The first week of school can be great and full of excitement; having new classes, meeting new students and greeting old friends.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case for all students because wait times can last up to an hour or more in the financial aid line.
Every year the line at the Financial Aid office at the downtown campus seems to be never ending, but this year it may seem even longer due to more students having questions and issues with their financial aid.
One recent problem that many students have been noticing is their financial aid disappearing from their accounts online. One student, Keshwanna Adams, an LPN student, said that she noticed her loan information was missing from her account.
When Camille Nicolai, the acting director of student financial and employment services, was asked about this issue, she said that it was due to the system being updated to allow the awarding of additional unsubsidized loans.
Nicolai stated this happened late afternoon on Aug. 4, into early afternoon on Aug. 5 and further stated that this did not affect the students’ eligibility to purchase books or other materials.
Another common issue that plagues many students is applying for financial aid late in the year. Nicolai said, “They don’t think about it until school starts. They have jobs, families and they maybe don’t think about it.”
Nicolai also said that some are in the lines to hand in documents that the school had requested from them a couple of months ago, such as the Loan Counseling and the Master Promissory Note (MPN), that all students taking out loans need to do.
Nicolai gave some ideas that can help students make sure they are financially set for the next school year and help reduce the line and wait times.

The first thing is to apply on, or shortly after, Jan. 1. Students do not need to have their taxes filed to fill out the FAFSA because they can go back and edit these forms once they have that information.

Nicolai said she strongly encourages students to “use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, so that pulls their tax information from the IRS directly to their FAFSA.” She suggests this because the school can no longer accept copies of the 1040 from the students, but they can accept a physical copy of the tax transcript from the IRS.
Students who need help filling out their FAFSA for next year are encouraged to make an appointment at the Financial Aid office, Room S222, where they can receive step-by-step help. They can also stop in the Welcome Center, Room S115, to use the computers there to file the necessary paperwork.
For students who need help with another language, the school has Spanish and Hmong translators on site to help with any confusion. Native American, African American, and students of other ethnic backgrounds may be eligible for additional aid.
This information can be found by stopping in at the Multicultural Student Services Center, Room M238. Veterans are encouraged to stop in Room S115C to talk to the Military Education Support office about filing the correct paperwork need

ed to get any help they need.
Nicolai encourages all students to keep an eye on their student email account at the end of the year. She will be sending everyone a message to remind them to file for their financial aid for the upcoming year.