Spring Break
State grants expire after fourth year
Omkar Baxi
Issue date: 5/30/08 Section: News
Fifth-year students at Drexel University are not eligible for Pennsylvania state grants because the University is not considered a bona fide five-year institution by the Pennsylvania legislature, according to Melissa Englund, assistant vice president for enrollment planning and retention services in the financial aid office.
"Researching the fifth-year status of the PHEAA grant will be one of my goals for the upcoming year within USGA. The ultimate goal would be to discover how Drexel could become a bona fide five-year program and what steps could be taken to ensure that students are funded throughout their entire time here," USGA President-elect Kristen Smith said.
"No matter what the outcome is, it is important that students are aware of the situation so that it is not such a shock when they lose this money during their fifth year," she added.
Fifth-year students at Drexel University receive a letter from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency stating that they are eligible for only four years of financial aid, according to students who received the letter.
Smith has talked about the fifth-year grants in her campaign for USGA president; after securing the presidency, Smith said she would continue to pursue solutions to the fifth-year grant problem.
Drexel has appealed to PHEAA to be considered a bona fide five-year institution in the past; however, Englund said, the statute identifying a bona fide five-year program specifically excludes co-op programs and the legislature is unwilling to change the law for a single university.
"When determining financial eligibility, PHEAA excludes the 18 months of co-op for a five-year Drexel student and determines their eligibility for only four years," Englund said. "In order to be a bona fide five-year program, the student must be in class for all five years, like a pharmacy program."
Keith New, a spokesman for PHEAA, said, "Since we are a government agency, our hands are tied by the state law, and we cannot fund co-op education for five years. A student's eligibility is based on a variety of factors, one of which is the full-time or part-time status. Co-op does not play a role in determining year-to-year eligibility, but does prevent Drexel from being recognized as a five-year bona fide program."
"Researching the fifth-year status of the PHEAA grant will be one of my goals for the upcoming year within USGA. The ultimate goal would be to discover how Drexel could become a bona fide five-year program and what steps could be taken to ensure that students are funded throughout their entire time here," USGA President-elect Kristen Smith said.
"No matter what the outcome is, it is important that students are aware of the situation so that it is not such a shock when they lose this money during their fifth year," she added.
Fifth-year students at Drexel University receive a letter from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency stating that they are eligible for only four years of financial aid, according to students who received the letter.
Smith has talked about the fifth-year grants in her campaign for USGA president; after securing the presidency, Smith said she would continue to pursue solutions to the fifth-year grant problem.
Drexel has appealed to PHEAA to be considered a bona fide five-year institution in the past; however, Englund said, the statute identifying a bona fide five-year program specifically excludes co-op programs and the legislature is unwilling to change the law for a single university.
"When determining financial eligibility, PHEAA excludes the 18 months of co-op for a five-year Drexel student and determines their eligibility for only four years," Englund said. "In order to be a bona fide five-year program, the student must be in class for all five years, like a pharmacy program."
Keith New, a spokesman for PHEAA, said, "Since we are a government agency, our hands are tied by the state law, and we cannot fund co-op education for five years. A student's eligibility is based on a variety of factors, one of which is the full-time or part-time status. Co-op does not play a role in determining year-to-year eligibility, but does prevent Drexel from being recognized as a five-year bona fide program."
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