OCOM’s Director of Admissions, Anna Grace, recently spoke with incoming master’s student, Tameka Lim-Velasco, about her experiences navigating the Federal Financial Aid process.

OCOM: When did you apply for Federal Financial Aid (FFA) in 2016?
Tameka Lim-Velasco: April or May, as I was waiting for my husband’s green card.

If you could have applied a year earlier, would you have?
Yes, why not?

What benefits do you see this year for students being able to apply October 1?
FFA would be done and out of the way. One would have extra time to figure out other forms of financial support such as scholarships.

Did you use our website as a resource?
Yes, ocom.edu was very user-friendly. There are clear links and information that explain all available options. In fact, I found a link that took me right to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)[link to https://fafsa.ed.gov/] website. Very helpful!

How helpful was the Admissions Seminar you attended?
Hearing the information in-person at the Admissions Seminar was most helpful! Judy (Gjesdal, Director of Financial Aid) talked about FAFSA and pretty much gave me all the information I needed.

Was the FAFSA difficult to complete?
FAFSA is very easy to do. The requirements are simple, not complicated!

Did you know you could be accepted to the college before doing the FAFSA?
Yes. You don’t have to wait to begin your application for admission.

How quickly did you receive responses when asking questions to the Financial Aid or Admissions departments?
Very fast! Judy always e-mailed me within a day.

Tell me about your overall experience with OCOM’s Financial Aid department?
Really flexible! They did a great job in letting us know we have options. Judy is excellent at making the process less scary.

Learn more about starting your OCOM education by contacting our Admissions team.