More Iowa college students are requesting financial aid according to a new study by the state’s three public universities. The financial aid study shows an almost 66% increase in one year of the number of families who can’t help kids pay for college.
That leaves 2,000 of the state’s public college students without their any financial support from relatives. Roberta Johnson , the Financial Aid Director for Iowa State University, says they’re trying to pinpoint the cause of the increase. “We were examining exactly what caused the increase and certainly we know the economic conditions of the nation and the state led to more families with reduced incomes and lost incomes,” Johnson said.
A family can claim zero financial contribution to a student if they make less than $30,000 a year. Johnson says that limit used to be $20,000 a year but was increased last year.