"I Should Know This": At-Risk College Students Describe Their Knowledge of Financial Aid

• In Event: Supporting First-Generation "At-Promise" Students From Low-Income Backgrounds

Abstract

This study describes how at-risk students articulate their knowledge of federal financial aid policy during COVID-19. We interviewed 14 students who were on financial aid warning, a status defined by federal financial aid policy regulations, to examine what students understand about their financial aid standing and the criteria to keep their funding. They confused academic and financial aid policies and relied on family support, if available. Extant literature about the history and impact of federal financial aid is robust, however, financial aid eligibility and its connection to persistence for continuing students is an area less understood. This study fills this gap and articulates how institutions can improve students’ understanding of financial aid policy through multiple modes of communication.

Authors

• Elizabeth A. Rainey, Loyola University New Orleans
  Presenting Author

• Zach Taylor, University of Southern Mississippi
  Presenting Author