financial aid

Federal financial aid cut for non-Mason study abroad programs

At the beginning of the fall semester, the Office of Financial Aid informed the Center for Global Education that federal financial aid would no longer be applied to non-Mason study abroad programs.

Changes to federal financial aid regulations have changed the financial aid office’s interpretation of how aid can be applied to these study abroad programs, which are not directly affiliated with the university.

Letter to the Editor: Mason to lobby for greater funding

On Thursday, January 30, 2014, more than one hundred members of the George Mason community will travel down to the state capitol in Richmond, Virginia, for Mason Lobbies 2014. Mason Lobbies is a day of advocacy where students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administration join together to collectively advocate for Mason as “One Institution with One Voice.” The initiative was started last year with the goal of demonstrating the important investment that is George Mason University.

Five higher ed problems that will face Virginia’s next Secretary of Education

As Anne Holton, wife of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, prepares for her new job as Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth, she'll be faced with a number of issues ranging from early childhood development to university research funding. Here are a few challenges that she'll find in Virginia's higher education system:

1. Meeting the financial needs is becoming a huge problem

Proposed state budget could provide support to Mason’s growing financial aid problem

Every year, Virginia undergraduates who demonstrate financial need get a part of their tuition covered by the student financial assistance program (VSFAP).

The amount of money allocated to financial need students has actually been rising steadily over the past few years. In 2007, $108 million was slated for the program, and about $150 million was allocated in 2012.

Editor's Blog: What the 2014 college rankings tells us about Mason

Every year, U.S. News & World Report comes out with a list of top universities in the nation. The most recent rankings, released Sept. 10, put Mason within the top 150, and 72nd when looking at just public universities.