Bryn Mawr College

Helping with Money Matters Help with Money Matters

Whether a student receives financial aid or not, chances are that financial issues may sometimes be a source of stress for her or her family. There are many common sources of stress related to money:

 

•  Concern about how much a Bryn Mawr education is costing parents and family

•  Anxiety over loans and debt

•  Worry about finding a good job after graduation

•  Living in a community with people from radically different income levels and radically different amounts of expendable income

•  Managing day-to-day expenses

•  Managing academic expenses (books and supplies)

•  Responding to an unforeseen expense

•  Finding and keeping a job while a student

•  Balancing coursework and a job (on-campus work study or off-campus)

•  Feeling that financial aid award is inadequate

•  Worry about ability to continue at Bryn Mawr

 

Like any kinds of stress, financial worries can impact a student's ability to concentrate on her academic work or to feel at ease and at home in the Bryn Mawr community. If either of these is happening, you should let your dean know. He or she may be able to offer concrete advice about what steps you can take to address your situation. In some cases, your dean can let your professors know that there is a significant source of stress in your life. In other cases, all your dean can really do is listen and offer emotional support.

 

Students should realize that their deans do not have direct access to any financial information submitted to the College. All financial aid records are maintained in the Financial Aid Office; all billing records are maintained in the Comptroller's Office. If you need to discuss financial aid concerns in detail, you should make an appointment to speak to someone in the Financial Aid Office. If you and your family are having a hard time making payments to the College, you may also want to speak to the Student Bursar in the Comptroller's Office regarding payment plans.

 

There are a few specific resources students should know about:

Student Employment Office

 

Reimbursement for commuting-related expenses for Courses at Penn  All students living on campus (at Bryn Mawr or at Haverford) are eligible for reimbursement towards travel expenses for classes taken at Penn. After the end of the third week of classes, the Financial Aid Office will send all students enrolled in Penn courses a copy of the University of Pennsylvania Travel Grant Application . The student must complete and return the application to the Financial Aid Office.

 

Once the application is received, the Financial Aid Office determines the amount of the travel grant based upon the number of required trips to Philadelphia and whether or not the student is a financial aid recipient. In compliance with University policy, students who are not financial aid recipients receive less. Awards reflect costs of travel on the Norristown High Speed Line (the 100), unless it is necessary to travel after 5:00pm during the Fall and Winter or after 6:00pm in the Spring.  If students travel during these later hours, eligible students will be reimbursed at the rate of the regional rail.  Checks are mailed by the Controller's Office.

Questions about UPenn travel awards should be referred to Felicia Rivera, Senior Assistant Director of Financial Aid.

 

Buying books Buying books at the beginning of each semester can be a major expense. For students who would otherwise be unable to buy required textbooks, there are a couple of options offered through the Controller's Office. The Comptroller's Office can arrange for a credit of not more than $500 at the Bookshop for a specific amount, credited to a student's One Card. The student's account is then debited the equivalent amount. This arrangement can be made in either of two situations: when a student is expecting a loan to come in, or when she will be working on campus. In the former case, once the loan comes in, the debit on the account is paid off with funds from the loan. In the latter case, a student must sign a payroll deduction form authorizing a specific amount to be deducted each pay period from her paycheck until the debt is paid off.

 

Emergency loans In the case of a serious emergency (for example, you cannot afford a ticket home to attend the funeral of a very close family member), please consult your dean. It may in very limited circumstances be possible to arrange for an emergency loan.