Financial Aid Philosophies
By: Emily Wirth
After filing a FAFSA and receiving your student’s financial aid award, many parents wonder how individual packages are created for our thousands of students, each representing a student with unique needs. It is hard work, and as part of our Jesuit mission, Gonzaga strives to create a fair financial award package for every student who applies for assistance. These handcrafted awards are specially designed to help students from diverse financial and academic backgrounds.
Gonzaga Funding and Merit Scholarships are guaranteed for your student’s four year education. As long as a GPA of 2.0 is maintained and 12 credit hours are passed each semester, this funding can be drawn from until graduation. Federal Stafford Loans are offered to any student who files a FAFSA. All other funds will be awarded depending on the student’s financial need as determined by the FAFSA.
Although the FAFSA is a useful tool for determining a family’s financial circumstance, it can also be a tool for categorizing families into income brackets. Perhaps a parent was laid off in December of 2009. The 1040 you used to input your information on the FAFSA will not reflect the change in income you will face in 2010.
The Financial Aid Office is keenly aware that each family has a unique situation, and this should be taken into account when determining a student’s eligibility. If you feel your family is experiencing a change in circumstances and your financial aid package is not reflecting this change, you may want to consider beginning the Special Conditions Appeal process.
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If you believe you and your family will benefit from filing a Special Conditions Appeal, please contact your financial aid counselor as soon as possible, or visit the financial aid website for more information.