financial aid Archives - News and Media

Pribbenow and Private College Presidents Advocate for Financial Aid Fairness

farrisr — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 17:56:17 +0000

In a January 22 opinion piece published in MinnPost, Augsburg University President Paul C. Pribbenow joined the presidents of 16 other private colleges in advocating for need-based financial aid for all Minnesota students. In it, the presidents argued for greater investment in the Minnesota State Grant program and financial aid fairness for low-income students regardless of where in the state they attend college.

“Public colleges alone cannot solve our social and economic challenges, nor should they be expected to do so,” they wrote. “Private nonprofit colleges serve these same public purposes. To meet its workforce development and social mobility goals, the state needs to increase financial investments in all students with demonstrated need and take full advantage of all of Minnesota’s educational assets—including its stellar private colleges.”

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Marquell Moorer ’17 discusses college search experience with NPR

Laura Swanson Lindahl '15 MBA — Wed, 13 May 2015 19:00:49 +0000

Augsburg College student Marquell Moorer ’17 was featured in an NPR story describing the difficulty students and their families face in comparing college financial aid packages. Moorer was accepted into a dozen colleges and universities following high school, and he described the confusion he experienced when he attempted to assess his financial obligation to each institution.

Moorer was involved in College Possible, a college access program that Augsburg supports by offering scholarships for participants. College Possible helped Moorer in making his decision to attend Augsburg.

on the NPR website.

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The first "F" in FAFSA stands for free

Augsburg University — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:08:45 +0000

Can you get free money for college? Only if you apply.

April 15 is the priority deadline to apply for financial aid at Augsburg. All Day College students must submit their application to the Enrollment Center by this date or risk losing some of the aid that may be available to them.

Junior social work major Karen Thorp has already applied for next year. While some students’ families are able to assist them with tuition and fees, Thorp has paid for college herself with the help of financial aid.

As a high school senior, Thorp wanted to attend Augsburg because of the small campus and its connection with the city, but her mother said, “That’s out of your price range.” After she met with a financial aid counselor, Thorp knew her dream of attending Augsburg could be a reality.

Thorp’s financial aid package includes federal loans and state grants as well as the Augsburg tuition grant — “free” money she does not have to pay back. She says she could have gone to a state school and graduated without loan debt, but the aid she received helped make an Augsburg education affordable. “If it wasn’t for the Augsburg tuition grant, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

Thorp has continued to meet with financial aid counselor, Liz Bassani, throughout her Augsburg career. “Liz does care,” she says. “We chat at least two times a semester to make sure I’m on track. It motivates me to know I have someone behind me to help me through it.”

Why does Augsburg enforce a priority deadline? Eric Addington, associate director of financial aid, says, “Augsburg runs a lean ship in terms of financial aid.” The college and the state of Minnesota have limited funds, which are awarded to students who demonstrate need and who apply early. “Augsburg has a very limited amount of money to spend on financial aid, and the deadline assures we are equitable with our resources,” he adds.

According to Addington, 85% of all Augsburg students receive some type of financial aid, including institutional grants and scholarships, state grants, and federal or private loans.

Bassani encourages students to come to the Enrollment Center to ask questions about applying for aid. She says, “Students shouldn’t be scared or intimidated by the financial aid counselors. We want to see them succeed.”

Complete instructions and forms are available at .

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Do you have dollar/sense?

Augsburg University — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:40:33 +0000

Credit-card debt is a problem that faces many college students. BusinessWeek reported last year that 75% of college students have cards, up from 67% in 1998. Nellie Mae, a student-loan corporation, found that the average outstanding balance on undergraduate credit cards was $2,169 in 2004.

To help students confront this issue, a 2-week program, entitled “dollar/sense,” will be held on campus starting Monday, Feb. 18. Its goal is to inform college students of the intricate and complicated financial world around them. The event will run intermittently from Feb.18 – 28 (see schedule below), and each session will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Christensen Center coffee lounge.

At each session, a different guest presenter will lead a conversation about certain financial topics, such as credit scores, budgets, student loans, charitable giving, or financial aid issues. The format of this event will be an open conversation where students can ask questions so they can learn more about the important financial issues that they face as college students.

Free gifts and prizes will also be given away at every event. This year, there will be a free iPod given away each night.

dollar/sense Schedule

Feb. 18 – BUILD your credit