Financial Aid befriends cyber world

Georgia College & State University’s Financial Aid Office has recently turned to computers to upgrade the way students deal with financial assistance.
The Office of Informational and Instructional Technology at GC&SU administered all of the programming concerning the recent changes made to the financial aid Web site. “They really did a fantastic job,” Suzanne Buttram, director of Financial Aid at GC&SU said.
With the new modifications to the Financial Aid Web site, students will now be able to apply for financial aid in a less complicated way.
“We feel that for students to apply electronically is more of a real-time situation,” Buttram said. “It’s more efficient this way, and quicker than paper letters.”
Students will be able to apply for financial aid online, view their financial aid award letters, and learn about scholarships such as HOPE online with online tutorials, if necessary.
When students apply for financial aid online, the Financial Aid Office will send a paper letter to their mailing address assuring them that everything went through with no hassles.
Buttram stresses the importance of students who are applying for summer financial aid to apply as soon as possible.
“We’re encouraging people to apply electronically,” Buttram said.
Students applying for financial aid for the fall should apply for FAFSA (preferably online) as soon as possible, as well.
“We ask that while students are registering, to apply for summer aid, as well,” Buttram said. “This can be done by going to the PAWS site under the survey area.”

The Department of Financial Aid has already started packaging financial aid for the 2004-05 year.
For those earning financial aid for the 2004-05 year, award letters have recently been sent out to their Bobcat e-mail addresses in lieu of paper letters.
“Since Bobcat e-mail is the official means of communication, that’s where all financial aid notifications will go,” Buttram said.
“To be more up-to-date, we are communicating through e-mail, telling students to go to a new function in PAWS so that they can see their awards online and do everything that goes with the awards online,” Buttram said. “We are also going to be communicating quite a bit of information about HOPE online to provide better service.”
The e-mail directs students to go to the Bobcat DEN (Detailed Eligibility Notification) online.
“In the Bobcat DEN, students see not only how much they’ve been awarded, but also the estimated cost of attendance and expected family contributions amounts,” Buttram said.
Also shown by the Bobcat DEN is HOPE recipients’ information, such as the amount of HOPE attended hours the recipients have, and their HOPE cumulative grade point averages.
Aside from signing up for financial aid online and viewing financial aid information, students can also sign promissory notes online.
“If students are awarded loans and have to sign promissory notes, they can do entrance counseling online now,” Buttram said. “Students can also decline or reduce awards online.”
Since HOPE recommendations are still undecided, Financial Aid has done early estimates to financial aid fees based on current HOPE fees that are available to view on PAWS. Any adjustment that will be made will be e-mailed to students and will be posted online, probably around May.
For more information, the Office of Financial Aid can be reached at (478) 445-5149 or at finaid@gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 19 2004. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry