College Options for This Fall

Please note that this transcript was auto-generated. We apologize for any minor errors in spelling or grammar.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: [00:00:00] Welcome, everyone. My name is Julie Shields Rutina, and I'm the Director of College Planning, Education, and Training at MIFA, and I am here tonight for, um, offering this webinar, College Options for this fall, and I'm here with my colleague, Stephanie Wells, who's the Director of College Relations at MIFA.

And in a moment, we will introduce the esteemed panel of higher education experts here in Massachusetts. We wanted to hold this webinar because this year was so unusual and such a challenge with the FAFSA. And so we know that that delayed some people making, some students making choices, um, and Moving forward for the fall, and we just really wanted to let you know that there are lots of options still available for you for this this coming fall, and this great panel is [00:01:00] going to share all of that with you.

So, sit back, you'll, you'll learn a lot. And if you have questions, you can put them in the. Q and A. Let me just show you. You can put them in the Q and A on your screen and Stephanie will be behind the scenes and she'll be able to answer some of your questions and pass them to the panelists to get lots of information about those.

This is being recorded, so we will send you these few slides and the recording tomorrow. And if you'd like a live transcript of what we're speaking, just press the live screen. And then you'll have closed captioning of the words we're speaking on the screen. And in case you're not super familiar with MIPHA, just know that we are, we are a Uh, state authority.

We've been around since 1982, helping families and students plan, save and pay for college. So, um, at the end, we'll share some of the other [00:02:00] resources, but we encourage you to stay in touch with us. And there's lots of free help and assistance and resources, um, from MIFA for this process. So with that. I am going to ask the panelists to introduce themselves, and, um, and then we'll, we'll go on with the, with the program.

So I'll, I'll start with you, Iris.

Iris Godes: Always forget that mute button. Welcome, everyone. It's so nice to join you this evening. My name is Iris Godis. I'm the vice president of enrollment management at Framingham State University. Um, and, um. Looking forward to sharing some insights into the State University system and, um, what's happening at this point in time, um, among Framingham State as well as the other State Universities.

And I'll turn it over to Clantha. [00:03:00]

Clantha McCurdy: Hello, everyone. I'm Clantha McCurdy, and I serve as the Senior Deputy Commissioner for Access and Student Financial Assistance with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. I'm looking forward to chatting with you later today and helping you get through this financial aid process.

And I will turn it over to Jillian Glaze.

Jillian Glaze: Thanks, Planta. I'm Jill Glaze. I'm the Senior Director of Student Financial Services at Bunker Hill Community College. And I am really excited to talk to you tonight about all of the great opportunities that our Mass Community Colleges have for you. And I will turn it over to Robert.

Thanks, Robert.

Robert Dais: Thanks, Jillian. Hi, folks. Robert Days, Statewide Director, Gear Up Massachusetts. Thrilled to be here. And, uh, as mentioned, we just want to encourage you and remind you that it's never too late, um, to think about your [00:04:00] plans for the fall. So, I will now kick it over to Monica.

Monica Blondin: Hi, everyone. My name is Monica Blondin.

I am the Assistant Dean of Enrollment for Financial Aid at Assumption University. Um, and my part tonight is going to talk to you a little bit about the private college or university perspective. So looking forward to, uh, chatting with all of you.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you so much, everyone. Um, and Stephanie, I don't know if you want to just say hello too.

Stepanie Wells: Hi everybody. Sorry. Um, I'm going to help answer questions tonight. So please type those in the Q and a, and I'll answer them. Get those to our esteemed panelists been working at MIFA for a long time, working with all the folks on the screen for a long time and happy to help get you over the finish line.

Monica Blondin: Thank you, Iris. I'm going to have you kick it off for us.

Iris Godes: All right. Great. Thanks, Julie. So from the perspective of the state universities, first and [00:05:00] foremost, for those of you that are in this webinar tonight. If you don't have a plan yet. I want you to know, don't freak out. It's okay. You still have time.

Um, among the state universities, we are not full at this point. Most of us even don't know exactly where we are because in a typical year, um, we asked for our accepted students to make a decision on where they're going to enroll by May 1st. But because of the challenges with the FAFSA this year, the state universities moved their, um, deposit date to June 1st.

And even then, most of us, will continue to accept the enrollment deposits after June 1st. Um, we put that date out there to encourage you to try to make a decision if you can. Um, and that will help you get all of the [00:06:00] steps that you need to enroll done over the summer. Um, but there is still plenty of time, even if you haven't applied yet, we're still accepting applications.

We're still admitting students. We still have room and we have room not only for, um, in our classes, but for students that might want to live on campus rather than commuting because you do have the option for either one. Um, then we will, at least at this point, we still have room in our residence halls as well.

Um, and the even better news is we still have financial aid available, um, as well. So. Um, some students will qualify for scholarships, will consider you for the scholarships, um, as part of your admission process, um, and we do have scholarship funding still available. And then you'll complete the FAFSA. So just a note about the FAFSA, if you haven't done it yet, and you've heard the horror stories that has been in the media about all of the challenges completing the [00:07:00] FAFSA, we've come a long way since the beginning of this.

process this year. Um, and so while there's still a few students with some challenges, I think, left to, uh, resolve, most of the students now are able to complete the FAFSA without any issues. Um, it's, the, the hardest part is getting started. Once you get it started, It's pretty quick to complete the FAFSA this year.

It's much quicker than it used to be. So if you've been concerned about that, or if you think that college is not going to be an option for you because it's too hard to get through the process, I'm glad you're here tonight. I hope you'll overcome that fear. And if you have any issues along the way, there is so much help available.

We're going to talk more about that at the end. But any of the colleges in Massachusetts, um, not just those of us that are here tonight, but really anyone that you're considering, um, give them a [00:08:00] call or send them an email and they'll be happy to help you through the process. So there's lots of time left.

Um, and I also want to mention, we're going to talk a little bit more detail about it when we get to Clarence and McCurdy's section. Um, but there's also been a lot of talk lately about free community college, and I'm sure Jillian will talk about that as well. Um, what's not talked about quite as much is the amount of both federal and state financial assistance that's available to students at every level.

at all the public universities as well. So especially for students that are low to middle income, there is now an additional source of funding from the state. Again, Clinton will talk in more details, but it will cover For many of our students, and currently I was looking at the pool of applicants we have right now, it's over 50 percent of our students are qualifying for enough [00:09:00] financial assistance to cover all the tuition, all the fees, as well as an allowance for books.

Um, and then we're also using some additional funding to assist students who want to live on campus, Um, and that's to assist with, um, paying for residence halls and, and food. Um, so can't, can't guarantee 100 percent of the cost is covered if you're living on campus. Um, but definitely the tuition and the fees can be covered for many, many students and that funding is also still available at this time.

Um, so I encourage you to get going. I encourage you to, you know, just think about what do I need to do next. And some of you on the call may be at various steps, so I don't want to make any assumptions about where you might be if you haven't even thought about it yet, you know, just do a little bit of research on what college might be a good fit for me and get that application in.

If that's. [00:10:00] Um, if you, if you've done your application, but you're still kind of working along in that process, and you're not sure where you are, then reach out to your schools, ask for some help. We are happy to help you kind of get through what your next step is. It's a very step by step kind of process.

So try not to get overwhelmed by what feels like a lot of different things to do. Just take it one step at a time. Get your application done, get your FAFSA done, get your high school transcript in. If you're looking at transferring, get your college transcripts in. It's just like one thing at a time. And admissions offices and financial aid offices will continue to communicate with you.

So my number one recommendation is keep up with your email. As obnoxious as that can be sometime and we're sending a lot of email to students. Um, if we know about you, um, but, you know, at least try [00:11:00] to keep reading those emails from the schools that you're interested in because we're sending you valuable information to help you through the process.

So I encourage you if you haven't even started, it's not too late, get going. If you're in the process and you're not sure what to do or you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out to the schools that you're considering and let us help you get through it because our goal is to make sure you can enroll in college.

Um, and everybody can do it. So if you, if you need somebody to hold in your hand, we're here for you.

Monica Blondin: Thank you, Iris.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: And Jillian, I'm going to have you share all about community college.

Jillian Glaze: Absolutely. If you're thinking about attending one of the community colleges in Massachusetts, your timing couldn't be better because we are just gearing up for an amazing summer.

It's going to be busy. You won't be alone. So let me give you a few tips to come in and get through the process in one day at most of our community colleges. The first thing you want to bring with you is a [00:12:00] photo ID, and this just helps us connect all of your information in the system. Um, we'll be able to look up any admissions application you might have on file, any history you might have with our school.

Make sure all your information is in one place and together. The next thing you want to make sure that you bring with you is your high school transcript, GED, or HISET scores. And this will help us not only, um, get you through the admissions process, but also make sure that we're getting you placed into the proper classes to get you started on the right foot.

The next thing you want to remember to bring with you is your health insurance information. One of the interesting things about Massachusetts is we do require a health insurance check for our students. And when you first register for classes, you might see a large charge on your bill. You bring your health insurance information with you.

We can get that waived and get that charge right off your account. quickly, um, get you an accurate picture of what it's going to look like to, um, for school. The other thing that you really want to [00:13:00] make sure you bring with you is your 2022 tax information. And if you're under the age of 24, you also want to make sure you have parent tax information as well.

And this will help us get you through the FAFSA. And we do have help available on campus. We have computer labs set up and staff specifically to help students get through the FAFSA application process. So if you've been a little intimidated by that, and it's certainly understandable, there's been a lot of discussion about, uh, challenges this year.

We've got people who are ready to help you get through that process and sit down with you and, you know, um, just answer any questions you might have. Make sure you're pressing all the right buttons to get through the process as quickly as possible. Um, So those are the best things that you can bring with you to get you started on the right foot and get you through the advising process.

As Iris mentioned too, if you have a history of taking college classes or dual enrollment classes, make sure you bring that information with you as well, [00:14:00] because that all counts towards your degree. We want to make sure that you get credit for any work that you've done anywhere else. And if you happen to have been in the military.

Bring your JST with you, your joint service transcripts, and we can get you credit for any military service that you might have that qualifies towards academic credit. So lots of options there to get you on your way. And we're really excited about this summer, and I don't want to steal any of Plant this Thunder, but we have so many great opportunities in Massachusetts.

Um, right now for community college education so that many of our students are paying nothing to go to school and they're getting money towards books. So it's very exciting time in the community colleges and hope you're considering joining us for the fall semester.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you. And Monica, what's happening with private colleges?

Are there, is there still availability at private colleges as well?

Monica Blondin: Um. So again, my name is [00:15:00] Monica Blonde and I work at Assumption University, which is a private four year Catholic liberal arts institution. Um, and the theme of tonight, which I think you're quickly hearing is, it's not too late. And while I am going to talk a little bit about the private school, um, sector, Um, everything I say is not really going to apply to every single private school, but most of what I say will.

Um, so again, it's not too late. And at Assumption, we are still accepting students to apply not only for admission, but for financial aid as well. Um, we understand with all the FAFSA delays that there were just a lot of people just scrambling, trying to figure out the FAFSA form. And as Iris had mentioned, a lot of state or all the state universities in Massachusetts extended their deadline.

And that holds true also for many of the schools in Massachusetts that are private. Um, at our institution, we moved our deposit deadline date to June 1st. So we still we still have people making those deposits and making those decisions [00:16:00] again. It's not hard and fast deadline date. We are more than happy to work with families if they need a little bit more time, because we understand that this has just been a crazy year.

So what the suggestions that I would give if you are still interested in attending school, you know, The first thing I would recommend is reach out to the schools that you're interested in applying to and contact their admission offices and find out, um, what are the deadline dates? What do I need to submit to start that process?

I would also follow your FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, now. You don't have to wait to find out if you're accepted to a school before you fill out that form. Um, when you're filling out the form, it will Ask you what schools you want the information to be sent to because it's all sent electronically So you would just list the schools that you're interested in applying to so that information gets sent along Um, so you're starting off with the admissions folks And then you can call those financial aid [00:17:00] offices find out what forms are required most schools in massachusetts Do require the FAFSA forms.

Some schools also require an additional financial aid form. It's referred to as a CSS profile application So just make sure when you're reaching out to these schools You're getting the correct information in terms of what forms you have to fill out to apply for admission and for financial aid, um, the other thing is Uh, there's a misconception a lot with private schools.

Just there's so much more expensive with it. They're true. I mean, more private. Most private schools are more expensive than public universities, but we're talking sticker price. So if you're going online and checking out the cost for schools, whether it's public, private. The privates tend to be a little bit more expensive.

However, that shouldn't stop you from applying for admission and financial aid at those schools, because at these schools, they tend to have a little bit more institutional money to give out because of the higher [00:18:00] cost. And in some cases, not always, but in some cases, Your out of pocket expenses after you receive a financial aid offer from private schools could be very similar, um, or slightly just a little bit higher than maybe a public institution.

So the message is here is don't let the sticker price stop you from applying because again your out of pocket expenses may be very close to attending a public university. The other thing is when you start receiving your financial aid offer letters. Sometimes they look very different from school to school, and it's very hard to kind of weed through all that information, understanding what's been offered to you, and ultimately, what do you have to pay for the year.

So make sure that you're contacting the schools to have them help you decipher all that information. We're not expecting you to be experts in this, and if it's not easy to understand, I think that's important to communicate that to the colleges. But they're there to help you both financial aid [00:19:00] folks and admissions folks.

That's our job We're here to help you. We're here to help you decipher things and make sure You're making an informed decision. And the other thing the last thing I want to mention is when you do receive your financial aid offer Um There are opportunities to appeal for additional funding because when you're filling out your FAFSA form for financial aid, you are answering questions about income from a couple of years ago and your family situation could have changed since then.

So if there's a change in your family situation in terms of income, assets, family size, Please reach out to the financial aid offices because they may be able to assist you in giving you more funding based on that change in circumstances. So again, if you have any other questions, as Julie mentioned, please submit your questions in the chat, and we'll be happy to answer them for you.

Good luck. Thanks, Monica. And now we'll turn it over to you, Robert.[00:20:00]

Robert Dais: Great. Thanks so much, everybody. I hope you can hear me okay. And I apologize for any background noise. I just got moved out onto a patio, so you may hear a random motorcycle going by. Um, but I just wanted to say, uh, on behalf of GEAR UP and the TRIO community and the Department of Higher Ed, I'm thrilled to participate in this and really just remind students and families it's not too late.

And when we talk about the levels of support that might be available, obviously, we'd want our students to start with their school counselors. That's where you want to start with. It's never too late, regardless of where you're at, whether you're getting ready for prom or graduation or any of those things, school counselors are still there to support you.

To move forward. In addition to your gear up program, um, advisors, your trio, your upper bound talent search, I'm going down a hit list of all these wonderful people who are committed to working with you through, through graduation into the summer, they will be there to support you. So whether it's mass EDCO boys and girls club, YMCA, Springfield promise out in Springfield, [00:21:00] you aspire.

Mira, there are all these organizations. In addition to MIFA and the folks you're seeing here tonight, Who are just committed to overcoming all the challenges that we had early on with the FAFSA. We know how frustrating that was, and we know that set us back, but that shouldn't hold you back from pursuing your dreams.

And that's really what we want to really get across to you. We're committed. We're going to be working all the way through the summer. Um, and so as these deadlines are getting pushed back, you heard all the amounts of money that are on the table from the state institutions, the private universities, the community colleges, we're all here and we're all committed to being there through the long haul.

So it doesn't matter when you make that decision earlier is better. But we're going to be there. So we want you to reach out to us, find us, and again, connect first with your school counselors and then those support programs that I mentioned that are committed to helping you with FAFSAs and everything, the whole application process throughout.

[00:22:00] So that's really what I wanted to communicate on behalf of GEAR UP and the Department of Higher Ed. We're just excited, and we're committed, and we know that it's never too late. We're going to be there for you. Thanks.

Monica Blondin: Thank you, Robert. And then, Dr. Clantham McCurdy,

Julie Shields-Rutyna: we're going to hear about all the wonderful things that Massachusetts, um, programs, resources, and I'll jokingly say, but show me the money!

Clantha McCurdy: Julie, and that's what it's all about, the money. So, let's start with some of the basics, and you've heard a lot about this, um, Earlier, financial aid is available. It comes from many sources from the federal government, the state government, and the colleges or universities that you may choose to attend.

But how do you gain access to this financial aid? Very simple, and you've heard it by completing the FAFSA and any other application that your college or university may require. And you've [00:23:00] also heard that financial aid comes in various sources, scholarships. Grant. There's work study and there's even that forbidden educational loans, but we're talking about financial aid here, so we're not going to talk about loans because I don't think there's much of a need for you to get loans at this point.

Once you complete that FAFSA, you are well on your way. And that's the message that we want you to leave here with. But let me tell you about some things that you should know about Massachusetts. A year ago, we were having this conversation and everything was so new and we were learning about all this money and we were so excited.

Well, that excitement continues because for this year, not only are we going to get the money that we were given for the school year that's just ending, we are adding to it at least the Massachusetts legislature is adding to it. So we will have Close to 400 million available [00:24:00] for state financial aid when it's all said and done, we're just waiting on the legislature to complete their fiscal year 25 budget, which will happen somewhere around July, early July.

And that's financially not only for publics, but for the private or independent colleges, as you've heard from Monica. So you have options. Um, one of the things that we did in Massachusetts is to extend that FAFSA filing date, which we'd always use for the state's primary grant program, mass grant. It normally is, um, on May 1st, but we extended that deadline to July 1st.

It allows people a little more time to complete that FAFSA, but we don't want you to wait just because we extended the deadline because your colleges want to help you, and the only way that they can FAFSA. So don't wait, get it done [00:25:00] early. The other thing is, uh, this past year under Governor Healey, um, the governor signed a tuition equity law that came into effect.

And what that law did was to guarantee access to in state tuition for undocumented students who have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years, earning a high school diploma or the equivalent. But what that means for undocumented students for financial aid is that you now have access to state funded financial aid programs, not the federal, but the state programs.

And as you've heard, there's money to help you with your tuition and fees. So Massachusetts created its own application for undocumented students. In every way, this application mimics the FAFSA, but we call it the MAFSA, and it stands for Massachusetts Application for State [00:26:00] Financial Aid. You have to go to the Department of Higher Education's website to apply, and that's at www.mas.edu.

There is a link for the Mafa application, but if you need help, we have help. We have people who can help you with that application, and it's available in two languages, English and Spanish. So the message is that there is a lot of financial aid and resources to help you fund your college education. Some programs provide that guarantee for tuition fees and books.

There are resources for students who demonstrate financial need, have lots of need, resources for middle income families, resources for undocumented students, and also resources for students who tend, who want to pursue a major in a field that we consider a high demand. And that is we need people to graduate from those degree programs to [00:27:00] help out with our market, our labor and economic workforce.

Thank you So essentially, there's no reason for you not to consider going to college because health is available and it's not too late. Some of the programs that my colleagues have spoken about that you might have heard or need to know about, and I'll start with the primary grant program, that's called the MAS grant.

It's our primary program. It provides up to 3, 000 to students. who demonstrate high need, but there's also money in that program for students who have a little bit less need, but everyone would have an opportunity to be considered for the MAS grant. Then there's the MAS Grant Plus. It's a last dollar program that guarantees that you will have enough money for tuition, fees, and books, and this is for full time and part time students.

Who attend a two year or four year public college. [00:28:00] MassGrant Plus is just awesome and um, we put in quite a bit of resources this year at our two year and four year institutions and that will continue next year. So remember that name MassGrant Plus. We also this year implemented a sister program to MassGrant Plus and it's called MassGrant Plus Expansion.

So who's eligible for that program? Well, It's students who are from middle income families, families whose income range up to 100, 000. You can also receive assistance from the MassGrant Plus expansion. And that's why we say there's no reason not to consider college as an option. Then there's the Mass ReConnect program that you've heard a lot about.

It is for students who are age 25 and over who maybe started college, but they didn't finish so they want to go back or people who want to always, um, [00:29:00] want it to complete their college education. And that's Mass ReConnect. It's available at community colleges. And believe me, the ages range from 25, I've talked to parents of students who are back in and they're having such a ball completing their education.

Another program that, well, just before I move on, uh, Mass ReConnect will probably have a larger or maybe enhanced. And we are looking at The possibility and there's always new information this year. So we're looking at the possibility of having universal free community college for everyone who wants to attend and complete a certificate or an associate's degree.

So look for that information we expect to have more information about that, at the point that the budget is finalized, but a program that we are getting ready to market at a high level is the high demand [00:30:00] scholarship. Yeah. And this program will be available to students that both public and private colleges.

It is for those who will major in specific disciplines like teacher education, nursing, health professions, uh, cyber security, all of the STEM fields. This is, uh, the, these are the majors that Massachusetts need to have graduates. We are looking for that skilled and educated workforce. So that program will be online and you can apply for that so long as you've completed your FAFSA.

Many of these programs will provide a significant amount of aid to if not cover your tuition fees and books cover some additional education educational expenses. So don't worry about the what ifs. If colleges want you at their campuses, and you heard that from ours. There's room, you heard it from Monica, from Jillian.

They're getting ready to kick off an awesome summer at [00:31:00] the community colleges and looking into fall. We want you there and we would not be talking to you now if we did not have the resources to help you. So it's something that you ought to consider if you've had a dream of going to college. We urge you to complete that FAFSA, reach out to us, we are here to help.

And it is never too late. It is not too late. So hope to see you in the fall, if not the summer, at one of our Massachusetts wonderful public or private colleges or universities.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you so much all and I'm just going to share a couple more screens about FAFSA help while Stephanie, you can gather up some questions and then others can put some questions in the Q and a and we will ask questions of the panel, but let me share my screen.

Sorry for all the different screens. We've been sharing. And here is what plant that was just talking about a couple of the programs, mass [00:32:00] grant, plus and mass reconnect and. Also about you can read about the Massachusetts tuition equity law here and then these are some events that are coming up. Um, you can always.

Turn to MIFA and you can also turn to these other organizations. Uh, FAFSA de Massachusetts is a state organization of financial aid administrators, um, who bring you these events and in this case they're virtual and you can see May 29th, June 18th, June 20th. They are going to continue through August and you can sign up.

And when you join a meeting just like this over zoom, you can be paired one on one with a financial aid expert who will help you complete the FAFSA. And maybe you started your FAFSA, but you need to make some corrections or you started it but never finished or maybe you didn't start it at all, wherever you are in the process, [00:33:00] the experts will be able to help you with your specific FAFSA.

So, um, You're going to receive these slides and you'll have access and attend one of these events if you, if you need to. And then always please know you can reach back out to MIFA. These are all the ways that we are working with families and you can call us, you can email us at any time. And here are our social media handles as well.

And we try to put out information, um, on social media all the time. And one thing we do is when we hear of scholarships, we put that out on social media. So connect with us on whatever platforms you, you know, are tuned into regularly. And lastly, you can always So if you have any questions, call us. Email us at the information that's right on the screen now.

So all right. With that, I'll leave that up for a moment. And Stephanie, are there any questions that [00:34:00] we can ask of the panel?

Stepanie Wells: Yes, we do have a few. Um, the first one I'm going to throw to you, Clantha. How, where can you apply for the high demand scholarship?

Clantha McCurdy: Okay, that's a great question. The application for the high demand scholarship will be released, um, right about June 1st.

And what you'll need to do is go to the Department of Higher Education's website. www.mas.edu. You can click on financial aid programs or just put in the search High Demand Scholarship, and it will take you to the landing page and there will be a link to the online application. Very simple, but you must have a FAFSA completed first to do that.

Stepanie Wells: Great. Thank you. And we did have some questions about loans. So I know we're kind of moving into the bill paying strategies. Um, and I'm happy to put the links to federal loan [00:35:00] interest rates and federal loan information. We also have MIFA. org that has good loan information on there as well. But I did want to just address those two questions about loans and where to find them.

So I'll put those links in the Q& A, but I guess it is a good time to just talk about the federal loan rates are going up as of July 1st. So just, just be aware of that for folks who are students who are going to school next year. That did just increase the rates. So if you look on the federal department's website, you'll see the current years, uh, rates.

And then I think we have to add to Google to find the upcoming years rates. Um, so just keep that in mind, but whether it's the Especially with the federal student loans, you would access those loans through your financial aid offers. So the colleges will package those loans in the financial aid offers.

And then whatever you need after that, you can look at, you know, other opportunities, which MIFA can cover. That's what we were [00:36:00] created to help families with that gap. And the other question that came up that I think it'd be great for, you know, some of our college friends to answer is for folks who are into the process.

So they've applied for admission, but now they have to appeal. And I know we have a lot of information on me on appeals on MIFA. org and I shared that blog in the chat. But if you want to just talk briefly about for families who have applied and they're kind of for having me. In this limbo mode, trying to get to the final, the final destination.

Whoever wants to go first.

Iris Godes: I'll, I'll jump in. Um, and I'm sure we each probably, um, those of us that are working at colleges probably each have our own little spin on how it's working. Um, so there's a number of different ways, um, or different reasons, I should say, um, that students and families will appeal.

I forget if it was Monica or Jill, I [00:37:00] think, mentioned about changes to your. income situation because the FAFSA is asking you for two years back and your income or your family situation might be very different now. So that's a reason to appeal. And the best way to do that is to contact the financial aid office or offices of the schools that you're still considering.

And Either email them your circumstances and ask them what they need from you or contact the office and just say, this is what I need to do. This is what's happening. And they'll tell you, um, what process, uh, they require. Um, some of the websites will detail I. In my exploration of various college websites, some are really good about detailing that, some not so much.

Um, but everybody has a process. Um, the other appeal that I've seen a lot in my career, both at Framingham State and the five schools that I worked at before coming to Framingham, [00:38:00] um, is families that they got a financial aid award. They didn't necessarily have any changes to their FAFSA. But the amount of financial assistance they received is just not going to be enough for them to make it at that particular school.

It's still worth following up with those financial aid offices. It this experience will vary greatly from one college to another. Um, but, you know, at the end of the day, we want to help you enroll. So we'll have a conversation with you on what your circumstances are to see, is there other sources of funding that we might have for your particular situation?

Um, and we might be able to consider providing additional assistance. So those cases, um, or those situations are very case by case. So I can't say if you're in this situation, this is what you should do. But I encourage you to really follow up with the colleges that you're most interested in to see if there's any additional assistance that they might be able to [00:39:00] offer you.

So it's not, it's not a matter of I'm saying don't take no for an answer, but what I'm encouraging you is to Don't stop yet. Um, you know, once you get that financial aid offer, um, and especially if you're not understanding how all of those funds are working together to assist you, certainly follow up, um, and get some assistance in clarifying that as well.

Um, but have that conversation. At the end of the day, we really want to help you try to enroll at our institutions. And if there's anything we can do to help you, we will. So that's my best advice. Thank you.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Well, if there are no other questions, I guess I will let everyone go on with your evenings, but I hope, I hope you heard about, you know, so many options still being available, so much help still being available, and probably more, [00:40:00] Financial help than you assumed. So please take all of that in and, um, feel confident in taking any next steps, um, that you would like to take toward, toward your future.

Um, I didn't know if you had one last, um, any last questions, Steph, or?

Stepanie Wells: No, just a question about appeals. Um, hearing that part of it won't be able to process until July, August, but That's not, that's not the case. You cannot, you would appeal directly through the college university, not through the Department of Ed.

So definitely, if you have to appeal, have any questions about your financial aid offers, give the colleges a call. Start there because they really handle. All of the financial aid programs that you might be eligible for, not just the financial aid from their institution. So I don't know if Jill or anybody has anything to add on that about

Iris Godes: I'll jump in

Stepanie Wells: for a second process right now because a lot of people are getting stuck with the FAFSA and the issues that they're [00:41:00] going through there.

Yeah,

Iris Godes: yeah. And Stephanie, I'll jump in because this a similar question came up at Framingham State recently, and similar confusion. So It is true that changes to the FAFSA can't happen yet. They're talking end of June. Um, and of course, you know, throughout the process we heard it's going to happen in this time frame.

And then that time frame went by and now it's a new time frame. So I don't know at what point in the summer, we're hoping by the end of June, but to Stephanie's point, that doesn't mean that we at the institutions can't determine what your eligibility should be. We might not be able to get the entire federal process through, but we'll be able to tell you if there's an appeal that we'll be able to grant and what that process will be.

Um, so just a little combination of the federal process and what Stephanie's trying to say is. You know, work with the school. Um, and we'll try to get you as far as possible and let you know what kind of, [00:42:00] um, additional assistance you may qualify.

Julie Shields-Rutyna: Thank you so much. All right. Well, best of luck, everyone. And thank you so much panelists.

Um, everyone. Enjoy your, your evening. Thank you.

Stepanie Wells: Have a good night.