Students blame Higher One for confusion
October 2, 2012
When students are looking at the balance on their financial aid account, they might not care how the money is awarded, so long as it is. However, the Higher One card, the new financial aid distribution system, has been met with mixed reviews.
Megan Davidson, bursar, said, “We chose to go to Higher One because a lot of University System of Georgia (USG) schools use it. Students are under the impression that Higher One is to blame for delayed refunds.”
After the new attendance policy was implemented last year, the Registrar’s Office started receiving reports from faculty containing the names of students who had not been attending their classes.
These students were subsequently dropped from the class they were not attending, causing a need for financial aid to adjust their eligibility due to the fact that the Pell Grant and HOPE Scholarship are based on hours.
Once all adjustments are made, Davidson has 14 days to disperse funds; this semester GHC students had their money in six.
According to Davidson, the card has advantages over the antiquated paper checks, like an eco-friendly format and more security from theft. She said that many students had complained about their checks being stolen.
Sophomore Ross Rogers said, “I don’t really know why they would switch, because I don’t see how it’s any more convenient. It seems like it’s more about business than it is about convenience.”
Other students expressed confusion over the process of using the card and some were completely unaware of its existence.
The card does have some charges students should be aware of, like a 50 cent surcharge for debit transactions and a $2.50 fee for ATM withdrawals outside of the Higher One ATMs. Higher One ATMs are located on the Floyd and Cartersville campuses, but not on the other campuses.
Davidson explained that they are a cost to GHC, and offered Kennesaw State University’s ATMs as an alternative for Marietta students.
Davidson added, “We’re working through the bursar’s bulletin and emails to eliminate any confusion and heartache.”
Bridgette • Jan 17, 2013 at 4:54 pm
I had an opposite experience, I am a first time student and I felt the process of applying and receiving my grant was easy and not hard at all to navigate. Also the higher one card seems like a great idea. Learn to adapt to your circumstances in life.
Bekah • Dec 3, 2012 at 7:27 pm
I think this article is interresting. I do not use the Higher One card simply because I did not recieve any Grant that would make the card useful to me. If I had recieved one, I would definitely prefer the card over a piece of paper. Technology is very helpful to us so I would definitely take advantage of the card.
Bekah Davis • Dec 3, 2012 at 7:21 pm
I find this article to be very true. The Higher One card to me was not useful because I did not recieve any Grant that would be used for my education at GHC. But if I had recieved a Grant of some kind, I would much rather have a card to use than a piece of paper. Technology is very helpful to us so I would gladly take advantage of that.