Affluence generates more merit-based aid
By Ashley Hopkins, staff writer
Posted on January 22, 2007

Between financial aid and her centennial scholarship, sophomore Laseeta Pellot-Rosa’s tuition is paid for. Without such assistance, she would not have been able to attend JMU.

“My financial aid awards determine how much my scholarship will provide,” Pellot-Rosa said. “If this aid was not given, I would have not been awarded the scholarship.”
 
Students across campuses nationwide are faced with similar predicaments. While the percentage of merit aid colleges are giving out has been growing since 1994, merit scholarships are increasingly awarded to students from high-income families, according to a report issued by Eduventures, an education-consulting company.

Merit-based scholarships, those awarded to students for academic achievements, special talents and leadership potential, focus more on ability than on financial status. As a result, lower-income students may be receiving less aid despite their greater financial need.

The report estimated that students with families earning $111,170 or higher each year received three times as much merit aid as students whose families made $37,745 or less, from 1994 to 2004.

 With these numbers, lower-income families may be spending up to 46 percent more of their income each year on college and its related expenses than high-income families. 

At JMU, federal and state financial aid in the form of grants, loans and work-study are offered to students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  The FAFSA is all the university looks at when determining how much need-based aid each student will receive, according to Brad Barnett, senior associate director for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

“The grant dollars we award go to students who have a high financial need,” he said, adding that scholarship eligibility is often determined differently.

Unlike state and federal aid, scholarship requirements are determined by merit, over which JMU has no control.  In cases such as these, JMU officials must find students who best fit the criteria set by the donor.

In order for students to assure themselves financial aid for the upcoming academic school year, Barnett recommends completing the FAFSA as soon as possible. While the 2007-’08 JMU FAFSA priority filing date is March 1, all applications must be received before then. Those using the Internet to complete their transaction should submit their information a few days early, while those mailing in a paper version should send in their forms two weeks prior to the deadline.

Students and parents who need assistance in completing their FAFSA are encouraged to attend the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrator’s annual Super Saturday event Feb. 10 at Eastern Mennonite University, where JMU representatives will be present to offer assistance in filling out the forms.

“The development fund has done a lot to make sure we receive more money each year,” Barnett said.  “We’re giving out every last bit we can get our hands on.”