Tuition and fees for CSUN have increased by over 43 percent the last few years due in part to budget cuts, making it the ninth largest growth for a public, four-year university in the country. The cost for attending CSUN skyrocketed from $3,350 in 2007 to $4,801 in 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Costs are continuing to go up. CSU Board of Trustees approved a 10 percent increase in tuition for Fall 2011, addressing the $500 million… Read more

Borrowing from the Monopoly theme, the CSUNopoly Matador Dollar Day was organized to help students become financially literate. The event held Wednesday was organized with seven stations, each focusing on a specific financial topic catering to students. Some stations addressed topics like financial aid, FAFSA, scholarships, and budgeting for graduation. The event, held in Plaza del Sol, used food and games to draw students. One of those students was sophomore Chrishaun Bradford, who said she wanted to learn where she… Read more

The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA conducted a conference call Tuesday morning to discuss their recently issued report that examines the impact that state budget cuts have had on our student body. Patricia Gándara and Gary Orfield surveyed more than 2,000 students at CSUN in Fall 2010. They chose CSUN because it is one of the largest universities in the CSU system and it demographically mirrors the student body of the CSU system. “Cal State Northridge has the highest… Read more

Despite a cut to the federal work-study program’s budget, there are more CSUN students in the program this year than there were last year. There are currently 545 students in the work-study program, compared to 510 at the same time last year, said Josefina Carbajal, CSUN Work-Study manager.  But there was a decrease in federal work-study funding by about $200,000. Still, the university tries to accommodate as many students as possible. “The campus over-allocates the work-study funds, because there are… Read more

Approximately 62 to 65 percent of the CSUN student population are only able attend the university through various forms of financial aid. Currently, close to 23,000 students have been awarded with financial aid this semester, said Lili Vidal, director of the financial aid and scholarship department at CSUN. “As the fees get higher and the economy gets worse, more students who were barely able to make it on what they could do at their jobs, they are slipping over the… Read more

Tania Cabeza estimates she waited an average of 40 minutes every time she called to speak to a counselor in the CSUN Financial Aid and Scholarship Department in the weeks before beginning the Fall 2010 semester. The 34-year-old doctoral student in educational leadership said in addition to the long waiting times, she was unable to resolve her financial aid concerns even when she finally got through. “I kept getting conflicting answers with every person I talked to,” Cabeza said. In… Read more

The University Cash Services launched eRefund allowing students to have their financial aid balance directly deposited into their bank accounts. University Controller Robert Barker said signing up for eRefund is an easy process. “Electronic delivery of financial aid and other student disbursements has been on our project list for over three years,” Barker said. “It has been requested by students also so they get their money more quickly and safely.” The entire process is done through the portal under students’ personal… Read more

CSUN President Jolene Koester has approved a change in a financial policy that will prevent students with more than 150 attempted units from receiving financial aid in the fall semester. In an e-mail sent to students last month, Dr. Terry Piper, vice president for Student Affairs said that beginning in the 2010-11 academic year, the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy will not allow undergraduate students to receive financial aid if they have yet to graduate and attempted 150 units. Post-baccalaureate students… Read more

Walking across campus on Tuesday, students were crowding around the sorority and fraternity tables. Diligent efforts to raise money and get students to join their organizations were in full swing while people laughed and conversed with a sense of joy. Something was missing. Concern.  To my dismay there wasn’t any concern about what is happening to our education and around the world. I mean do the students of CSUN really care? Some faculty members and students reacted with anger over… Read more