames. David thanks Susan and Georgia for helping students understand a complicated set of new applications, regulations, deadlines, and borrowing options.