Money is essential for most TJC students. When students are not able to receive their money in a certain amount of time from Financial Aid, problems occur. The gripping starts, frustration grows, and the anger arises. The Financial Aid office needs to make it a priority to design a faster, smoother method for the process.
This is the way it currently works.
Students have gathered up files for months now, sent them in, and then their Financial Aid is said to be complete. The next day rolls around and on their Apache Access the icon is once again yellow. Frustrated, the student heads up to the Financial Aid office, waits in line, and finally makes it up to the window all to find out that the process is now four to six weeks. If the student had known this information, then they would have budgeted in order to avoid late payments.
The way students are notified about the status of their accounts is inefficient to say the least. They are told to just keep checking their Apache Access. For those of us who sent absolutely everything in just to be told we forgot one more thing or something doesn’t add up is beyond irritating.
Other students are the sneaky type; they choose to enroll in classes, apply for Financial Aid, and then drop their classes once they are rewarded.
It’s unfair to students who actually come to TJC in order to further their educations. Financial Aid office is catching on to these students. They realize that these students are “cashing out.” One method they have come up with in order to stop this from recurring is to place holds on your funds. Which makes plenty of sense if you have been at a two-year college for three years. Why haven’t you received your degree yet?
In that same breath, what about the students who started out at a university and found it more economical to attend Tyler Junior College. Between the two schools, they have enough hours but still need a semester to graduate. Placing holds on their funds is extremely unfair.
There is an appeal process but what good does that do if you aren’t aware of it till the day your funds are to be released. It is a time consuming process to gather tax documents, W-2’s, or letters.
Financial Aid workers should all be “on the same page.” Students complain that they go from one person to the next getting completely different answers. This confuses the students.
The way students are notified can stand to be updated. If any changes are made to their Apache Access a simple email the day of would be extremely beneficial.
Students would appreciate a new method of Financial Aid. One that is smoother and faster, because students do have payments to make. Some students are having to drop their classes because they are not able to pay for their classes seeing that they have yet to be rewarded.
TJC students have a need for money to live on, get books, or any bills that need to be paid. With Financial Aid making it harder for students to do this, a new and improved process needs to be put in place.
