Students waiting on financial aid

More than 2,000 Brigham Young University students are waiting for their financial aid to kick in. Students have been unable to pay for tuition, rent, books or purchasing groceries.

This semester, the school used a new software program to disburse financial aid, and the software delayed the process. Usually, financial aid is allotted students at the beginning of the semester.

The school’s Financial Aid Department is working with students and offering them short-term loans. The school has also pushed payment back to keep students from paying late fees on tuition.

Students will not pay any late fees until the end of October.

Business major Stephen Beacham, a senior, said he and his wife sit down before every semester and establish a financial plan for the semester.

“For example when my wife and I were doing our financial planning, we expected that to come in on time. So based off that, we did our financial planning and reach out to family. But we made it work,” Beacham said.

Another student, Bo Brusco, stopped by the Financial Aid Department Wednesday because he got an email that his financial aid was in.

“Well, it got me a little stressed out about how I’m going to pay tuition but the school’s been really corporative thus far. So they pushed back the due dates for tuition, and my complex manager, she’s been really patient about it too,” Brusco said.

Sophomore Shalea Loch said she was able to put her book payment on hold with the school’s bookstore.

“As far as my books, if you bought them from the bookstore they allowed you to put it on a tab until your financial aid comes in,” Loch said.