NASFAA Mention: This May Be the Worst Season of Summer Melt in Memory. Here’s How Some Colleges Are Fighting It.

"Isaiah Delgado worked hard in high school, determined to prove that he could keep pace with his more privileged peers. This spring, he graduated summa cum laude from the International Baccalaureate program, with plans to study journalism at the University of Central Florida, one of the nation’s largest colleges. His dream is to work for ESPN — he loves sports, and admires the athletes who “use the platform for social change," The Chronicle of Higher Education reports

"But with Covid-19 cases spiking in his home state, Delgado has decided to stay home instead, and take classes at the nearby College of Central Florida, a former community college. He’s worried that his classes at the university would wind up online, and it doesn’t make sense to “pay Orlando prices if I’m going to wind up at my house still,” he said. The college will cost him a third of what the university would.

Still, the decision stings. “I was trying to set the example for my sister and half-siblings,” said Delgado, whose mother, a bartender, lost her job when the virus struck, and now works with him at a Publix supermarket. His parents had him when they were young, and never attended college.

“It hurt the ego, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “To see all the people I kept up with branch off and still do everything, and know I’m going to stay local at the college I didn’t need to do all the fancy things for.”

Delgado is one of thousands of students reconsidering their college plans, in what many enrollment officials fear will be the worst season of “summer melt” in memory. Some are finding that they can no longer afford their first choice; others are questioning whether an online or hybrid education is worth the price of an in-person one. Some are staying home out of concerns for their health, or the health of family members."

..."Colleges are also encouraging students to appeal their financial-aid awards if their circumstances have changed since they filed the Fafsa. In a June survey by the National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators, half of respondents said they’d seen an uptick in the number of requests that awards be re-evaluated — a process known as “professional judgment.”

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

 

Publication Date: 7/16/2020

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