University of Nebraska to assist students affected by severe weather

The University of Nebraska announced today that it will take steps to assist Nebraska students and families who are from areas of the state that have been declared federal disaster areas as a result of recent severe weather.

The financial aid offices of all four campuses have committed to the following:

• Waiving some required documentation that supplements students’ financial aid applications if those documents were lost or destroyed or are not easily recoverable because of severe weather events.

• Reviewing possible adjustments to parents’ and/or students’ income used to determine eligibility for financial aid to reflect loss of income attributable to tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail or flooding this summer in Nebraska.

• Reviewing possible adjustments to family income measures used to determine eligibility for financial aid to reflect documented loss of real property of students or parents from areas declared as federal disaster areas who are uninsured or under-insured.

• Resident undergraduate students who qualify for the federal Pell Grant program and have experienced documentable loss of income or property as a result of severe summer weather will be considered eligible for the 2014-15 Collegebound Nebraska program, which promises free tuition for qualifying students at any of the four NU campuses.

Interim University of Nebraska President James Linder said: “The severe weather events in Nebraska have added a significant burden for some families who are preparing to send their children to college this fall. I commend the financial aid offices on all four campuses for coming together to quickly identify solutions to help minimize the impact that weather events have on our students’ ability to pursue their education.”

Students and families who have been affected by the recent storms are encouraged to call their campus financial aid office for more information:

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid: (402) 472-2030 or financialaid@unl.edu

• University of Nebraska at Omaha Office of Financial Support and Scholarships: (402) 554-2327 or unofinaid@unomaha.edu

• University of Nebraska at Kearney Office of Financial Aid: (308) 865-8520 or finaid1@unk.edu

• University of Nebraska Medical Center Financial Aid Office: (402) 559-4199 or studentservices@unmc.edu