By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Cecilia Castellano, vice president for enrollment management, stopped by the press table to chat before the BGSU Board of Trustees convened for their afternoon session. Asked about the problems with FAFSA – Federal Application For Student Financial Aid, she said bluntly that it was a mess, but BGSU solved it. She used a more colorful term for “mess.”
Regardless of the wording, her point was clear – BGSU has done what it could to help students and families navigate a difficult process.
The FAFSA is essential for students seeking scholarships. U.S. Department of Education rolled out new forms to address long-standing difficulties and make the forms simpler. But that new form was plagued with problems, and even when the new data on students was released months late at the end of March, it was still riddled with errors, Castellano told the BGSU Board of Trustees.
[RELATED: Some college financial aid decisions on hold while feds work to fix FAFSA]
Those errors have been corrected. Families now have the correct data, and colleges and universities can finally start delivering notices of financial aid packages.
Typically, incoming students would have until May 1 to commit to a school. That deadline had to be pushed off to May 15 because students and families needed to know what financial aid different schools were offering them before they could decide where to enroll.
That’s important for institutions because this is “a competitive market,” Castellano said.
Admissions staff has been laboring to manage the late data and to help guide families through the process, she said.
Castellano said that those students committing by May 15 and make their housing deposits will be able to work with residence life to select their preferred housing. Students can commit later –“we’re always accepting applications,” Castellano said – but they may not get the specific housing they desire.
Returning students will now get their financial aid packages. That’s less critical because they have a better idea of what to expect, she told trustees.
When all is said and done, Castellano told trustees that ““It looks like we’re in a good position to hit our goals come August.”
Overall admissions for the incoming class are up 5 percent. That’s 3 percent for in-state students, 16 percent out of state students, and 10 percent increase in students enrolled in the Pathway Program. That program enrolls students who do not meet the academic standards through the Firelands campus though they reside at Bowling Green. The program uses smaller classes and guidance over two years to bring them up to those standards so they can enroll in BGSU’s main campus to complete their bachelor’s degrees. The program has experienced consistent growth.
Castellano cited aviation and sports management as programs that attract out of state students. Also, many students choose BGSU because of intramural sports that allow them to continue participating in sports without being a Division I athlete.
The university expects an increase of 6 percent for the undergraduate student population. Graduate enrollment, she said, is flat.
Glenn Davis, vice president, student engagement and success, said that registration data for continuing students is also strong, indicating BGSU will top its goal of 80 percent retention come August. As of April 26, 84.3% of returning students had registered, a 4.4 percent increase over last year.
