A Snapshot of Financial Aid Practice during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic had a far-reaching impact on community colleges. When many campuses closed, students lost the academic and other resources available to them, including financial aid offices. Financial aid provides a crucial source of funding for low- and middle-income students attending community colleges. How has financial aid practice changed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Using interviews with staff and students, this article provides a snapshot of the ways the pandemic altered financial aid at a large community college in Texas. It argues that the loss of face-to-face interaction harmed student experience and reshaped staff practice.

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Aren Wilson-Wright for helpful comments on this manuscript. Thanks also to Jorge Burmicky and Victor Sáenz for conversations about culture of compliance and financial aid.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Texas at Austin College of Education’s Small Graduate Student Research Grant.