Financial Aid

Headshots of Silvia Hanks (left) and Jodi Wagner (right)

Counselors at Student Financial Services help find success, not stress

As grant-based aid packages—bolstered by named scholarships—have helped Penn welcome more students who come from lower-income households, Student Financial Services (SFS) has ramped up its ability to assist their academic journeys, especially during the pandemic when students needed more support than ever. That includes having two counselors—Silvia Hanks and Jodi Wagner—who specialize in serving highly aided students at Penn.

Penn Today Staff ・

Two students walk beneath flowering cherry trees on a sunny spring day on College Green

‘Opening doors’ to a Penn education

A virtual celebration showcased the Undergraduate Named Scholarship Program and its importance, especially in strengthening the vibrant, diverse community that exists on the University’s campus.

Lauren Hertzler ・



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ammott@upenn.edu

In the News


Philadelphia Inquirer

Penn to expand its full-tuition scholarship aid to families with a higher income threshold

Penn’s Quaker Commitment will expand full-tuition scholarships and will no longer consider the primary family home as an asset in its calculation for institutional aid. Interim President J. Larry Jameson and director of financial aid Elaine Papas Varas offer remarks.

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Bloomberg

Ivy League’s Penn shakes up aid formula by excluding home equity

To increase affordability, Penn will stop including a family’s equity in their primary home when determining a student’s financial aid eligibility.

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Times Higher Education

FAFSA: Short-term pain on enrollments, but hope of long-term gain

Laura Perna of the Graduate School of Education says that last year’s FAFSA delays caused confusion and challenges that have had effects on this year’s enrollment intake.

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Marketplace (NPR)

Biden administration tries again to relieve student debt

Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that federal judges could still strike down President Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan on grounds that the White House is acting outside its authority.

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Business Insider

A boomer with $50,000 in student loans voted for Trump in the last election. But with Biden’s new repayment plan blocked, she’s considering supporting a Democratic ticket

An estimate from the Wharton School found that the SAVE plan for student loan repayment could cost $475 billion over 10 years.

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Economic Times

Brands like Burger King and Coke use scholarships to capture Gen Z’s attention

Cait Lamberton of the Wharton School says that consumers increasingly expect corporations to pick up pieces of the student debt crisis where other social services are failing.

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