Five weeks into the fall semester, many Columbia students who depend on loan refunds for rent, travel and daily expenses are still waiting for their money.
Columbia Central told students in an Aug. 26 email that financial aid disbursements — including institutional grants and scholarships, federal and state grants and loans — would begin in the third week of the semester. But students told the Chronicle that they still don’t know when they will receive their money.
Refund and Payment Coordinator Sarah Hasse attributed the delay to the implementation of the new Student Information System, which centralized academic tools and other services.
“As far as I know, the new Student Information System has somewhat changed our timings and processes for disbursing student loans and other types of financial aid,” Hasse told the Chronicle.
In previous semesters Columbia Central sent emails with the disbursement amount and when to expect the money prior to the start of classes. In Spring 2025 students received notification about disbursements on Jan. 23, three days before courses started. The money was sent within a week.
Jenna Vandiver, a senior fashion design major, said she relies on her financial aid money to cover food and transportation costs, including trips home.
After a recent family emergency required her to fly home, she said she had to dip into her savings to pay for the flight because the disbursement had not arrived.
“I received no communication about the timeline for when to expect the disbursement,” Vandiver said. “I will be honest though and say that I haven’t reached out myself to push hard about it, but they’ve also not reached out to let me know about it and potential delays about why it’s happening.”
Pavlik Laska, a junior music major, said this is their first time dealing with issues with their financial disbursement, and that the delay has been “disappointing” because he was planning his budget according to the amount expected to disperse.
“The office has been unclear about when we will receive them from my own experience, and speaking with another student going through the same thing,” Laska said.
According to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, 6,415 students received financial aid in the 2023-2024 academic school year, including loans, scholarships and government support.
Mackenzie Oberlin, a sophomore musical theatre major, said she did not receive any emails about delays in financial aid disbursements.
“These delays have affected me by not knowing when I would see that money and having to take time out of my busy schedule to call to get information that should’ve been emailed,” Oberlin said. “It has been frustrating and causing stress among me and my parents as it caused us to think that we did something wrong on our end.”
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
Resumen En Espanol
A pesar de que el semestre continúa en su quinta semana, muchos estudiantes no han recibido sus reembolsos de préstamos.
Pero en un correo electrónico de Columbia Central, estudiantes fueron informados que los reembolsos llegarán en la tercera semana del semestre.
La tardanza es atribuida a la implementación del nuevo Sistema Informativo Estudiantil que se encarga de servicios académicos al igual que otros.
Anteriormente, en el semestre de primavera 2025, los estudiantes fueron informados de reembolsos tres días antes de que empezara el semestre y lo recibieron en una semana.
Resumen En Español Por Uriel Reyes
Resumen editado por Manuel Nocera
