How Avoidable Budget Cuts Will Leave New College Students In The Lurch - Zack Duffy, Campus Progress

When the lucky applicants admitted to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor's Class of 2017 receive their acceptance letters later this month, most will be toasting the good news. But the prospective students who are waiting to see financial aid offers before making their decisions may find themselves without cause for celebration. Playing the Grinch are federal spending cuts known as sequestration, which include $86 million in cuts to Federal Work Study and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. The University of Michigan's share of those cuts translates to about 5 percent of its budget for the two programs—enough to mean that 196 fewer students could receive Federal Work Study aid next year. "The cuts will be significant to students," the university's Senior Associate Dean of Financial Aid Margaret Rodriguez told Campus Progress. Because the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a flagship school, she noted that it is better positioned to mitigate the impact of the sequester than many other institutions. But Michigan's lawmakers will not be making up the difference. http://campusprogress.org/articles/how_avoidable_budget_cuts_will_leave_new_college_students_in_a_lurch/