The MCC Promise, a unique, volunteer-focused, tuition reimbursement program specifically for McHenry County College (MCC) students, is now entering its second year. Over the past week, the Friends of MCC Foundation, with assistance from the MCC Financial Aid Office, has conducted an immediate and thorough review of student records after a number of Promise students shared their concern about being dropped from the program due to financial aid deadlines. Based on this review, the Foundation has decided to reinstate 78 additional students into the program for Fall 2010.
Funded by private donations from generous individuals and/or businesses in the greater McHenry County area, the Promise is only in its infancy but has already impacted many students’ lives by giving them a chance to go to college, when they may otherwise have not been able to attend. The Foundation launched the program in Fall 2009, initially providing tuition for over 900 new MCC students, which will make those graduating in Spring 2011 the first Promise graduation class.
As with many tuition-based scholarship programs, specific criteria were developed by the Foundation to ensure that Promise students remain committed to their education at the College, including maintaining a specific GPA (2.5 for Fall 2010 and Spring 2011), completing 16 volunteer hours each semester, maintaining full-time status, and completion of financial aid paperwork. Foundation and College officials review all Promise student records at the end of each semester to verify that they have met the program’s criteria and are eligible for the Promise in the coming semester.
Prior to the beginning of each academic year, Promise students must complete all necessary financial aid paperwork (including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid-FAFSA) by the deadline(s) provided by the Department of Education and approved by the institution. The FAFSA is only the first step in the financial aid process – one which can be completed in as little as 4-6 weeks if paperwork is submitted timely and accurately. Much of the financial aid process is out of the MCC Financial Aid Office’s control. Because of this, there can be confusion in the process.
By the end of the Spring 2010 semester, 756 students were in the Promise program, but 353 students were not reimbursed because they did not meet at least one of the program’s primary criteria, consequently dropping them from the program. The remaining 403 students were required to maintain their eligibility for fall by completing additional criteria, including their financial aid paperwork. 175 of these students kept their eligibility by meeting all criteria early on, while a large quantity of the remaining students were dropped because they did not meet the financial aid paperwork deadlines. However, due to the complexity of the process, 78 students were inadvertently declared ineligible when they should have been allowed to continue in the program. Therefore, by reinstating these additional 78 students, there are now 253 total students who remain in the Promise program for Fall 2010.
If the financial aid process is started early, many students complete it without difficulty. This year, MCC’s Financial Aid Office touched over 8,000 applications. In total, over $3 million dollars were awarded to MCC students for fall, not including Promise students. According to Laura McGee, director of Financial Aid at MCC, “Encouraging all MCC students to complete their financial aid paperwork has led to more students receiving aid than in the past; many of these students otherwise wouldn’t have thought they’d be eligible, but there has been a strong commitment to remind every student that there are monies out there to help them if they just take the time to apply.” She added, “We are proud of the dollars awarded, and the team has worked hard to make this happen.”
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