If Governor Rick Scott signs the bill allowing summer funding for Bright Futures, eligible students will be able to use the awarded amount for summer classes. But until then, students like Gonzalez are struggling to make ends meet.
The updated version of this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid becomes a problem when it interprets low-income filers as millionaires— possibly costing students a large portion of their financial aid.
Although the numbers won’t be determined until the amount of incoming freshmen students has been accounted for at FIU, because of increased test scores, less students will be awarded Bright futures.
A $1 trillion student debt looms over economy.
As a result of economic hard times and a constant increase in enrollment numbers, students at the University will have to meet different, more difficult requirements to qualify for financial aid.
President Obama announces a new college affordability and rating system. The system would rate colleges on factors including graduation rates and graduate earnings, favoring students who apply to high-performing colleges by giving them better rates on their student loans and more in their Pell Grants.
Recently, the Federal Work Study Program has suffered cuts and departments, including FIU Libraries and the Recreation Center, have felt the impact. Before the 2012-2013 school year, FWS covered 100 percent of the awards; but, each department of the University will now have to contribute 25 percent of these awards from their own budgets.
Gov. Scott is lobbying for universities to cut tuition rates by the same percentage to prevent tuition hikes for students, but University officials said the revenue is needed to compensate for losses generated by the downturn in the economy and state budget cuts.
Aaron Pabon/ Staff Writer What do you do with your Pell Grant money? The University receives grant money from Tallahassee each year, which gets dispersed…