The United States’ plummeting economy has wreaked havoc in our everyday life all year long. It has affected everything from gas prices to the costs of food and housing. The economy is clearly one of the biggest concerns of the nation and now, more than ever, people need help.
At Plymouth State University, students and their parents need someone to turn to and, lately, that someone has been financial aid. Located in Speare Hall, the offices of Financial Aid offer students advice and help with money every weekday at various hours of operation.
“With over 100 combined years of experience of the financial aid team, Plymouth State students couldn’t be any luckier,” June Schlabach, Director of Financial Aid said. Schlabach says that the services that their office offers are more valuable now more than ever. Advice that Schlabach constantly gives students is to stay on top of their tuition needs. “You need to always stay current and make sure you and your family are eligible for financial aid and keep a close eye on your college bills because those can stack up pretty quickly,” Schlabach said.
This past year has shown incredible increases in the number of students seeking help from financial aid. Financial Aid helps college students deal with the always-increasing price of college. Work-study programs are found and offered for some, while others receive loans, grants or even scholarships. Work-study is a way for the school to sponsor a student by letting the student work off their tuition bills.
For this service there is no definite maximum or minimum a student can earn, however, in most cases it averages out to about 2,000 dollars per school year. Grants can be given to students who desperately need financial aid, and it is money given to a student to help with the costs of his or her education.
Scholarships, through financial aid, are amounts of money given to a student ranging from a small amount to the entire cost of tuition. Loans available to students for aid include a sum of money a student receives to be paid off at a later date, usually after the student finishes or leaves the institution. With the United States’ constant loss of money on Wall Street and concerns of losing money spreading across the nation, college students are stuck in a tough place.
PSU students looking for answers to financial problems may be able to receive help right on campus through the use of the PSU Financial Aid office .