Published Dec. 17, 2009
By Lena Vargas, KEPR TV
PASCO–More people are going back to school and that means competition for financial aid is big.
Nationwide a growing number of non-traditional students are filling campuses and filling financial aid offices.
Ceci Ratliff with CBCs Financial Aid Office says its seen a twenty percent increase in the number of students who need financial aid.
“A lot of the people who have just now completed files have been at cbc in the past, so that tells me they might have stopped out, found themselves without a job, said Ratcliff.
Students have to compete with whatever dollars are left. This is a year when the state has cut 14 percent of the school’s funding, with more cuts possible next year.
Its something high school seniors need to consider now. Ratcliff recommends they apply for the FAFSA as soon as it comes out online on January 1st.
The financial aid office has so much extra work it has had to close Thursdays and Fridays to catch up with the back log of financial aid applications.
For students, it means fewer office hours and fewer programs.