Financial Aid

Arizona is fighting an immigration battle that has become more than a little murky in recent months. With undocumented immigrants now able to apply for deferred action to continue to work legally in the U.S., the question has naturally turned to the issue of in-state tuition. Recently, those immigrants were required to pay out-of-state tuition rates, even at the schools in the states where they lived and worked. However, the introduction of the deferred action program has some schools rethinking their tuition policies and some changing the rules on what undocumented immigrants must pay to get a college education in the U.S.

This video explains DACA and what it is.

New Action Plan Overridden by Arizona Governor

In August, shortly after President Obama’s new deferred action program was introduced, the governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, made her announcement. Governor Brewer signed an executive order for her state that mandated state agencies not to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in Arizona, even if they received deferred action to work in the United States. The order also stated that these individuals were to be denied all public benefits by the state, according to a report in the Tucson Citizen.

“As the [DHS – Department of Homeland Security] has said repeatedly…these individuals do not have lawful status,” Matthew Benson, a spokesman for the governor’s office, told the Citizen. “They are able

The United States is facing a debt crisis of epic proportions, but it may not be in the area consumers would suspect. Huffington Post cites statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that show student debt has surpassed credit card debt in this country. It is no wonder the media is littered with reports of student debt defaults today. To make matters worse, the source of student debt is no longer community colleges and four-year public institutions. Instead, that debt goes directly to for-profit schools that charge students high tuition rates but deliver little in return.

The numbers are concerning, considering that community colleges – the schools President Obama has touted as the training grounds for our future workforce – are scrambling to make ends meet. As more people head to these public institutions hoping to get applicable training for recession-proof, lucrative careers, the schools are finding themselves without the necessary resources to teach everyone who wants to be educated. Services and programs have been cut, and waitlists for popular courses are becoming longer and longer. State and federal funding are slim at these schools today.

This video outlines financial aid for community college students.

For-Profits Enjoy Prosperity

This is not the case with for-profit colleges. Institutions like the University of Phoenix and ITT Technical Institute are enjoying significant prosperity these days as they take a

The deadline for submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is looming, and colleges across the country are offering assistance with financial aid paperwork. This basic form, which is the first step in gaining grants or loans from the federal government, have helped many students pay for the rising costs of higher education. For those with questions about the FAFSA, answers may be as close as their local community college.

What is FAFSA?

The FAFSA is the first step in the financial aid process for students looking for federal or state assistance. According to a report at the Rhode Show, this mother of all financial aid forms allows the federal government to determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid. The states also use the paperwork to determine whether students qualify for loans or grants at the state level. Colleges and universities use the information on the FAFSA to get an idea of just how much financial aid a student might need to attend a specific school.

The FAFSA opens the door to a variety of financial aid options, including the popular Stafford loans and grad PLUS loans. Student loans like these are preferable to private loans for most students because they come with low-interest rates and an array of consumer protections and benefits. One of the most attractive features of some of these loans is an Income-Based Repayment Plan that allows students to pay off balances in increments they can afford once they

Increasing financial aid has made the community college track more affordable today. However, students who have been awarded financial aid are quickly finding that getting approved for financial aid and getting a check to pay for mounting expenses are not necessarily the same.

The Backlog

Community college financial aid offices are getting inundated with financial aid applications this year as more students are finding reasons to head to these two-year institutions to prepare them for the workforce. At the same time, budget cuts are reducing the number of staff available to process this expansive number of applications. The result at many community colleges is a backlog of requests that will take many weeks to process.

This is not good news for thousands of community college students who rely on those financial aid checks to pay for basic necessities like food and rent and the cost of tuition and books. If the checks don't arrive timely, some students are faced with the realization that they may not be able to live up to their lease obligations, purchase the textbooks they need, or put food on the table. Some may be forced to abandon their education if financial aid doesn't come soon.

This video explains how (FAFSA) works.

Offering Assistance

In some cases, the colleges do what they can to help cash-strapped students eke by until the aid check arrives. Some

The Poorer the Student, the Less Likely to Apply for Aid

Community college students are much more likely to qualify for financial aid than four-year university students. However, students attending two-year institutions are unlikely to apply for assistance, according to a recently released report by the College Board. The discrepancy has inspired many higher educators to "put on their thinking caps" and devise a solution to make community college more affordable to those who can least afford it.

According to the College Board Study, only 58% of community college students eligible for Pell grants applied for financial aid, compared with 77% of Pell-eligible students at four-year institutions. The College Board report states, "Although community college students are more likely to be eligible for need-based federal aid, they are less likely than their peers at other types of institutions to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)."

College Raptor makes the following observation about some students not applying for financial aid. "The National College Access Network (NCAN) recently released an alarming study about college-bound students’ awareness of financial aid opportunities. Within their post, they reference other findings and statistics about higher education and financial aid. The Department of Education found that only 45% of high school students completed and filed the FAFSA. Less than half of graduating high school students apply for federal financial aid." Apparently, many high school students know little or nothing about financial aid.

This video