Standia Louis | Contributing Writer
As the fall semester starts and classes begin, students are navigating the costs of college education. From scholarships to paying out of pocket, the ability to afford tuition can be the difference between graduating on time and not.
Although the majority of students who attend FIU tend to pay lower tuition compared to other universities, many students still depend on financial aid to fully afford education. However, recent changes to federal education policy have made accessing federal aid much more complicated.
The One Big Beautiful Bill, a piece of legislation introduced and passed by the Trump administration, includes changes that affect the way students can receive loans and financial aid. This legislation not only changes the eligibility requirements but it also modifies certain aspects of student lending, potentially affecting how much aid students can be given to cover the cost of education.
With these federally mandated changes, OneStop has delayed students’ financial aid awards to revise aid packages around the policy. Causing major panic among students who, without any form of aid, may not be able to attend the university or could be dropped from their classes.
Although FIU has tried to mitigate the effects of this delay by extending the final deadline to pay for classes, students who were still not receiving financial aid went to social media to raise their concerns on whether they may be able to afford education at all.
I was also affected by this delay, as financial aid is the only way my family can fully afford my education without any financial strain. I made constant trips to OneStop in an attempt to figure out how I could receive my aid and continue attending FIU.
As of September 3, 2026, I still haven’t received any aid, and my parents and I are considering paying my tuition out of pocket.
My experience isn’t unique as many students have echoed the same issues regarding financial aid, some going as far as dropping out of their classes due to the uncertainty around affording their tuition.
While OneStop is still working to see if they can provide financial aid awards before the final payment deadline, many students are left grappling with the uncertainty of whether they will receive aid.
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The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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