Financial aid - The Daily Tar Heel

Photo courtesy of Ross Boyce, studying malaria.

Off-campus work-study jobs seeming harder to get, and keep, after payment changes

By Suzanne Blake | Sep. 3, 2018

Senior Morgan Holder is in love with her work-study job at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. In a world of unpaid internships and menial jobs with long hours, students like Holder look to get paid doing what they love. For many students, work study offers a unique way to make livable wages and gain experience in fields related to their interests. But new changes to salaries is disincentivizing employers from taking on work-study students. So what's worth more: student experience or cutting costs?

A peer counselor at the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid gives financial advice to an incoming transfer student. Students with work study jobs are eligible for SNAP benefits, but few UNC students use the program.

UNC has one of the lowest default rates for student loans in the nation

By Jackson Liu | Apr. 26, 2018

Among graduating UNC seniors in 2015, around 40 percent carried student debt, and the average amount among borrowers was about $22,000. That compares to more than 70 percent of students borrowing nationally, with average debt above $30,000.

UNC consistently overestimates average cost of attendance

By Emily Galvin | Apr. 22, 2018

When the University announced the decreased average cost of attendance, students sought transparency about the process by which the University determines this number, unsure of how the changes might affect their financial package.

How could the new spending bill impact education spending? Students, you should know

By Payne Lubbers | Apr. 8, 2018

The bill will increase spending for the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and the Federal Work-Study Program, among other increases.

UNCA to offer free summer courses to promote on-time graduation

By Jonny Cook | Mar. 22, 2018

"First to finish" is a new program offering free summer courses for students one or two classes short of senior status, covering tuition, fees and housing.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education.

DeVos, Congress asked to make those with drug convictions aid-eligible

By Blake Weaver | Mar. 18, 2018

In a letter last month, the group urged U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and policymakers to reinstate Federal Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students and eliminate a question on the FAFSA that asks if the applicant has had a drug conviction.

Department of Education revisits student loan forgiveness policy

By John Edmonds | Feb. 26, 2018

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking public comment on how to assess if student loan borrowers meet the undue hardship standard for loan forgiveness.

Financial Aid office is hiring a Spanish-speaking counselor after student requests

By Maria Elena Vizcaino | Feb. 22, 2018

“When I was a freshman, I was looking for a lot of resources and a lot of information to understand better how financial aid worked, but I wasn’t sure on how to get the information to my parents,” said UNC senior Gerardo Alvarado. “So I’m excited for the incoming class who is going to have this resource.”

Students seek transparency with financial aid while University seeks balance

By Emily Galvin | Feb. 20, 2018

Every few years, the University completes a survey to reassess the average costs for a student to attend the University for one year, but Carolina Covenant students are receiving less money because of a decrease in estimated costs of attendance.

Think student loans are confusing? So does the U.S. Department of Education

By Anna Pogarcic | Feb. 6, 2018

A report from the U.S. Department of Education shows the U.S. is lending more money in federal student loans than it is being repaid. In just four years, subsidy costs for income-driven repayment have increased by over 700 percent.

According to a new study, the student debt crisis is complicated

By Anna Pogarcic | Feb. 4, 2018

While the number of students receiving grants has risen since 2012, the percentage taking out loans decreased.

Affluent families face more student debt. What does that mean for mental health?

By Georgia Wieland-Stanford | Jan. 25, 2018

Research suggests this may be because students from higher income households are more likely to have attended more years of school.

Source: UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Out-of-state students may face difficulty in affording UNC

By Kate Karstens | Jan. 23, 2018

Of the 30,000 out-of-state residents who applied to UNC this year, only a handful will be granted admission, and even fewer will be offered a financial aid package. This roadblock has prevented thousands of potential out-of-state students from accepting their offer of admission, and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid has its hands tied by North Carolina policies. Full tuition cost in addition to room and board can cost upwards of $50,000 for out of state students attending UNC.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., is the chairwoman of the committee proposing the PROSPER Act. The act would be the first changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 since 2008. Photo courtesy of Foxx.

PROSPER Act could make first changes to Higher Education Act since 2008

By Blake Weaver | Dec. 4, 2017

A proposed U.S. House bill by the Committee on Education and the Workforce could bring sweeping reform to higher education policy.

Chancellor Folt announces scholarship to honor trailblazers in inclusivity

By Brooke Bauman | Oct. 23, 2017

On the 224th annual University Day, Chancellor Carol Folt introduced a scholarship fund which aimed to recognize UNC students, faculty, staff or alumni who have advocated for inclusion and diversity. These individuals, deemed Bridge Builders, will be rewarded for their efforts with a scholarship in their name.

FAFSA changes streamline financial aid process

By Lucas Risinger | Oct. 17, 2017

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been updated over the last two years in hopes of making the process more convenient for students.

The Carolina Veterans Resource Center opened on Sept. 28.

Military families see benefits of new campaign with $20 million donation

By Brooke Bauman | Oct. 10, 2017

Every UNC student can fondly recall the day they received their acceptance letter. But, for some, the good news is quickly swept aside, only to be replaced by anxiety about whether financial aid will be sufficient enough to attend.

UNC student Henry McKeand worked in the SITES computer lab last year.

Work-study provides steady income, but not always enough

By Eva Ellenburg | Oct. 8, 2017

For most UNC students, college is already more work than play. For over 5,000 of these students, however, they choose to take on a greater workload to fund college expenses through the federal work-study program.

Jamie Ramos, a senior information science major and first-generation student, sits on the quad near Manly and Mangum. Photo courtesy of Mohamed Lansari.

First-gen college students receive aid to further their education

By Emma Boggess | Oct. 5, 2017

The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a five-year, $1.15 million grant to UNC-Greensboro to help first-generation and underrepresented students prepare for a graduate education.

Brown University plans to eliminate student loans with new initiative

By Emily Davis | Sep. 24, 2017

Brown University launched a campaign Wednesday to eliminate loans from its financial aid packages for all current and incoming students in the next academic year.