Dwindling bank account balances and looming tuition payments are sending students at the University of Windsor to their financial assistance office in droves.
The number of applicants for student loans has increased 30 per cent compared to last year, said Aase Houser, the director of student awards and financial aid at the U of W. “We expect to be very busy this year (with) lots of competition for very little money. It will be a bit of a feeding frenzy.”
From the beginning of June until the end of July, the department received 4,200 applications for assistance — that’s about 900 more than were received during the same period last year.
“I think it’s just a reflection of the economy and the fact that families have suffered a loss of income,” Houser said. “It’s more difficult for students to come by jobs themselves.”
Lauren Quinn, a 23-year-old who just graduated from the U of W, will be returning to campus this fall to pursue a teaching degree. She said she usually works 40 to 50 hours per week in the summer, but this year she only had about 10 hours of work each week.
“It will not pay the bills,” she said. “This summer has been really rough.”
Quinn said stiffer competition for summer employment is driving more students to seek loans. “A lot of the people who were laid off are doing any kind of job, taking jobs that we would usually take. Obviously, I really sympathize, but now we don’t have those jobs. It’s a domino effect.”
An increase in enrolment at the university could account for at least part of the rise in applications for financial assistance. The total enrolment in undergraduate programs has increased by a couple hundred compared to this time last year, said Gregory Marcotte, director of registrarial services at the U of W.
But the search for student loans goes beyond Windsor. A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities said applications for the Ontario Student Assistance Program are up eight per cent from last year across the province.
“Probably this year we’ve seen an increase as a result of the recession,” said Patrick O’Gorman. “More people will go to a post-secondary education or stay there longer because the job market isn’t as good. But also … we don’t see as many general labour jobs as we saw in the past. It tends to be more specialized and that requires some sort of post-secondary education.”
Despite the increased competition for student loans, there is good news at the U of W. Houser said the average loan amount has increased because of new grant programs.
But Quinn, a member of the student group Drop Fees for Poverty, said student loans often don’t cover all expenses. She is expecting to receive about $11,500 in assistance this year, but said her tuition is more than $6,000 alone, and she also has to pay for books, a bus pass and rent. “Plus, I usually like to eat,” she said. “It’s still going to be tough, even with financial assistance."
The number of applicants for student loans has increased 30 per cent compared to last year, said Aase Houser, the director of student awards and financial aid at the U of W. “We expect to be very busy this year (with) lots of competition for very little money. It will be a bit of a feeding frenzy.”
From the beginning of June until the end of July, the department received 4,200 applications for assistance — that’s about 900 more than were received during the same period last year.
“I think it’s just a reflection of the economy and the fact that families have suffered a loss of income,” Houser said. “It’s more difficult for students to come by jobs themselves.”
Lauren Quinn, a 23-year-old who just graduated from the U of W, will be returning to campus this fall to pursue a teaching degree. She said she usually works 40 to 50 hours per week in the summer, but this year she only had about 10 hours of work each week.
“It will not pay the bills,” she said. “This summer has been really rough.”
Quinn said stiffer competition for summer employment is driving more students to seek loans. “A lot of the people who were laid off are doing any kind of job, taking jobs that we would usually take. Obviously, I really sympathize, but now we don’t have those jobs. It’s a domino effect.”
An increase in enrolment at the university could account for at least part of the rise in applications for financial assistance. The total enrolment in undergraduate programs has increased by a couple hundred compared to this time last year, said Gregory Marcotte, director of registrarial services at the U of W.
But the search for student loans goes beyond Windsor. A spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities said applications for the Ontario Student Assistance Program are up eight per cent from last year across the province.
“Probably this year we’ve seen an increase as a result of the recession,” said Patrick O’Gorman. “More people will go to a post-secondary education or stay there longer because the job market isn’t as good. But also … we don’t see as many general labour jobs as we saw in the past. It tends to be more specialized and that requires some sort of post-secondary education.”
Despite the increased competition for student loans, there is good news at the U of W. Houser said the average loan amount has increased because of new grant programs.
But Quinn, a member of the student group Drop Fees for Poverty, said student loans often don’t cover all expenses. She is expecting to receive about $11,500 in assistance this year, but said her tuition is more than $6,000 alone, and she also has to pay for books, a bus pass and rent. “Plus, I usually like to eat,” she said. “It’s still going to be tough, even with financial assistance."
