As tuition and textbook prices soar, financial aid goes unused
With all the talk about budget cuts, furlough days and delays in financial aid disbursement this year, frustration seems to be the theme of many conversations. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel that the vast majority of students fail to see.
The scholarship office at California State University, Fresno began accepting applications for the fall 2010 semester on Oct. 1. The scholarship application can be found on the Web site.
The Deadline to apply is Feb. 28, 2010; however, Paul DeRuosi, the program director of the university scholarships and student affairs, strongly suggests applying sooner than later.
DeRuosi also said that it is the office’s goal for every student to apply, but as of now they only receive 3,500 to 4,000 applications per year.
“Of the applicants for scholarships, about half to 60 percent are awarded,” DeRousi said.
In the last academic year, the financial aid office awarded more than $65 million in financial assistance, according to the Web site.
“We award about 80 percent of the funds,” DeRuosi said. He also said that the remaining funds aren’t awarded either because there were no applicants that met the criteria set forth by the donor, or because the departments withheld them for recruitment the following year.
According to the Director of Alumni Relations Jacquelyn K. Glasener, Alumni Relations awarded $125,000 to students last year alone. Glasner anticipates that it will be able to award about the same this year.
According to DeRuosi, the scholarship office verifies the information and forwards the application to each of the appropriate subcommittees for consideration.
The committees will begin reviewing applications in March for the fall 2010 awarding. In most cases the award is divided in half and disbursed in the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
DeRuosi advises students to submit a strong personal essay when applying for scholarships. This is a student’s chance to “introduce” themselves to the committee, and may give one applicant an edge over others who have very similar qualifications, she said.
“The narrative should focus on accomplishments, involvements, community service and things of that nature. It should also address the student’s reason for interest in their major and their plans for the future,” DeRuosi said.
DeRuosi said that the office is always looking for new ways to reach out to students. The scholarship office also works closely with the financial aid office and donors, and fund raisers to make as much aid available to students as possible.
Representatives of the scholarship office can be found at SAFARI days, presentations for incoming freshmen and in University 1 classes. The office also uses the Internet, sending emails to students.
“With all the pain inflicted on the students because of the economic situation our job is to award all the money we can to students,” DeRuosi said.
The Web site also includes links to scholarships outside of the university. DeRuosi encourages students to utilize all resources, but cautioned students to beware of scams when doing external scholarship searches. “You should never pay for ‘free money,’” he said. “If they ask for a fee, it’s probably not legit.”