Are you Pell Grant Eligible?
According to the Federal Student Aid website, “Federal Pell Grants usually are awarded only to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree.”
“Grants are considered gift aid, which means they do not need to be repaid,” according to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Financial Aid Office.
To determine your Pell Grant eligibility for this year, you will need to have completed the 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It is not too late for students to complete the form for this year.
To be eligible for the Pell Grant, the Federal Government and university consider several criteria, including your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), the cost of attendance, your status as a full-time or part-time student and your plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.
A student’s EFC is calculated according to a formula established by law. Information on how EFC is calculated can be found here.
At UWL, Pell Grant recipients are eligible to receive amounts ranging from $773 to $7,395 to help cover the cost of attendance.
Pell Grant eligibility also extends to the Affordable Connectivity Program with the Federal Government.
According to the FCC, “The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more… The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.”
Reduced internet costs are not the only discount available for college students. College can be expensive, but there are programs and companies offering ways to make the cost of living more affordable.
The UWL College of Business Administration provides funding for all UWL students, staff and faculty to have an “academic pass” to the New York Times Digital Edition, which includes news, archives, special features, special educational content and much more. Not included are e-reader editions, Times Premier content or digital versions of The New York Times Crossword. Users must activate their pass by creating a unique account with the New York Times using their UWL email account.
UWL also offers programs such as Campus Thread and the Food Pantry to help offset clothing and food costs for students. The UWL Food Pantry, located in the COVE on the second floor of the union, is open to all UWL students, staff and faculty.
To gain access, students need to fill out a document on the MyOrgs website with their name and student ID number. Once the form is filled out, it takes the Card Office 2-3 business days to activate student IDs for the Food Pantry. The Food Pantry offers quick meals, pasta, fridge items, hygiene products and even a gluten-free section.
“Our big goal with this is just so students can take a little more pressure off finances, especially in today’s economy as things are expensive, including grocery shopping,” said Emily Babcock, a senior at UWL who oversees the UWL Food Panty.
In addition to these resources, students are eligible for reduced prices on insurance, travel expenses, entertainment, technology and more with their student ID according to the UW-Extended Campus.
Insurance:
Insurance companies, such as Allstate and Geico offer reduced rates for vehicle insurance for college students.
Travel:
For students without cars, Amtrak, Greyhound and MTU offer student discounts for students who travel by train or bus. The UWL Student Association, UWL Administration and MTU worked together to bring UWL students and employees the U-PASS program, which includes unlimited access to any Municipal Transit Utility (MTU) bus with a UWL Student ID card.
The Program offers daily unlimited, fare-free passage on all MTU bus routes and the Safe Ride – a safe ride between downtown and campus during evening hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Thinking ahead to Spring Break? StudentUniverse provides discounted flights, hotels and cars for college students to travel within their budget.
Technology:
Students can receive Adobe, Apple, Dell and Microsoft products at reduced rates ranging from 10-60% off.
Entertainment:
The streaming service, Hulu, is currently offering students a $1.99 subscription to their services upon proof of enrollment status.
Spotify, a music streaming service, offers a discounted bundle package in which verified students are eligible to receive a $4.99 monthly subscription for Hulu, Spotify and SHOWTIME.
La Crosse’s Marcus Theatre holds weekly “Student Thursdays” in which students and faculty can see any movie (excluding premieres) and receive a free 46 oz popcorn for $7.50 upon showing a valid student or faculty ID.
Apparel:
A variety of apparel stores provide student discounts for their stores. The discounts can range anywhere from 10%-30% off according to UW Extended Campus.
The cost of living can be expensive for students, but there are companies and programs that recognize that and offer discounted rates for students to use.
You can find a full list of discounts recognized by the UW-Extended Campus at the following link: UW Extended Campus Discounts.
*Deals and discounts are subject to change.
