The college experience

Kayla Harvey and Julianna Tribu|February 11, 2015

rsz_kayla_juli_college-fasfa_2
Emilie Windelin
Wayne State gets shown off at RHS

FAFSA and financial aid

College is a vulnerable time in a student’s life as they switch from being a normal high school student to becoming an independent adult on campus. FAFSA is The Free Application for Federal Student Aid form that can be filed annually by current or future college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The FAFSA has a deadline of March 1, 2015, although many colleges have earlier deadlines for financial aid. Financial aid is any grant, scholarships or loan offered to meet a student’s college expenses. This aid is usually provided by various sources, and has many deadlines.

Eastern Michigan University offers many different financial aids to help incoming students and is rated 54 out of 350 colleges for its affordability. EMU had an early FAFSA date of Feb. 15 for the upcoming summer classes, so there is still time to send in your FAFSA and apply for EMU financial aid itself. Students have the option to transfer to EMU, but grades earned at other schools will not transfer to EMU, and you have to earn 30 out of the 40 credits for an EMU degree.

Wayne State University accepts an unlimited number of transfer credits from a four-year college with a maximum of 90 semester credits that can be applied toward your Wayne State degree. WSU also accepts credits from two-year colleges and will apply up to 64 semester credits toward your Wayne State degree for students who are looking to transfer. State aid deadline for FASFA is March 1, 2015, WSU strongly suggests filling out and sending in yours FASFA before the deadline.

For any information or questions regarding the FASFA, or to fill out your FASFA go to fasfa.ed.gov, and always make sure it is free, do not make the mistake of putting in your credit card information. EMU and WSU both offer information about financial aid, acceptance, and transfer students on their websites.

Eastern Michigan University:

            “I love Eastern! There are a lot of things to get involved with and so many different people to meet. The campus is a perfect size and it’s beautiful! The campus always feels safe. I also like still having the smaller class sizes because it gives me a chance to build relationships with my professors. My favorite part is actually living on campus. It gives me a totally new experience and it actually helped me a lot this year. I’d recommend it to anyone,” Brianna Blanco, class of 2013, said.

  • Faculty: 18-1 student/faculty ratio, 751 full time faculties (82.4% PhDs).
  • Student Organizations: 350 organizations: Fraternities (4% student body), Sororities (4% student body).
  • Majors: 330 undergraduates, 201 graduates.
  • Popular Majors: 5% elementary education, 5% nursing, 5% psychology, 4% criminal justice, 3% biology.
  • Degrees: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Specialist, Doctoral.
  • Special Academic Programs: Honors College, Holman Learning Center, American Humanics Certification, and study abroad, EMU WORLDWIDE, post-bachelor’s certificate and teaching certificate, graduate certificate, advanced graduate certificate.
  • Housing: 12 co-ed halls.
  • 1st year experience program: 6 residence halls.
  • Single-sex floors in co-ed environment, co-ed floors by suites.
  • Towers: 3 halls, single and double rooms, and dining services for all student levels.
  • Village: apartment style.
  • Downing: Honors college housing.
  • Buell: Suite style for upperclassmen.
  • Tuitions:
  • In state full time (30 credit hours): $9,663. Per credit hour: $275.
  • Out of state full time (30 credit hours): $25,705. Per credit hour: $810.
  • Required fees: $1,419 (registration, student union, technology, and general fees).
  • Room and board: $8,940.
  • Books and supplies: $1,000.
  • Admission:
  • GPA: 3.26
  • Average SAT: 1031 Average, ACT: 22.03 (plus writing recommended, but not required).
  • Application fee: $35 online.
  • Documents required: application with fee, official transcript, and test scores.
  • Transfer students: Application with fee and college transcript.

Application deadlines for fall enrollment: Considered for admission and scholarships; school begins rewarding scholarships in October for the following fall.

Wayne State University:

“I am in love with Wayne State! I love how we are right in downtown Detroit. I can go to many activities like get Thai food and go to the DIA for free (it’s right on campus) one night or skate at campus Martius and get gelato the next. I’m so happy I joined my sorority AEPhi because it helped me make many new friends. I’m ecstatic that I live with my two best friends. Wayne State also helps me academically too. There’s 24 hour access to the on campus library, free tutoring and even writing centers to help you all the time. I feel like being a warrior is both academically and socially rewarding,” Reba Stanley, class of 2013, said.

  • Faculty: 15-1 student/faculty ratio, 1,755 full time faculties (58% are tenure/tenure-track)
  • Student Organizations: 400 organizations: 11 fraternities and 15 sororities.
  • Majors: 129 bachelor’s, 76 certificate programs, 180 master’s and doctoral, and three professional programs.
  • Most Popular Majors: pre-med, pre-nursing, psychology, biology and management.
  • Degrees: bachelor’s, masters, doctorate, certificates.
  • Special Academic Programs: research, accelerated study, work study, online courses, honors programs, dual enrollment, teaching certificates, independent study, study abroad, Medstart, B start (business), Gradstart (engineering), pre professional studies, programs in medicine, pharmacy and law.
  • Housing: Three co-ed residence halls, three apartment buildings; 1 to 3 students per room, alcohol and tobacco free living, women’s only floor, scholarly communities, single rooms available.
  • Tuition: In state full time: $10,093 per credit hour: $336.45.
  • Out of state full time: $27,357 per credit hours: $911.90.
  • Required fees: $1,131.
  • Room and board: $9,430 (on campus).
  • Books and supplies: $1,196.
  • Admissions: Average high school GPA: 3.22.
  • Average SAT: N/A average ACT: 22.8.
  • Application fee: free.
  • Documents required: Official high school transcript, ACT/SAT test scores,
  • Materials recommended: Letters of recommendation.
  • Materials needed for transfer students: official college transcripts, if student has fewer than 24 transferable credit hours, high school transcript and ACT/SAT test scores.
  • Application deadline for fall enrollment: August 27.
  • For more information, go to www.michigancollegeguide.com.
  • FAFSA and financial aid

College is a vulnerable time in a student’s life as they switch from being a normal high school student to becoming an independent adult on campus. FAFSA is The Free Application for Federal Student Aid form that can be filed annually by current or future college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The FAFSA has a deadline of March 1, 2015, although many colleges have earlier deadlines for financial aid. Financial aid is any grant, scholarships or loan offered to meet a student’s college expenses. This aid is usually provided by various sources, and has many deadlines.

Eastern Michigan University offers many different financial aids to help incoming students and is rated 54 out of 350 colleges for its affordability. EMU had an early FAFSA date of Feb. 15 for the upcoming summer classes, so there is still time to send in your FAFSA and apply for EMU financial aid itself. Students have the option to transfer to EMU, but grades earned at other schools will not transfer to EMU, and you have to earn 30 out of the 40 credits for an EMU degree.

Wayne State University accepts an unlimited number of transfer credits from a four-year college with a maximum of 90 semester credits that can be applied toward your Wayne State degree. WSU also accepts credits from two-year colleges and will apply up to 64 semester credits toward your Wayne State degree for students who are looking to transfer. State aid deadline for FASFA is March 1, 2015, WSU strongly suggests filling out and sending in yours FASFA before the deadline.

For any information or questions regarding the FASFA, or to fill out your FASFA go to fasfa.ed.gov, and always make sure it is free, do not make the mistake of putting in your credit card information. EMU and WSU both offer information about financial aid, acceptance, and transfer students on their websites.