Editorial Board

Since the beginning of the fall 2025 semester, several students at La Salle have voiced concerns about how their financial aid packages have been poorly handled–specifically regarding the treatment of scholarships. According to the students affected, allegedly, some scholarships awarded from department donors or La Salle affiliated scholarships with external donors are being substituted for existing aid rather than added on top of it. This non-stacking practice results in students stating that they are not receiving the full financial benefit that they have expected.

While the university’s financial aid policies are designed to comply with federal and institutional guidelines, students are asking for more transparency and clearer communication. Students express that they are not often able to get a speedy explanation from financial aid office personnel, and/or come to find a solution to solve the issues outlined on their tuition bill. Some have expressed confusion over why merit-based awards are offsetting need-based aid, especially when both were earned independently.

In a conversation with Greg Nayor, La Salle’s Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing, Nayor clarified what it means when a scholarship is stacked or swapped. Nayor stated, “Scholarships are applied to a student’s overall financial package by either adding it on top (“stacking”) of all applied financial aid (federal and state, institutional, outside scholarships, etc), or where appropriate, replacing previously awarded institutional financial aid (“swapping”) with an endowed scholarship. It is important to note that students cannot receive more financial aid than the overall cost of attendance.”

Students who received scholarships at the end of the spring 2025 semester have been particularly affected by this issue. It has affected students across different departments, including accounting, athletics and political science. Specifically, political science recipients of the Robert J. Courtney, Ph.D., ’41 Scholarship and Byrne Scholarship have dealt with this issue firsthand.

The Courtney Scholarship, according to an article on La Salle’s website, states, “The endowed scholarship is in honor of long-time professor Robert J. Courtney, Ph.D., ’41, and goes to political science students who have shown academic excellence, dedication to public service, and demonstrated unmet financial need.”

Past recipients, per the political science department, who have received this scholarship have had it stacked on top of their other merit-based scholarships. Recipients as of last year, including the subject of the above article, Lindsay Wagner ’25, have had their scholarships stacked. As of this year, students are no longer receiving this scholarship stacked. Instead, it is getting swapped for their other merit-based scholarships, essentially not giving any additional aid to the students–even those who still have a sum of money owed for tuition each semester.

Senior Allie Ringsdorf is one student who received the Courtney Scholarship for this academic year and has dealt with the repercussions of these changes without prior notice.

“I received my fall billing statement over the summer, and I noticed that I owed more for the fall semester than I did in the Spring,” explained Ringsdorf. “I had grown to expect tuition hikes or additional fees each semester, but I received a scholarship a few months prior. So why did my situation get worse? The previous aid that I received was reduced and the Courtney Scholarship filled the hole, making my total aid package the same amount of money. When I received the scholarship in the spring, I was given the impression that I would be receiving additional aid of up to $4,000 over the next academic year. I did not feel the financial relief that I was anticipating for the last few months. My elation quickly turned to confusion and helplessness. I reached out to friends, fellow recipients, faculty, and financial aid for answers, but I received competing responses as to why I was not receiving additional aid. After what felt like a tornado ripping through my mind, I felt helpless as my situation remained unchanged.”

Similar to Ringsdorf, students across campus have expressed frustration over the lack of clarity and consistency in how scholarship and financial aid policies have been applied this term, given that they hadn’t received a formal announcement regarding scholarship changes or eligibility to receive them.

Another student wishing to remain anonymous added, “It feels like we’re being penalized for earning scholarships. That’s not how it should work.”

Additionally, students receiving the Byrne Scholarship have been dealing with the same issue. As per another article about a past recipient on La Salle’s website, “The Byrne Scholarship recognizes an outstanding junior and/or rising senior political science major who emphasizes the study of United States Government and politics while exemplifying their commitment to their academic achievement and learning.”

Like the Courtney Scholarship, past recipients from last year including Intizorhon Fataeva ’24 and students before Fataeva have received the Byrne Scholarship stacked atop their other merit scholarships. Students are wondering why this change occurred, when it was enacted, and why there have been no formal announcements made to both them and their department heads.

General billing confusion has only added to the frustration. Several students have reported receiving statements throughout their time at La Salle that do not reflect their expected aid, leading to panic and last-minute calls to the financial aid office.

When asked about the frequency of billing errors, Nayor stated, “Actual billing errors are actually far less common than one would think. In fact, I would say it is relatively rare for billing errors to occur, so much so that, I cannot quantify it.”

However, many students still face issues with their billing statements and forms. “Financial aid has messed up my bill since I started freshman year, and now I’m a senior,” criminal justice major Patrick Malloy said. “They add more stress than my classes to my life.”

“Financial aid messed up my 1098 tax form, so I went to the office, and they told me that they didn’t know what to do because the person in charge of the 1098 tax form permanently left,” said senior Koh McGinn. “Then they told me to call the federal government or ask my accountant to see if they can fix it even though it was financial aid’s fault, and they never fixed it to this day.”

In fairness, the financial aid office has complex tasks: balancing limited resources, following regulatory requirements and tending to individual student needs. It would make sense that some of these billing errors may have to do with the fact that a bill may be correct at the time it is issued, yet wrong at the time it is viewed by the student due to external circumstances (promissory note left unsigned, unaccepted loans, not registered full-time, etc).

Nayor emphasized that improving the student experience remains a top priority, and there have been actions taken to improve the financial aid office operations, as he has only been working in this role at La Salle for two years.

“Since I have arrived, a focus on the vast improvement of the overall experience for students and families has been my primary responsibility with financial aid and student accounts,” Nayor said. “We merged the areas to create a Student Financial Services shop, with the idea of having everything in one place. We hired 2 frontline customer service professionals, implemented a new ticketing system, added bilingual (Spanish) financial aid counselors, and more. We still have work to do on providing a better service for students and will continue to get better and better each year.”

VP of La Salle’s Student Government Association Jya Marshall responded to the situation with a broader call to action. “It’s essential that we, as student leaders, continue to advocate for the needs and expectations of our peers. The financial aid process is incredibly complex, as each student’s package must be carefully tailored to their unique circumstances. Because of this, transparency, openness, and accuracy are crucial, especially given the financial burdens higher education can place on students and their families. Students who excel academically should receive the complete benefits of the scholarships, endowments, or funds they’ve rightfully earned, in addition to what has already been credited to them in accordance with each scholarship’s provisions. Upholding La Salle’s founding principles ensures that all students can experience the transformative, Lasallian education that prepares them to lead purposeful and meaningful lives, and of course, being known for more.”

Students seeking support with their financial aid or billing concerns should turn to La Salle’s Student Financial Services office, located in the lower level of the Lawrence Administration Building. As stated previously, the office has recently undergone improvements to streamline assistance.

For help, students can email studentfinancialservices@lasalle.edu, call 215-951-1070, or submit a request through the online portal, Starfish. These resources aim to provide clarity and timely assistance for questions about scholarships, aid packages and tuition statements. As the university continues refining its processes, students are encouraged to advocate for transparency and reach out when issues arise. Ensuring access to accurate information and equitable aid is essential to upholding La Salle’s mission of providing a transformative, Lasallian education.