16/THE BLUE BANNER/December 11, 1986
New law changes financial aid guidelines at UNCA
By Libby Ramsey
Staff Writer
Although financial aid will still be
available to UNCA students, the
paperwork for applying will soon in
crease.
A new law that President Reagan
signed into effect recently author
izes Congress to appropriate more
money for financial aid programs.
The government will decide each
year how much to allocate for aid.
The law is a result of The Higher
Education Reauthorization Bill of
1986 and has also redefined "inde
pendent student."
Elaine Fox, assistant director of
financial aid, said that applying for
financial aid is "a lengthy process"
that will now require more documen
tation and more justification of thq
information on student applications.
Fox said that because of the re
view procedures established by Fi
nancial Aid Director Carolyn
McElrath, "Misrepresentation of in
formation" in student files has not
been a problem at UNCA.
The financial aid office won’t
know if they will get more person
nel until the HEA goes into effect.
The guaranteed student loan program
goes into effect in January, 1987,
and the Pell and campus-based aid
becomes effective in July, 1987.
A change the HEA made was in
redefining "independent student."
Guidelines now require that an inde
pendent student be 24 years old by
December 31 of the award year, or
meet one of nine other requirements.
New guidelines include that a stu
dent be an orphan or w£ird of the
court, or be a veteran of the U.S.
Army. (Previously, if a veteran lived
with parents he was classified as a
dependent student).
Income documentation for low
income students who claim self-suf
ficiency will be strict. Fox said.
Guidelines will require an annngl
total income of $4,000 for the two
calendar years preceding the award
year. Fox said. Students with verifi
cation of unusual circumstances will
be considered for aid.
The law also says that the maxi
mum award for Pell grants will in
crease to $2,300 in academic year
1987-88 and wiU increase annually at
the rate of $200 until 1991-92.
The maximum increase for Supple
mental Educational Opportunity
Grants (SEOG) will be from $2,000
to $4,000.
U.S. Secretary of Education
William Beimett has said "he wanted
to use the process of passing a new
HEA as an opportunity for a philo
sophical debate about what role the
federal government should play in
colleges, what responsibilities par
ents have for paying for their child
ren’s education, what efforts col
leges should make to insure that aid
recipients are making academic pro
gress and are of good character, and
other issues."
Fox said the new HEA "has ex
panded and better defined financial
aid requirements."
"Both the university and the stu
dent will have to carry more of the
burden of proof," she said.
laiiuii oiiu luuic jusiuicauuii ui ii«;, ^uiucuiics luviuuc luai a siu- luciiiai ouucaiionai \jpporiuniiy Duraen 01 prooi, she said.
New forms slow processing of financial aid forms
From College Press Service reoorts
From College Press Service reports
Students will get financial aid
forms late this year, but won’t have
to wait longer to get their aid mon
ey, the College Board said last week.
The Board, whose College Scholar
ship Service processes many student
aid applications for the government,
said it’s been slowed down because
it had to change application forms
to comply with the new Higher Edu
cation Act of 1986.
"We are concerned that students
and their parents may interpret the
delay in delivery of financial aid
forms as a sign that there is no
assistance available," Board President
George Hanford said at a news con
ference last week.
"To the contrary," he added,
"there will be an estimated $20 bil
lion available in various types of
federal, state and institutional fin
ancial aid for students enrolling in
college in the fall of 1987."
"Independent" students can quali^
for more aid than students whose
parents pay part of their college
costs.
Under the new act, students who
turn 24-years-old by Jan. 1, 1988,
will be considered "independent" for
the 1987-88 academic year.
Undergraduate students under age
24 will be considered independent if
they were not claimed as dependents
by their parents in 1985 and 1986,
and if they made more than $4,000
in salaries and benefits each of
those two years.
Hanford now thinks schools should
have the forms by late December or
early in January instead of mid-No
vember as in past years. The College
Scholarship Service, however, sug
gests that students complete their
applications as soon as possible after
Jan. 1.
Earlier this year, another federal
snarl made thousands of students
across the country late in getting
aid checks.
Complex new verification require
ments for aid applicants buried many
college aid officers under piles of
paperwork, delaying the processing
of thousands of loans.
In 1983, application forms for the
fall school term arrived two months
late when Department of Education
officials disagreed on the questions
and format of the form.
"At some schools it will be a
problem if students don’t have the
forms before Christmas break," said
Julie Hoyle, financial aid director at
National University in San Diego.
Hey Students:
studying for finals got you down???
Taie a breai witti a radio-controiled car
from Carolina Art and Craft Supply. ^
_ I—