Yasmin Yonis
Max Marceau is homeless.
A UGA senior, he sleeps in his parked car outside a local Publix supermarket. Occasionally, he sleeps on the couches of friends.
Unable to receive sufficient student financial aid to cover his last semester at the University after both his parents were laid off and his HOPE scholarship maxed out, he had to make a choice between a roof over his head or a diploma in his hand.
He chose the diploma.
A fifth-year senior due to graduate in December, Marceau received the HOPE scholarship, an unsubsized loan and money from his parents to cover any financial gaps in previous semesters.
However, the HOPE scholarship only covered tuition for four years of college, which Marceau had received. And with both parents laid off, he said he believed receiving an increased loan would be easy.
“My parents lost their jobs in November…but I didn’t anticipate any problems [with my financial aid],” said Marceau, a magazines major. “Maybe I was a little naïve.”
Marceau was told by the financial aid office to come back with different documents each time he inquired about the status of his request for an increase in his $3,500 loan.
“I gave up,” Marceau said. “The payment deadline had already passed. They tried to give me more money for next semester but I am graduating [this semester]."
The University of Georgia’s Financial Aid office received a 13 percent increase in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from last school year and a 22 percent increase from two school years ago, said Bonnie Joerscke said, the University’s Director of Student Financial Aid.
Almost 90 percent of American colleges reported an increase in financial aid applications since the recession, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).
The number of University students receiving the Pell Grant, federal assistance that does not need to be paid back, has increased 36 percent from the 2007-2008 school year and 58 percent from the 2006-2007 school year.
The University has increased tuition by 25 percent for in-state students and 15 percent for out-of-state and increased fees for 2009, amid budget cuts. Students, who were on the “fixed-for-four” tuition plan were not affected by the tuition increase this year but many still struggle to pay for all the costs associated with attending the University.
The average national graduate debt is $22,000 compared to the University of Georgia’s average graduate debt of $13,000 or 40 percent less debt, said Joerscke.
Almost 60 percent of students, who received a bachelor’s degree in 2007-2008, graduated with debt according to NACAC.
One of two children in college, the Marceau family’s inability to pay for higher education without loans is not unique.
Senior William Eubanks says he wouldn’t be able to attend the University without financial aid.
“I would probably be at home,” said the Jasper, Ga., native, who is majoring in agricultural business. “Right now I am paying out of pocket for housing and that is a pretty big chunk.”
Eubanks receives the HOPE scholarship, loans and a partial Pell Grant that pay for tuition, books and some of his living expense. His housing, an off-campus home, is paid out of pocket.
Eubanks said there would be no way he could pay for his housing if his father lost his job during this recession.
“[The federal aid increase] is an indicator of the hardships for students and their parents needing other resources to pay for the [student’s] education, said Joerscke.
Max Marceau is homeless.
A UGA senior, he sleeps in his parked car outside a local Publix supermarket. Occasionally, he sleeps on the couches of friends.
Unable to receive sufficient student financial aid to cover his last semester at the University after both his parents were laid off and his HOPE scholarship maxed out, he had to make a choice between a roof over his head or a diploma in his hand.
He chose the diploma.
A fifth-year senior due to graduate in December, Marceau received the HOPE scholarship, an unsubsized loan and money from his parents to cover any financial gaps in previous semesters.
However, the HOPE scholarship only covered tuition for four years of college, which Marceau had received. And with both parents laid off, he said he believed receiving an increased loan would be easy.
“My parents lost their jobs in November…but I didn’t anticipate any problems [with my financial aid],” said Marceau, a magazines major. “Maybe I was a little naïve.”
Marceau was told by the financial aid office to come back with different documents each time he inquired about the status of his request for an increase in his $3,500 loan.
“I gave up,” Marceau said. “The payment deadline had already passed. They tried to give me more money for next semester but I am graduating [this semester]."
The University of Georgia’s Financial Aid office received a 13 percent increase in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from last school year and a 22 percent increase from two school years ago, said Bonnie Joerscke said, the University’s Director of Student Financial Aid.
Almost 90 percent of American colleges reported an increase in financial aid applications since the recession, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).
The number of University students receiving the Pell Grant, federal assistance that does not need to be paid back, has increased 36 percent from the 2007-2008 school year and 58 percent from the 2006-2007 school year.
The University has increased tuition by 25 percent for in-state students and 15 percent for out-of-state and increased fees for 2009, amid budget cuts. Students, who were on the “fixed-for-four” tuition plan were not affected by the tuition increase this year but many still struggle to pay for all the costs associated with attending the University.
The average national graduate debt is $22,000 compared to the University of Georgia’s average graduate debt of $13,000 or 40 percent less debt, said Joerscke.
Almost 60 percent of students, who received a bachelor’s degree in 2007-2008, graduated with debt according to NACAC.
One of two children in college, the Marceau family’s inability to pay for higher education without loans is not unique.
Senior William Eubanks says he wouldn’t be able to attend the University without financial aid.
“I would probably be at home,” said the Jasper, Ga., native, who is majoring in agricultural business. “Right now I am paying out of pocket for housing and that is a pretty big chunk.”
Eubanks receives the HOPE scholarship, loans and a partial Pell Grant that pay for tuition, books and some of his living expense. His housing, an off-campus home, is paid out of pocket.
Eubanks said there would be no way he could pay for his housing if his father lost his job during this recession.
“[The federal aid increase] is an indicator of the hardships for students and their parents needing other resources to pay for the [student’s] education, said Joerscke.
Yasmin,
ReplyDeleteGreat work on this piece. It's a little stat heavy in the middle, but you manage the numbers well. That said, an infographic might be a good way to disseminate that information. Thanks for all your hard work; it shows.