Financial aid aims to help students, sometimes falls short
By ALYSON TOMME
News Writer
Last Wednesday's deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forced some students to think about paying for next year's tuition.
Financial information from the FAFSA will help the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's financial aid offices with a daunting responsibility — fairly distributing millions of dollars of financial aid from federal and private sources.
"The University is really looking to help students," said Sue Brandt, associate director of financial aid at Notre Dame.
But despite the efforts of administrators, the application and distribution systems confuses many students.
"It [financial aid] makes college affordable, but at the same time it can be deceiving," said sophomore Joe Golden.
Seventy-five percent of Notre Dame students and more than 72 percent of Saint Mary's students receive some sort of financial assistance, but some students merely follow the process without understanding it.
"I think it's very confusing, definitely," said Saint Mary's freshman Jennifer DeWitt.
Notre Dame junior Jen Guimaraes agrees.
"Financial aid allows me to be here. It is an entity in itself, kind of like God. I know it exists, but not how it works," she said.
To apply for financial assistance, students are required to fill out the FAFSA, and also the College Scholarship Service PROFILE application. These forms help determine what each family can contribute to the cost of the applicant's education.
Factors such as income, assets, family size and other siblings in college or private education are considered when deciding a family's ability to pay college costs. Since changes in these factors can occur, students must apply annually for aid.
"Financial aid varies for every student but it seems to me that it doesn't adequately take into account all the expenses that can be incurred by going to college, let alone a good one," said Notre Dame senior Chi Le.
Le points to the fact that students of less fortunate families have to get by on the bare essentials, often sacrificing social activities because of the cost.
The Office of Financial Aid looks to control costs and debts, but recognize that education is an investment that often requires families to make lifestyle choices.
"The estimated family contribution is going to include sacrifice," said Brandt. "Education is a priority, an investment. In the end, you will receive the greatest reward."
To determine need, the Office of Financial Aid brings both the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE together and individually considers each student's financial circumstances. From here, administrators put together an aid package with loans, grants and scholarships.
At Notre Dame, aid is first based on need.
"It is designed for a self-help component," said Brandt. Typically, student loans and campus employment serve as the foundation of a financial aid package before scholarship and grants are given.
Saint Mary's philosophy differs from Notre Dame's.
"Scholarship is first incorporated into the financial aid package," said Mary Nucciarone, director of financial aid at Saint Mary's.
At Saint Mary's, scholarships and grants are awarded first to students based on merit and recommendation by the Admissions Committee. Thereafter, the demonstrated financial need of the student is taken into consideration.
"Our philosophy is gift assistance first before resorting to self-help measures," said Nucciarone.
Saint Mary's is not able to meet 100 percent of student's demonstrated need. Last year, Saint Mary's met the need of 89 percent of its applicants.
Notre Dame officials said they meet the demonstrated need of every student. They base their aid packages on the provided financial information.
"The admissions process is totally independent of financial aid," said Brandt, denying myths that certain students, such as athletes or minority students, receive preference when it comes to aid.
The Office of Admission's only contribution is designating Notre Dame Scholars, the students in the top percentage of the incoming freshmen class. These students receive some preference for all four years, since the Office of Financial Aid may reward them with slightly more scholarship aid in place of a loan.
Some students, however, do not completely comprehend the logic behind financial aid distribution.
"Financial aid seems to primarily work on putting students into more debt as they try to get a good education. It [financial aid] also does not take into account families that lie between the income brackets," said Le.
The richest families don't need financial assistance, and the poorest families get the most aid, students said. Some feel the families in the middle are shortchanged, by not getting significant aid and not having enough resources to cover tuition.
"Middle class families don't usually get enough money to send their kids to school," said Kara Pearce, a Saint Mary's freshman.
One student opted not to apply for aid after talking with administrators.
"They looked at my records, and told me it wasn't worth it for me to apply," said Saint Mary's senior Leticia Baltes.
Students often mention the discrepancies in their aid when their families receive a slight income raise or complain about the extreme increases in their expected contribution after a sibling graduates from college. Student perceptions of their financial circumstances do not always coincide with that of the financial aid offices.
"What I can pay and what they expect of me are two totally different things," said Notre Dame sophomore Jody Greaney.
Golden and Janelle Koop echoed these concerns.
"I am worried about when my sister starts college. I don't know how my aid will work then, but I know I'll be in a lot of debt," Golden said.
"I think they [the financial aid office] think my family can pay more than they can," said Koop, a Saint Mary's sophomore.
Both financial aid offices realize that many students have complaints about the financial aid system. Administrators stress that financial aid is an individual process.
"Students aren't always aware of what the changes in aid are due to and need to talk to a counselor," said Nucciarone. "Little nuances can make a difference."
Brandt also says that families that look ahead and plan for a four-year investment tend to be more comfortable with the costs.
Moreover, both Nucciarone and Brandt cite tools their respective schools use to aid in understanding.
"We mail our continuing students the renewal FAFSA, CSS PROFILE and a worksheet with tips on applying for aid," said Nucciarone. Saint Mary's also provides a section on their Web site to e-mail questions to a counselor.
"I agree it appears cumbersome," said Brandt of the application process.
Like Saint Mary's, Notre Dame sends out a packet of information. Brandt said the process is becoming easier with the availability of the electronic renewal FAFSA.
Still, as long as students depend on financial aid to afford expensive private colleges like Notre Dame and Saint Mary's, questions will remain about the fairness of the process.
"Financial aid is a good thing, but I think it's very confusing and intimidating to talk to the administration about it," said Notre Dame junior Matt Panzer. "It's a daunting, adult task."
All News Stories for Monday, March 5, 2001
