The University recently updated its PAWS Web site to benefit students by making financial aid more readily accessible.
The Office of Student Aid and Scholarships introduced new features Monday that allow students to view information regarding their funds provided by financial aid, said Kim Dudley, associate director of the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships.
“The government is making a push for all FAFSA applications to go online,” Dudley said. “Because with it comes less room for error.”
Prior to this update, students had to wait to receive the form in the mail verifying when and if their federal financial aid was processed.
The current generation of students has grown up using computers and the Internet. That will probably make the process better and easier for them to use, Dudley said.
“We hope there is a smooth transition for the student body from mailing forms to the online process because this generation is used to doing things online,” Dudley said.
The new student data verification form allows students to apply for loans and work study programs.
Instead of having to go through the process of mailing forms, the online form helps save time for both sides, Dudley said.
Last year there were 32,794 FAFSA applications mailed and 15,000 awards for student aid processed, according to the Office of Student Aid and Scholarships. The amount of money for paper and postage is expensive when processing so many applications.
Students can also now choose a financial aid lender and amount online, saving them money and valuable time and effort, Dudley said.
The new feature also allows students in work study programs to access their job assignments through PAWS. This tells them the job type, location, beginning and ending date, contact person and award amount of their job assignment.
Dudley said the new online forms make the process easier and are more convenient.
“The time benefit for students is a big benefit,” she said. “Instead of a two-week or even month-long turnaround, students can complete their registration in two days.”
The Office of Student Aid is working in conjunction with the Bursar’s Office to make everything as automated as possible, Dudley said.