Returning students can expect changes to the financial aid process beginning next week.

Carrie Glass, director of financial aid, is altering the ways that students will undergo the financial aid application and award process.

Returning students will be affected by three major changes, Glass said.

Glass said the restructuring of the financial aid application and award timeline is the biggest change that will impact students.

She said she will shift the entire financial aid timeline forward. In the past, students received notification in June or July, but the changes will allow students to see their awards earlier.

Now, active students will be evaluated and awarded aid for the following year during this semester.

Students who have not submitted all of their application information will be notified either next week or the week after about their missing information, Glass said.

For students who have submitted all of the information for their application, they will be contacted in the middle of April regarding their application status, rather than over the summer.

Glass said the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid would award students with the expectation that they remain eligible, since their current semester’s grades will not be available for evaluation at the time of the award notifications.

Evaluations will be made to ensure satisfactory academic progress after spring grades are available. Students who do not remain eligible will no longer be awarded the designated aid, Glass said.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will no longer require students to fill out financial aid forms in person in order to disperse the aid into their account. Glass said the response form is an obstacle to getting students their awards distributed to their accounts.

Glass said she contacted 97 students personally to come in to the office and fill out their forms for aid to be dispersed.

Glass said another change in the financial aid department is the redesign of information on the website.

The change will allow students a more direct resource to access the information they need at each step of the application process.

Austin Scott, visual arts sophomore, said she has found the changes made by the financial aid office helpful. Scott said she believes these new changes including the website redesign will help students.

Although Scott says she will still have her parents review her financial aid situation, she feels she will be able to deal with their financial aid more independently.

“With the new changes I think that students will be able to understand their package and make plans for their financial future more accurately and on their own. Finances are a major role in my life at Loyola and at home,” Scott said.

For Glass, she said her goal is to have as many students aware of their financial aid awards before the end of the semester.

She said it has been her job to make sure students have the necessary information in order to plan for their education.

Lauren Cutuli may be reached at [email protected]