Many students at HFU have currently been struggling with their aid being paused or pending, due to the many changes that have been made in FAFSA, PHEAA, the Pell Grant, and many other related sites for Financial Aid. On January 29th, President Trump issued a directive to suspend all federal grants and loans, “potentially affecting trillions of dollars in Govt. funding and disrupting public programs that millions across the country rely on” 

This was rescinded due to the high amounts of pushback in Congress. In a statement from the OMB (Office of Management and Budget), they state that the pause is directed towards, “including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.” Student loans aren’t directly affected by the directive, despite the ongoing issues & conflict many students are currently facing with PHEAA. 

I had struggled with my PHEAA loan in my Financial Aid plan. Although I followed each step of giving them personal information, filling out the proper paperwork, and staying in constant contact with our Financial Aid department, it was to no avail for the past two semesters. My eligibility for the state loan was somehow pending for the Fall 24 and Spring 25 semester, and somehow it just got approved during spring break.

A significant number of students, including myself, depend heavily on financial support like the Pell Grant, State Grants, and Federal Direct Loans to pursue higher education. The cutback or suspension of these federal aid programs would significantly hinder our ability to attend college. The majority of the financial aid provided is sourced from government funding; therefore, the proposal of these funds being reduced or eliminated is contradictory to the idea of supporting educational access. Many students I have spoken with on campus feel as if they don’t want us to go to college at all, and that they are using these tactics to single out the people who can pay out of pocket. The accompanying diagram illustrates exactly what and how much of these awards have been awarded so far, further showing the critical need for continued financial aid. If 56.02% of students rely on Federal Direct Loans, and 30.55% on Pell Grants, then why would they cut it? 

Diagram courtesy of https://educationdata.org/financial-aid-statistics

This means I did not receive my refund until a whole semester later, as well as having a balance on my account despite no other reason for it to be applied. This, as well as many other problems with contacting PHEAA and using its website, are among the many problems students have been facing this past school year with their loans and grants.

I spoke with a fellow student, Michelle Elias (West Chester University, Education Class of 26’) on her current experience with the frustration going on. And, one of our Financial Aid officers (Anonymous) to learn more about what it’s like on their end. Here were their experiences.

For starters, my friend Michelle had to do her FAFSA on her own. No one in her mom’s family had been to college before, so like many of the students I’ve known today, she had to figure out how to fill out the form on her own. When she had been lucky enough to receive the Ready to Succeed Scholarship in her school, she told me that, “the application was put in 2024 of January, and the application didn’t get processed until January 30th of 2025.” She never received any notification of even getting the scholarship on her account, and had to bounce between phone calls to figure out how her scholarship could be put onto her account. 

The frustration got so far, to the point that “the bursar’s office was more helpful than calling PHEAA.” She was unable to call about her scholarship, due to the current freeze the Trump Administration is trying to put out. She told me, “I think PHEAA has been more of the issue, with the other scholarships that I’m supposed to get. It’s $2,500 that wouldn’t have to be paid if the money was dispersed properly. I think that because of the presidential administration, things are a lot more difficult now. Even though PHEAA is state, the Federal issues are definitely trickling down.”

Finally, I was able to have a short conversation with one of the Financial Aid advisors who chose to be anonymous. Unfortunately, they could not give me much information on the matter due to their position. But, they ensured that our frustrations are equal to theirs. “We have tried countless times to reach out to PHEAA and other lenders, but we get the same errors and “call back later” messages as you guys do.” When asked about the Federal Freeze and if it has caused problems on their end, they pushed that they are doing everything they can. They said, “It has definitely been frustrating, but we try our best to make sure that every student gets the help they need considering what’s going on.”

All in all, it feels like we are watching the clouds brew into a storm. With college prices rising, the Freeze looming over, and the all-consuming problems with FAFSA and PHEAA, it has been time consuming for so many students. But hopefully, the storm will pass on soon.

Juliana (Jules, Jude) Figueroa is a second year Psychology major at Holy Family University. They have a minor in Philosophy, and a passion for music on the side. Her interests/hobbies include art/art history, literature of any kind, and mediocre “so bad that it’s good” media. 

Feature image courtesy of reuters.com