A study released yesterday by the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform explores how different states decide whether to distribute financial aid to students with prior drug convictions.
The study found that states currently use three different systems to determine the eligibility of students for state financial aid. States either deny state-based resources to applicants who are ineligible for federal financial aid because of drug convictions, allow the individual school to decide or ignore the drug conviction question altogether.
A bill passed by Congress last week would change the current policy on the distribution of federal aid. The current policy bars students who were ever convicted of a drug-related offense from receiving federal aid. The new policy will only revoke aid from applicants convicted of such offenses while attending college and it will not take offenses committed before college into account.
In cases in which states use the U.S. Department of Education's Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine eligibility for state financial aid programs, states deny funding to some or all students with prior drug convictions, even though state legislatures have not voted to do so. According to the study, many state agencies and administrators are unaware that their reliance on the FAFSA form has resulted in the denial of state aid to persons who could otherwise be eligible.
The Commonwealth grants individual schools the ability to make their own decision regarding the granting of state financial aid to students with drug convictions, according to the report.
Director of Student Financial Services Yvonne Hubbard said the University follows the federal regulations, which require applicants to state whether they have ever been convicted of a drug-related offense. The University aligns its policies with federal ones because it is a public institution, Hubbard said.
"We have determined here that our institutional money will be processed in the same [manner as] our state and federal money, which is predicated on the FAFSA," Hubbard said.
Hubbard added that under the current policy, people with drug convictions lose state aid unless they undergo a rehabilitation program and report it to FAFSA.
Chris Mulligan, one of the creators of the study, said he believes restricting students with drug-related misdemeanors and first time offenses from receiving financial aid is too harsh a punishment.
"I think everyone is deserving of a second chance and education," Mulligan said.
According to the report, the study was created to determine "how states can clarify the situation so that students losing federal aid because of drug convictions can still receive state aid."
Mulligan said he believes federal financial aid should be available to all people who want to be in school, because, without it, students may be discouraged from pursuing further education opportunities.
Mulligan added that the bill passed by Congress will still prevent many students from receiving federal and state financial aid.
"It's a step in the right direction, but thousands will continue to lose financial aid," Mulligan said. "Congress needs to go back and look at the changes."
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