As students prepare for classes, details such as registering for classes, buying books and finding housing must be attended to. The dilemma of how to pay for these items also arises, and the Office of Financial Aid may hold the solution.
Located in the lobby of Neuberger Hall, the Financial Aid office usually contains a short line of students waiting to hand in paperwork or to notify the University that they will accept their financial aid package. The FASFA paperwork is an eight-page document that must be completed to qualify for federal grants and loans that depending on the students and their parents combined income. Scholarships and work study are also available in the financial aid process but take a little more work.
The loan amount a student qualifies for goes up for every year of college the student attends. Juniors and seniors can qualify for up to $10,000 in loans. Now, if loans are covering up to $10,000, where will the extra funding come from? Work study can be a great way to make extra cash while getting valuable work experience. Jobs usually range from $6.50 to $12 an hour depending on the job’s skill level.
Hundreds of scholarships are available to students by filling out just one application for the Oregon State Assistance Commission. “PSU students do not apply for scholarships at the same percentage as OSU or UO students do,” said Samuel Collie, a financial aid representative. Collie asserts that perhaps the essay portion of the application is a little intimidating to students and that instead of taking the time to fill out the application, students may take more work study or even work off campus to gain the extra money for school.
The goal of the Financial Aid Office is to “fully fund every student” that has been accepted to an academic program at Portland State.
If you would like more information on how to qualify for financial aid please contact the office directly at 503-725-3461 or check out the Web site at www.ess.pdx.edu/fao.