Students across the nation began to worry about their financial aid opportunities due to the recent government shutdown. Senior Erik Serbicki commented on the government recent shutdown stating, “I can see how students are worried about the shutdown affecting financial aid, but there have been many shutdowns in the past, and I don’t think this one should be blown out of proportion.”

  Student financial aid is the funding set aside for students looking to further their education after high school. The amount of funds that a student receives is based on the income, or financial need, of the student. With many concerned about whether or not they would receive their funds, federal financial aid programs remained open, but according to The College Investor, “If the shutdown lasted for a long time, it could have impacted the availability of financial aid next year.”

  Despite many government agency processes being halted due to the recent government shutdown, the closure did not affect eligibility to apply for federal financial aid. Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, stated that regardless of the other temporarily closed federal agencies, “we have been adapting our processes as needed” and  “evaluating what impact the closure may have on students and borrowers.”

  Despite Federal Financial Aid programs ensuring students that their programs would still remain open and continue to provide financial aid funds, Lisa Conner, College and Career Center Coordinator at SVHS, suggested, “students should visit their school’s financial aid office and see what funds they are offering.”

  The Department of Education is one of the four major departments where funding was supposed to last during the government closure, and according to UNCF, a nonprofit organization that funds scholarships for black students, “there is funding until September 30, 2019,” so federal aid will continue normally.