Florida A&M University students should have started to receive their refund checks on Tuesday, according to the office of student financial services.
But some students at FAMU are not pleased because they have not received their net checks yet. A net check is money left over after a student’s tuition and other fees are paid.
“I didn’t get any money,” said Audyss Knowles, 18, a first year pre-dentistry student from Miami. “I’m going to wait and speak with somebody tomorrow.”
Others said if the refund checks were their only source of income, the delay would have been an inconvenience.
“Someone in financial aid told me it would take two to three days after it hit my FAMU account,” said Tommy Brown, 27, a junior biology pre-med student from Hobe Sound, Fla.
“I feel like if I was depending on my net check, I would be in a bind.” Annarene Wineglass, director of financial services, said that there are many factors that can contribute to a student who did not receive their financial aid on Tuesday. She said that it is important for students to pay their tuition on time so refund checks can be disbursed to accounts on time.
“When students don’t pay their tuition, (academic departments) don’t get paid,” said Wineglass, “We have payroll and vendors that need to get paid too.”
Some students had trouble with receiving financial aid from the university last semester.
“I didn’t get my money until two months after school started first semester,” said Knowles.
Documents that were received by Dec. 5, 2008 were to be processed before the system shutdown. Any documents received after the Dec. 5 were processed after Jan. 5, 2009 in the order in which they were received. Students are encouraged to check their student accounts to iRattler/OURFAMU account periodically to check whether aid was posted.
“The sooner students look into their account and find an issue, the better chance it gets resolved,” said Wineglass. “We suggest students look into their account once or twice a week.”
If students find any discrepancies they should get it handled immediately, she added.
Trakiya Skinnger said she frequently visits financial aid in the Foote-Hilyer Administration Center to check the status of her aid and but thinks its a hassle.
“I had to keep going to financial aid to get my Bright Futures Scholarship,” said Skinner, 18, a freshman criminal justice student from Fort Lauderdale. “I don’t think I need to do all of that,” she said.
Wineglass suggests students use direct deposit instead of waiting for a tangible check.
“When you get your (net) check, cash it immediately because if not, the money will be returned back to it’s source,” said Wineglass referring to funds from financial aid and scholarships.