College Admission Help

Scramble is on for College Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid


By Cliff Peale
Cincinnati Enquirer

DELHI TWP. - Anthony Telgkamp and his parents showed up at the College of Mount St. Joseph with only one word on their mind: HELP!

The Mariemont High School senior already has been accepted to the Mount for next fall and plans to play lacrosse. But he hadn't yet filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form is a requirement for most loans and grants and Telgkamp was taking advantage of the Mount's offer of free help.
"I went online and kind of played with it, but it's pretty confusing," Telgkamp's mother Joanne said before stepping into the office of Student Administrative Services coordinator Jayne Dipzinski for their appointment.
In the worst national recession in decades, colleges are seeing waves of students seeking help on the FAFSA form. More want to tap into financial aid that will help them pay for tuition, books and transportation.
Analysts say that not only are requests up, but they are seeing more middle-income applicants who once might have financed college with stock portfolios or home-equity loans. Collapses in the stock market and housing market have closed those avenues, making federal loans, grants from a particular college and scholarships a critical factor in deciding where to start classes next fall.
Local colleges are all holding events similar to the Mount's "FAFSA Frenzy." Kathy Kelly, director of financial aid, said the office already has sent out 289 packets compared to 160 at the same time last year, and has more applicants telling them about lost jobs and lost savings.
"We're already seeing the special-circumstance forms coming in," Kelly said. "It's really early for us to get that kind of stuff, but it definitely affects paying for college."
Student Financial Aid Services Inc., the California company that helps with the form for about $80, says requests for help are up one-third.
The financial-aid season started Jan. 1 when students were able to file the FAFSA, and is getting more intense as deadlines approach in March and April.
"There's a lot of interest in seeing, 'What help can I get?'" said Kevin Jones, a guidance counselor at Winton Woods High School. "The students who wait and wait and do it in March and April, they're missing out on money they should be able to get."
For many families, the moment of reckoning comes after they fill out the FAFSA and see their "expected family contribution." Most are able to reduce that amount through financial aid from colleges and through scholarships, Kelly said.
For the Telgkamps, the FAFSA session at Mount St. Joe produced an expected family contribution of about $10,000, compared to total tuition and fees of about $22,000. They'll pursue some private scholarships and may turn to private loans to pay the difference, said Anthony's father, Tom.
"I think it's doable," said Tom Telgkamp, who works as a carpenter but whose company just cut back on his hours. "I think we're going to do it. No, I know we're going to do it. He's going to go there."
Colleges are trying to help by holding down tuition and increasing their institutional aid. Tuition at Ohio public universities and community colleges will be frozen for a third straight year, and Northern Kentucky University is proposing a 4 percent increase.
Private Xavier University is adding at least $1 million to its financial-aid pot of more than $30 million to offset a tuition increase of 6 percent, plus adding another $2.2 million because of the financial stresses families are feeling.
"We're all trying to do our best here," Provost Roger Fortin said.

Scramble is on for College Scholarships, Grants and Financial Aid