Why some Minnesota part-time students say work doesn't pay
Today I've got a report on MPR News on part-time students who say the State Grant penalizes them for holding down a job.
How so?
They're not get getting state aid that's in proportion to the number of credits they take.
One part that didn't make it into the piece was that it has been a concern not just for students and administrators at the Minnesota's public two-year colleges and universities, but also at the U and at the various private nonprofit (and I think for-profit) colleges as well.
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Chris Halling, director of financial aid for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system, told me:
"This has been an issue with many members of the financial community across the state for at least 20 years. They've recognized that this is an inequity within the program."
But the Office of Higher Education has its own take on the formula, which is set by legislation:
Making the change would require millions of dollars -- money that might be better spent on a different set of students.