"Florida colleges and universities will receive nearly $740 million in emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the state’s most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance," Florida Phoenix reports.

"...'The lengths this administration goes through to exclude DACA students ends up hurting a lot more [people],' said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

...In the midst of the dispute, college financial aid offices are shifting plans to try to get money to needy students.

At St. Petersburg College, the financial assistance office had been preparing to make the application for emergency grants available to every student, but had to change course after DeVos issued her guidance.

'We pivoted quickly,' said Wayne Kruger, executive director of financial assistance operations for St. Petersburg College. Kruger spoke about the change of plans on a podcast this week with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

'If future guidance comes out, we will pivot again and make changes as we see fit,' Kruger told the 'Off the Cuff' podcast.

St. Petersburg College received just over $6 million for student grants and has already distributed about half of it, according to Kruger. The college has also used some money from its foundation to help students who do not qualify for the federal aid."

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: 5/7/2020