To: Fr: Re:
MHCC Employees and Students Financial Aid Office (FAO) Important Financial Aid Updates
The following addresses a number of student concerns – please feel free to print and share. 1. Is the “now awarding” date on MyMHCC reliable to show how long the wait for aid is? The date shows that we are processing aid for students with complete files as of the date on MyMHCC. The date is automatically updated, so it is current. Recently, the date changed slowly because (a) appeals for students in “aid denied” status after Spring 2011 were reviewed and (b) quite a few students completed their files in a short time span last month. We have now completed Spring 2011 appeals and we continue working on files in order of completion. 2. What if I submitted information months ago and still have not received aid? Once a student applies by filing the FAFSA, the college sends a message outlining next steps. Many students need to submit additional information. When all information is in, an award letter can be produced. Students must then accept their awards either online or by signing a paper copy. Only then can students receive aid. Students should closely monitor their MyMHCC Financial Aid link to be sure they have been assigned a review date – if no review date appears, that means documents are still missing. 3. Is the delay in receiving aid a new problem this year? It is a continuing challenge that we are working to address. For several years we have received an increased number of applications. With more students receiving aid, there are more students who need to file appeals if they ran into difficulty for the previous quarter. Appeals are time consuming. The date students file their FAFSAs and complete their files is a major factor in how early we can award aid. The FAFSA should be filed in January if possible. When students file the FAFSA later, they also complete their files later. It then becomes difficult, if not impossible, to meet student expectations of a fast turnaround time at the start of a term. To establish realistic expectations, we will implement file completion deadlines effective for Fall 2011 aid – see below for more information. 4. Is the FAO understaffed? By some standards it may be. For example, the National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) recommends more staff for the number of recipients we have. However, such recommendations do not take into account the uniqueness of different colleges, their use of technology, and other factors. Unfortunately, the College is in a budget crisis with
another projected $5 million deficit for 2011-12, so funding for new positions is scarce. Finally, the challenges that the FAO is facing are quite common throughout the state and the nation. 5. Does MHCC require unnecessary steps that other colleges do not? The Department of Education establishes financial aid regulations that are standard nationally. 6. What if I cannot pay for food, child care, rent and other living expenses without my aid? We are sorry when we hear students are in this situation. While financial aid is not intended to be the sole source of income for students, we know it is often needed for living expenses while in school. The Counselors in the Career Planning and Counseling Center can refer students to a number of community resources for help. 7. Is it true that other colleges are processing aid faster than MHCC? We are currently processing students who completed their financial aid files 7 weeks ago. Based on a recent survey (June 2011) of six Oregon colleges, we found: • 2 colleges are 4 weeks out in processing. • 1 college is 6-8 weeks out in processing. • 1 college is 7-8 weeks out in processing • 1 college is 8 weeks out in processing. • And 1 college is 10-11 weeks out in processing. The colleges with shorter processing times are typically either smaller in enrollment than MHCC or have significant FAO closure times that allow staff to focus on processing awards. 8. What is the College doing to improve financial aid awarding? 1. The following operational changes in FAO hours will take effect June 27, 2011: a. Mon. to Fri. 8 am to 11 am – all staff will be awarding aid to students. The office will not be open to student foot traffic or phone calls during this time. b. Mon. to Fri. 11 am to 5 pm – open for students and phone calls, except that phone queues close at 4 pm to allow time to take calls by 5 pm, and physical lines may stop before 5 pm so all students in line can be served that day. 2. Work is underway to automate and speed up the financial aid award process. 3. We are exploring companies that specialize in helping to complete students files faster. 4. We are looking at staffing solutions that shift existing resources or take other steps. 5. New deadlines will help students know when files must be complete for aid to be ready at the start of a given term (April 1 for Summer, July 1 for Fall, October 1 for Winter, and February 1 for Spring). Note: most of these dates are later than at some nearby colleges allowing you to apply later at MHCC and still receive aid for the desired term. 6. We are searching all process steps for new efficiencies and opportunities to innovate. 7. We are actively listening to all input to help improve systems and serve students better.