It’s not too late to apply for a 2007-08 Board of Governors Fee Waiver at the Financial Aid Office, which awards eligible students free tuition for the entire academic year – even if the semesters were taken before they received the aid.
If a student is awarded a 2007-08 waiver by June 30, it will reimburse them for classes taken since Summer 2007.
Of the 15,303 students receiving financial aid at Pierce College, 10,244 – nearly 67 percent – are attending the college with BOG Fee Waivers.
The BOG is the largest fee waiver for community colleges and is transferable to any college within the district, according to Anafe Robinson, financial aid director at Pierce.
Awards for next semester will start July 1.
“I encourage students to apply for financial aid via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in addition to the fee waiver,” Robinson said.
“FAFSA is the application for all financial aid programs, which includes grants, work-study, student loans and the fee waiver,” she said.
Elizabeth Strother, Extended Opportunity Program and Services counselor, said that every EOP&S student is required to apply for the BOG Fee Waiver and is also encouraged to apply for further aid.
“A lot of our students get it and it really helps them out, but I wish more people were aware of it,” Strother said.
The process to apply for FAFSA – or most financial aid in general – is the same whether or not the applicant attends a community college or a university.
Sarah Pacheco, a 22-year-old English creative writing major who attends California State University, Northridge, has used FAFSA continually.
“I just had to go online and fill out a general government grant,” Pacheco said. “Once you fill that out, you are eligible for more grants and scholarships through that.”
“Our Outreach and Recruitment Office provides financial aid information to our feeder high schools and our district sends out a mailer to all our students districtwide about financial aid opportunities,” Robinson said.
“Our district also reminds students to renew their application every year.”
Students who missed the March 2 priority deadline can go to the Financial Aid Office for additional information.
