TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The government shutdown is in its 21st day with many Americans feeling its financial effects, but what about college students?
We spoke to local colleges to see what impact the shutdown has had on students getting money to fund their education.
Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and Tallahassee Community College, three Tallahassee colleges with tens of thousands of students among them. Many of them need financial aid, but can they still get it during this partial government shutdown?
"Currently our students financial aid is not being affected at FAMU," said Dr. William Hudson Jr., Vice President of Student Affairs at FAMU. "However, they have provided guidance on the acceptance of tax returns and non-filer statements for students to verify income for their financial aid."
He said FAMU is preparing for their 2019-2020 academic year. Financial aid documents are coming in for new students and returning students and everything is running smoothly.
"The IRS and federal government are working directly with the student loan offices to make sure they are not affecting students and their eligibility for financial aid," said Dr. Hudson.
Over at TCC it is business as usual in the financial aid department.
"The good news is the US Dept. of Education is fully open. They are operational and they are processing the free applications for financial aid as they come in," said Bill Spiers, Director of Financial Aid at TCC. "There has been no interruption in the processing of the FAFSA."
When it comes to the shutdown and financial aid he said families should not panic.
"They should continue their applications for financial aid and continue moving forward whether it is for this year or next year," said Spiers. "The sooner you do it the sooner you'll be on the road to receiving financial aid."
FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Sally McRorie said the shutdown is also not affecting their financial aid programs.
