Dear Students,
We are writing today in response to the federal government shutdown that began on Friday at midnight. Although we know that this can have a significant impact on the daily lives of people, especially living in the DC, Maryland and Virginia region, the impact on higher education is expected to be very limited, unless the shutdown drags on. We understand that both Congress and the Senate worked over the weekend, and are continuing to work to resolve this impasse as soon as possible.
At this time, the Federal Financial Aid division of the Department of Education is expected to be staffed and Federal Aid processing will continue to take place. To quote Eric Kelderman from The Chronicle for Higher Education, “Although no new federal dollars can be spent during a shutdown, money that has already been approved — through student-aid programs or research grants, for example — will continue to flow. Federal student-aid programs are forward-funded, meaning most of the dollars for award year 2017-18 are already in place,” said a written statement from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. (Kelderman, 2018)
If you have questions or concerns about your financial aid, please don’t hesitate to contact our staff at . We will continue to monitor activity related to this event, and provide updated statements as appropriate.