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Grant amounts for SHEFA online scholars slashed
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Posted on Feb 28 2012
By Moneth Deposa
Reporter
Reporter
Online scholars of the Saipan Higher Education Financial Assistance will see a large cut in their financial awards after the board reclassified online students into on-island ones who must receive lower amounts compared to off-island recipients.
According to SHEFA administrator Henry Hofschneider, this cut will take effect starting fall 2012 semester.
Online scholars are usually given the following financial awards: grant-in-aid, $800 per semester; $1,000 each for field of study and incentive programs.
For off-island online students, SHEFA provides $1,200 for grant-in-aid recipients; $1,000 for field of study; and $1,500 for incentive recipients.
Starting next semester, the award for on-island online recipients will be applied to all online applicants.
Hofschneider said the reduction will bring substantial savings to SHEFA.
“The revision was a necessity out of consideration of an applicant’s real purpose of relocating from Saipan. It is difficult to accept that anyone would relocate for the real purpose to enroll at an online college or university,” he told Saipan Tribune yesterday.
He said the board will amend its rules and regulations to include this policy change.
Saipan Tribune learned that pursuant to the policy of SHEFA, financial awards are provided to eligible students who physically attend classes on campus. Despite this, previous SHEFA boards approved expanding the program to online students and gave the same amounts issued to off-island and on-island scholars.
SHEFA has an average of more than 30 online students per semester.
Because of the uncertainty of the government’s finances, Hofschneider said that grants awarded to online scholars may be terminated or suspended if the board deems it necessary.
