As of Oct. 12, the University of Houston-Victoria has distributed about $6.5 million for the fall semester in financial aid through scholarships, grants and work study programs.
“UHV is proud to be able to offer our students support through a variety of financial aid options,” said David Cockrum, UHV interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We serve students from across the economic spectrum, and the university’s staff works hard to make sure every student has the opportunity to receive aid.”
Out of the $6.5 million, the majority of aid students received came from state and federal grants. More than 1,600 UHV students were awarded $5.2 million in grants, and $3.35 million of that total were Pell grants.
Scholarships made up an additional $1.3 million in financial aid and were awarded to more than 1,200 students. Of that total, about $860,000 came from UHV funds, which included merit- and need-based scholarships.
“Scholarships are especially valuable sources of financial aid because many of them are created by contributions from community members who want to support higher education,” said Lashon Williams, UHV director of financial aid. “UHV has been fortunate to have a wide variety of community supporters willing to invest in the education of future generations, and we are honored to be able to disburse those funds to our students.”
Work study programs sponsored through the university were another source of financial aid. These programs allow students to work up to 19 hours a week either on or off campus to earn money they can put toward the costs of their education or other needs while studying at UHV. Students apply for job openings through UHV Career Services, and about 60 students are participating in work study.
The UHV work study program partners with area nonprofit organizations. Some of the places students can work through the program are the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Club of Victoria, the Victoria Adult Literacy Council, Crossroads Veterans Services, the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Workforce Solutions Golden Crescent.
Although the university will continue to release financial aid to students throughout the semester, it is important for students to start applying for aid as early as possible, Williams said. Many financial aid resources such as grants and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis or according to a set deadline.
The first step to apply for financial aid of any kind is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which became available starting on Oct. 1 for aid for the 2019-2020 school year. Students also need to be aware of upcoming deadlines. For instance, Texas recently changed the state’s priority deadline for awarding financial aid to Jan. 15 for the 2019-2020 school year. Moving forward, the priority deadline will be Jan. 15 each year.
“We are ready and willing to help our students receive as much financial aid as possible,” Williams said. “However, the earlier students complete and submit their applications, the better their chances are of receiving multiple sources of aid.”