"Mayte Estrada hit a speed bump while trying to register for classes during her orientation session at Cal State L.A. this summer.
Estrada is receiving financial aid that should cover all of her tuition bill. But that money — typically disbursed just before the start of fall classes — had yet to be reflected in her student account. She said she was told by officials that until there was evidence of the funds, she’d have to wait to get classes." …
Wow. I thought you were supposed to register way before the fall bill is due? Requiring for the EFC to be paid before registering seems rather unfair, favoring those more affluent with basically priority registration. A bit shocking coming from a public institution.
Some students were told that they had to pay upfront … including expected but not-yet-disbursed financial aid … before they could register. The truth is, the school allows students to register as long as they pay all portions of their bill that will not be covered by expected financial aid. Although it may be unusual for public schools to require payment before registering, it may not really be a bad idea for a variety of reasons … including saving students from themselves. Students who register, then suddenly realize they can’t afford their portion AFTER classes have begun, can run into issues of owing money (if they don’t understand the need to formally drop classes) or will receive aid because they were officially registered on the first day of classes (this can impact future Pell, and it can mean loans were borrowed without any classes to show for it). In addition, it can cause issues for students enrolled in classes if a lot of students drop, because they may have their classes cancelled as a result. The school probably has implemented rules that they feel make the most sense for their student population.
But the issue here is that there was a lack of communication on the part of the staff. Students are not expected to pay their undisbursed aid (such as loans) upfront, as they were told they must do. From an article in the LA Times: “Typically, colleges and universities will allow financial aid students to register even if the award has not been disbursed and as long as the student pays any out-of-pocket portion of the tuition. That policy has not changed at Cal State L.A., and the university said it is looking into the glitches that occurred with Estrada and others.”
What is unfair about it? It is the family’s portion that is not covered for financial aid and they are receiving a bill telling them what is due.
Most of the indirect costs; traveling to schools, orientation fees, books are not generally covered by financial aid. Most schools give students a student contribution, which normally covers these incidentals. This is why students are strongly encouraged to work summer jobs to help defray the costs not covered by their aid packages.
I’ve not heard before that a bill was due before/at class registration. Wouldn’t the school need to know how many credits the student is taking to figure out exact costs and aid? Some course fees like lab fees would only apply to students taking that course.
My D scheduled classes on 7/14, the bill posted on 7/23. Everyone who registered by that time was on the first bill due about a month later. The other students going to later orientation have not received a bill yet.
" What is unfair about it? It is the family’s portion that is not covered for financial aid and they are receiving a bill telling them what is due."
It’s the “due before registration” part that sounds quite unusual…Many lower income kids haven’t finished saving/coming up with the money just yet. Parents that can pay upfront more easily get an advantage for their kids’ registration.
Yes, lower income kids have a lower EFC, but as you go down the ladder, that EFC becomes harder to pay, since families become more concerned with making ends meet. If this were a pricy private school, you could argue that middle income families have an unfairly disproportional $40k tag to pay, but this is a ~$20k public school.
They also know when they get the financial aid package if it is going to be a financially feasible option for their family. Even if the EFC is $1000 and they know that their parents have no way of coming up with this money or they don’t have any intention of working to earn this money, no the EFC fairy is not coming to bring the money. While it may seem like a little bit of money (and to some it is, the school is not a financially feasible option for that child & family).
It is not unusual for students to pay a registration deposit as part of their intent to enroll. At CUNY if you have an efC below $3000, you must bring in a copy of your SAR and they will waive the fee. Otherwise you must pay the $100 fee to hold your spot.
It could be that even with what looks like a generous financial aid package that the school is unaffordable (especially since most schools do not meet 100% demonstrated need).
One of the biggest challenges especially when it comes to low income students is that most of them have gotten gone through the whole process with out spending a dime; fee waivers for applications, exams, the FAFSA was free and now it is time to pay and there is still an expectation that this part should be free also, which is not going to be the case.
I think that part of the story is over sensationalized because we do not know why the money is not there. It says in the story that her tuition was covered. Yes, if the fees are not covered in her financial aid package she must pay the fees or she will not be registered or if she is already registered, her registration could be dropped. In her financial aid letter she would have gotten a break down of direct and indirect charges (including fees). I do not even know how the student can say he was blindsided when the school’s website has the charges listed.
The student could have very will filed her financial aid paperwork late and it has not been processed. In NYS, there are students that forget that you have to assign your final choice school to HESC if you are going to receive NYS aid. Students will say; I did not get any TAP and I will ask did you update your file to add the school you will be attending. The problem is resolved but it still takes time for the monies to be allocated to the college.
“They also know when they get the financial aid package if it is going to be a financially feasible option for their family. Even if the EFC is $1000 and they know that their parents have no way of coming up with this money or they don’t have any intention of working to earn this money”
Yes, of course they’re aware of what they have to pay + that they do have to pay…and usually the kids have the entire 3 months of summer to save up. This isn’t about the aid package at all, at least not for this school where the state & fed grants + stafford loans + work contribution are usually enough to cover costs. The issue is in asking for the bill to be paid by orientation in July, which is only halfway through summer for quarter-system schools. Most schools have bill deadlines up to a couple of days before classes, way after everyone has registered; this is the more reasonable approach.
You can’t count work contribution or work study because it is not guaranteed money especially at public schools were you have more work study eligible students than you have jobs.