Santa Fe College has yet to disburse more than one-third of its financial aid for the Spring semester, leaving some students in economic limbo and others still waiting on their aid from last Fall.
As of Feb. 18, SFC still hasn’t released 42% of its financial aid for the Spring semester and 3% of its financial aid for the Fall semester, according to college spokesperson Lisa Brosky.
Brosky wrote in an email that SFC began releasing the Spring semester aid to students in early February, although the college’s website originally slated disbursals to begin during the last week of January.
“We also want to assure them [students] the College is working diligently to ensure aid is disbursed as quickly as possible,” Brosky wrote.
The delay follows similar issues from the Fall semester, during which the college cited system changes and complications with the Free Application for Federal Aid as reasons for the holdup.
While federal and state aid has already been disbursed to the college, it remains SFC’s responsibility to distribute those funds to students. According to an automated email response from the college’s financial aid office, the most recent delay stems from unspecified “government regulatory changes” and new financial aid software.
Lily Fahy, a 20-year-old SFC zoology freshman, said she relies on federal Pell grant disbursements to pay tuition. But after receiving her refund two months late last semester, she struggled paying for gas to commute from home in Ocala.
Now, Fahy said she’s experiencing the same nightmare all over again, this time with her father’s recent cancer diagnosis adding a major financial strain on her family.
With chemotherapy and medical bills mounting, she’d been counting on her $3,000 refund to help cover school expenses. Because Fahy commutes from Ocala, the delay has forced her to miss classes in recent weeks. She can’t afford to fill her gas tank or buy textbooks, and her GPA has suffered because of attendance policies.
“I have 59 cents in my bank account,” she said. “I can’t really do anything.”
After reaching out to the cashier office, Fahy was told she’d receive her aid last week, but she has yet to see the funds. The office said a technology issue caused the delay — the same explanation it gave her last semester.
She also knows students who have either dropped out of Sante Fe, or are planning to transfer because of financial aid issues.
Matthew Meyer, a 19-year-old SFC digital media technology freshman, said he didn’t receive last semester’s round of Florida Prepaid and Bright Futures disbursals until November, even though he was scheduled to receive it in August. He hasn’t received his aid for this semester yet either, but said he was fortunate enough to pay tuition out of pocket.
When he visited the cashier office on Feb. 3 to pay, he said he didn't get a word out before the person at the window said disbursements would be made soon, assuming he was there to inquire about his aid. Over a month later, Meyer’s still waiting on his aid.
“They don’t want to deal with you,” he said. “The staff is just rude.”
He described the college’s communication as “robotic” and inconsistent, with some staffers blaming technology glitches and others insisting aid will appear in the portal shortly.
On campus, he’s observed escalating tensions and frustrations among students who haven’t received their financial aid or clear communication from college officials.
“Santa Fe is just dragging everybody else down,” Meyer said. “There’s just a lot of anger building.”
Brosky, the SFC spokesperson, wrote the college is aware of students’ concerns and is working to disburse aid as soon as possible. She said she anticipates giving an update the week of Feb. 24.
Contact Shaine Davison at sdavison@alligator.org. Follow her on X @shainedavison.
Shaine Davison is a second-year journalism major and the university graduate school and Santa Fe reporter. Outside of classes, she enjoys spending time with friends and studying at coffee shops.
