Only 300 of the 800 incoming multicultural students have filled out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, disqualifying the remaining 500 from receiving any financial aid from Ohio University next year, including those applying for the newly created Urban Scholars Program.
According to the American Council for Education
half of the people who go to college do not fill out a FAFSA said G. Christine Taylor, associate vice president for Finance and Administration who was named interim assistant to the president for diversity, effective Sept. 7. It's becoming a statewide and national epidemic.
The Urban Scholars application requires students to have their FAFSA completed by Feb. 15, or they are ineligible.
For scholarships based on financial need like the Urban Scholars Program if you don't turn in a FAFSA with the application
then I can't give out the award
Taylor said.
Students must fill out the FAFSA in order to receive any type of OU grant. Misconceptions about the FAFSA process are why many do not receive the maximum amount of financial aid, Taylor said.
According to the FAFSA Web site, www.fafsa.ed.gov, students can start filling out the FAFSA as early as Jan. 1. The first-priority deadline at OU is March 15. The university recommends that students fill out the FAFSA no later then Feb. 15 for the government to process the application by the priority deadline.
March 15 is the standard deadline for most financial departments across the country
Taylor said. It takes weeks for financial departments to receive federal data. We chose this deadline so we can get the information needed in a timely manner and identify who qualifies for programs such as the Urban Scholars and other need-oriented scholarships.
