By Daniel Johnson, Investigative Reporter
Students can go through the MyCNM website and access the financial aid page to locate the information needed to start the process of a loan, federal or state funded aid, or to qualify for work-study positions within the school, said Lee Carrillo, Senior Director of Financial Aid, Scholarships and Veteran Services.
All students need to fill out the FASFA form to qualify for financial aid, he said, but once the FASFA form is filed electronically it will be submitted and reviewed by the financial aid department.
And once reviewed a student will be informed of what they qualify for, he said.
“Almost anyone who comes into the school can qualify for loans, aid, or some form of work-study,” Carrillo said.
There are currently two different types of financial aid assistance, he said.
The first is need based he said, which allows a student that qualifies the opportunity to collect assistance from state and federal funds, as well as becoming work-study qualified.
The second is no need work-study, which means that a student that may not qualify for assistance but they could still qualify to work on campus as a student work-study, he said.
“Most no need work-studies can still receive loans as well as working for a paycheck,” he said.
Work-study allows students an opportunity to get a job at one of the seven CNM campuses, he said.
A work-study employee can work up to twenty hours a week and earn from $8.50 to $9.50 an hour, he said.
The rate of pay all depends on what the job duties are and what position a student would be in at the current job, he said.
“There are few jobs that pay $9.50 an hour but they do exist,” Carrillo said.
If a student is work-study qualified they will again need to access the MyCNM page to look for work-study jobs, he said.
Some paper work will need to be filled out in the financial aid office at main campus if a student is hired as work-study, he said.
If a student is under the age of 24, then they will need their parents tax information as well as their own, if they are over 24 and had a job in the past they will need their own tax information, he said.
“Most of the filing process can be done on-line but if a student ever has any questions they can feel free to visit us in the financial aid office with any questions they may have,” Carrillo said.
Everybody that comes to CNM has a financial advisor available to them he said and they are always willing to help students that need it as well.
At this point in the year it is essential that a student submits their paperwork as quick as possible to get qualified because as of right now it is late in the season, he said.
“If a student wants to get it going they should start now and come in to get on the right path to succeed,” Carillo, said.
For more information on what is offered to students via financial aid, go to cnm.edu/ depts/financial-aid or make an appointment with a financial aid advisor at 224-3090 .