Financial Aid Requests Rise

As the economy remains in the depths of a recession this winter, Harvard College has begun to see increased demands for financial aid from students whose families can no longer afford the hefty tuition.

Harvard financial aid officers said they are likely to see both a jump in request for more aid from students already receiving assistance and new applications from students who had previously paid full tuition. The Class of 2006 is also expected to have more students applying for grants than usual.

“Many parents are losing jobs and that affects their ability to pay for education,” said Sally C. Donahue, Harvard’s director of financial aid.

Harvard administrators said the economic problems plaguing the country may also result in a bolstering of the College’s financial aid budget next year. Currently, Harvard spends $63.8 million to aid nearly 70 percent of undergraduates.

“These numbers may go up,” Donahue said. “It’s an integral part of the budget to respond to changing circumstances.”

Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis ’70-’73 also said she has seen a substantial rise in financial aid requests in the past month.

“It’s not surprising in the context of an economic recession that families are concerned about making payments,” she said.

But administrators said they might not be able to provide immediate assistance for students whose families have seen a sharp decline in income in the past few months.

“We are set up to be reactive instead of proactive,” Donahue said. “Because the program is need-based, we have to work with figures.”

The Financial Aid Office cannot award money to families until they can prove they are eligible for financial aid through tax forms and income statements—a process that often takes several weeks.

On Feb. 28, students will submit a Profile application to the Office of Financial aid, the first step in requesting additional financial aid for the fall 2002 semester.

If families cannot wait for fall 2002 to see an increase in their financial aid award, the Financial Aid Office may extend tuition deadlines or help families find additional dollars to meet education payments.

“If it’s not possible to pay for months, then the payment can be made up over the summer,” Donahue said. “We can ease deadlines or help parents take out loans.”

However, she said extremely late payments are only approved in particularly extenuating circumstances.

“We work closely with families to come up with a program that suits their needs,” Donahue said.

—Staff writer Robert M. Annis can be reached at annis@fas.harvard.edu.