Beyond Financial Aid

What Is BFA?

Beyond Financial Aid (BFA) is a toolkit designed by the Lumina Foundation to help institutions close attainment gaps for low-income students. BFA expands the concept of “financial supports” for college beyond grants, scholarships, and loans and describes six college-tested strategies for helping low-income students overcome the significant challenges created by limited resources.

BFA is designed to readily provide Morganites with access to community, regional, and state sponsored resources, programs, and offices which they may find useful in providing supplemental financial and social support in an array of areas which go beyond the norms of financial aid. Whether there’s a need for transportation, public assistance, veterans’ services, health concerns, food services, or other social needs, circumstances often arise that can’t be addressed via traditional financial aid. The focus of BFA is to promote a positive, relentless determination to succeed.

Three guiding principles for BFA:

1 A large and growing number of postsecondary students face challenges created by limited resources.

2 When institutions structure and offer all types of financial aid (including non-traditional supports) in a coherent and consumable way, students will persist longer and graduate at higher rates.

3 Providing these supports in an intentional way is not an impossible dream.

For more information, visit the BFA website morgan.edu/bfa.