Financial aid applications are a part of the college admissions process. Applying for grants and loans do not harm your chances in getting accepted to a university. In my previous experience as both a college representative and my current status as a student I’ve found that financial aid is typically encouraged.
Having been employed in an admissions capacity, I have worked with students applying for college and am knowledgeable about the admissions criteria. Part of my job responsibility consisted of informing students about not only application requirements, but to also provide them with financial aid information and forms. While the processes of admissions and financial aid are entwined, the decisions regarding a student’s qualification for either application are separate from one another. At the time of my own admissions process in the university I applied to, my counselor insisted I fill out the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA). This is important because even if you are not eligible for grants, this submission is necessary in order to qualify for low-interest student loans. Encouraging students to fill out the FAFSA is standard procedure.
Students that qualify for and receive aid are expected to maintain a specific grade point average (GPA). This is a strong motivator for a student to study and put total effort into their coursework because if the GPA falls below the expectations, the student must pay the money back to the school. Students receiving financial aid are usually motivated to achieve because they have to work hard to apply for aid. Since they’ve gotten through the lengthy financial applications, this often demonstrates resilience, motivation and drive to succeed. These characteristics are exactly what recruiters are often seeking when reaching out to potential students. Why would a college want to deny a student the opportunity to pursue higher education just because they qualified for financial aid; someone who would be an asset to the student alumnus?
The idea that applying for financial aid negatively impacts the admissions process is a fallacy. This assumption essentially says that low income students needn’t apply, which is discriminatory. A university is not going to want to be in this position, nor would it benefit them to do so. Financial aid is not viewed as a negative in the acceptance process. Both students receiving aid and students paying out of pocket should be and are treated equally when it comes to being accepted for college. The admissions and financial aid procedures are not measured against one another when making determinations on whether or not a student will be allowed to learn at an institution.
