The number of students getting financial aid at College of the Canyons has nearly doubled in two years as more people try to relaunch their careers in a down economy, officials said this week.

“What’s driving a lot of the need is the economy and unemployment,” said Tom Bilbruck, COC’s director of financial aid.
“We have students coming back who are trying to start over in a new career.”

A strong demand
During the 2007-08 school year, College of the Canyons’ financial aid office helped 4,457 students get the money they needed to pay for school.

The next year, the number nearly doubled to 8,394 students.

And already in the second week of the fall semester, the financial aid office has served 7,851 students as enrollment for Santa Clarita Valley’s only community college hits 22,000.

Along with COC’s population of high school graduates and students who have been shut out from the state’s four-year universities, the community college has watched the number of older adults steadily increase in recent years.

The adults, many who have families, have lost jobs or are looking to learn new skills to get better paying jobs, Bilbruck said.

Pair that with the increasing costs students are facing with textbooks, housing and enrollment fees.

“The costs of going to school are as high as ever,” Bilbruck said.

And the state and federal government have kept the money flowing to students.

During the 2008-09 school year, COC’s financial aid office doled out $5.4 million to students. The following year, the amount spiked to $9.4 million, Bilbruck said.

“A lot of students wouldn’t be able to come if they didn’t have financial assistance,” Bilbruck said.

Keeping up
Even the financial aid office on the Valencia campus has gone through updates to keep up with student demand.

The office has been expanded, and officials hope to add an eight-computer station soon for students to fill out their online financial aid forms. The office expanded its hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The office is closed Fridays to give the 14-member staff a chance to catch up on paperwork.

“We are doing our absolute best to serve students,” Bilbruck said.

Across the Santa Clarita Valley, the college’s satellite Canyon Country campus has students lining up for financial aid advice.

“We’ve been discovered,” said Theresa Smith, COC’s student services specialist.

Qualifying students can get up to $10,500 in loans each academic year with another $5,550 in grant money, she said.
“It’s amazing how much they’re getting at this level in their education,” she said.

What’s the money like?
Students mainly rely on federal and state grants and loans to pay for their education. The number of scholarships are also on the rise, he said. Students in financial need can also try for the board of governors fee waiver, which eliminates enrollment fees for students.

Money can be used for everything from books and supplies to transportation and housing.

Bilbruck advises students to apply for financial aid even if they aren’t sure they qualify.

And because of increased demand, Bilbruck said students should apply early so that they can get their money as soon as possible. The average turnaround for financial aid awards is about six to eight weeks, he said.

At the Valencia campus, students filtered through the Valencia campus’s financial aid office in the hopes of securing their funding.

“It makes it possible for me to get books and supplies,” said 24-year-old Michael Eisman, who commutes to COC from downtown Los Angeles to study marketing.

Stevenson Ranch resident Meagan Furr started her first year at COC less than a month ago. The 17-year-old needs help paying for her books, so she ended up at the financial aid office in the hopes of getting extra dollars to pay for school.

“I really need it,” Furr said.