CSCU offering temporary tuition reprieve
Move helps families affected by shutdown
Higher education students affected by the partial federal government shutdown will see a temporary tuition reprieve from the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, President Mark Ojakian announced Wednesday.
The system will suspend tuition billing for those families until the government reopens, Ojakian said. The shutdown is in its fourth week.
“As colleges and universities, we should do everything in our power to make sure we are not adding undue stress at an already di f f i c ul t t i me,” Ojakian said.
UConn has taken a similar approach, waiving late fees and granting deferments to students who contact the Office of the Bursar because they are affected by the shutdown, spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said. That includes one student who reached out to the university for help Wednesday, she said.
Within CSCU, billing will resume when the government reopens. Ojakian is also directing campus administrators to work with students to address other costs, like books, transportation and other social service needs.
The move aims to lessen the impact of the shutdown on those struggling to pay tuition and other higher education expenses and to complete financial aid paperwork. The effects on the college and university system have so far been “limited in scope,” but Ojakian said there’s potential for adverse impacts as the shutdown stretches on, particularly for those university families employed by the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and Bureau of Prisons.
“There is potential for real harm in a number of ways,” he said, pointing to the financial hardship of federal employees paying tuition for themselves or children, even as they are furloughed or working without pay.
The closure of the Internal Revenue Service may also make it more difficult for certain incoming students to file for financial aid, particularly at community colleges, he said.
Pell Grant and Direct Loan funding has not been affected by the shutdown, but it may be difficult for students and institutions to confirm eligibility for those resources.