College Admission Help

College Scholarships and College Grants In High Demand - Students Clawing For College Cash

By Claudia Lauer
The Sun News
Myrtle Beach, SC

The race for financial aid dollars is on.
The economy has dried up some scholarship money, the number of students seeking help is growing, and the clock is ticking for submitting the forms. The deadlines vary by college, but the priority deadline for many schools is March 15.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that it has received 20 percent more Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) so far this year compared to last year.
Today, students entering college this year can get help wading through the aid form and posting applications online in a national workshop event called College Goal Sunday held in our area at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.
Scholarship seekers
At Socastee High School, guidance counselors follow a class of students through high school from freshman orientation to college applications. Robb Urbaniak is working with many of his more than 300 seniors to find college funding.
"The biggest concern is a lot of students are having that conversation with their parents about where the money is coming from. I spoke to a lot of parents asking questions about FAFSA, about how many scholarships a student can apply for," he said. "I think statewide there is a stiffer competition this year because even though the economy isn't doing well, tuition is still going to go up. I tell them it never hurts to apply and to apply for everything."
Urbaniak puts out a monthly newsletter with scholarship and funding opportunities, directing students to stop by and fill out applications. His office has been aflutter with activity this month with students sitting at desks and on the floor to fill out applications or grab paperwork between classes.
There has been an upturn in students looking for scholarships and grant money, and while he said a core group of students check in regularly, students who typically might not have sought aid in the past are coming in as well.
"I am getting some of those students who are maybe an athlete and would feel like they were getting some money from their college for athletics or for academics, but there's still that little bit left and those kids are coming in and saying we need to cover that little bit that's left," Urbaniak said.
Increased competition
At Conway High School, Jerrlyn Gaghum is in charge of seniors and financial aid. She said she's seen an increase in interest in financial aid and also in fee waivers for SAT and ACT college entrance exams because more students have fallen on hard times. She said the school doesn't get a large amount of local, small scholarship offerings from businesses and civic organizations, but students are applying for everything she's received.
Urbaniak said he's seen similar trends with his students. He also said a few companies have opted not to offer scholarships this year because of financial woes, which adds to the competition for the dollars that are available.
Horry Telephone Cooperative pairs with other local companies to offer three annual scholarships, two for $1,000 and one for $2,500. HTC spokeswoman Nicole Hyman said the company received a record number of applications last year for the two $1,000 scholarships. The deadline for this year is March 1, so Hyman didn't have a final application count.
At Coastal Carolina University and at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, financial aid staff have been steadily fielding streams of questions about eligibility for state and institutional funds.
"We have gotten a lot of calls from people asking to come in and make appointments with us, and we've gotten a lot of calls from people asking about scholarships and what they're eligible for," said Wendy Watts, senior assistant director of financial aid client service at CCU. "They're good questions, and it's good to start early because there are deadlines we have to meet."
Last resorts
At HGTC, about one third of students rely on partial funding from Lottery Tuition Assistance money, which in the past has been a set pot of money divided among technical college students who qualify and apply.
The amount in the pot doesn't change, but the number of recipients changes based on how many students apply and qualify. That means payouts will shrink, leaving more students seeking private sources of financial aid.
"We encourage students to look at loans as a last resort, and to definitely not use loans for living expenses. We help them work out a budget to prevent that," said Harold Hawley, vice president of business affairs at HGTC.
The U.S. Department of Education has guaranteed that aid will be available in the form of Stafford loans, Perkins loans and Pell grants, and the amount students are eligible to receive has been increased thanks in part to the federal stimulus package. The biggest hurdle to receiving those funds is filling out the 11-page FAFSA.
"It asks for a lot of information and a lot of people are intimidated by it. This is a way to take away some of the negativity around it," said Watts.
Watts and counselors from HGTC will be at today's College Goal Sunday workshop to help parents and students.
"I've been recommending the event to several of my students and to parents," Urbaniak said. "Filling out the FAFSA is really the best place to start."



College Scholarships and College Grants In High Demand - Students Clawing For College Cash