<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0swHK8_1H1U7cvl00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0swHK8_1H1U7cvl00" width="1200" height="800" ><figcaption>Photo courtesy of CWU.</figcaption></figure>Several changes to how student fees and financial aid are handled have caused students confusion on their tuition, and complications with financial aid. Students often rely on financial aid and private loans for tuition, fees and housing, as well as food. Annika Brimhall, a fifth year student, said they were affected by the changes, stating, “I have less ability to fund not just my schooling but for materials and equipment needed for my classes.” Students raised concerns about how they were notified of these changes, with many stating they didn’t even know they were in effect. “I have not been informed about any fees, the communication has been minimal, practically nonexistent,” Brimhall said.One of the major changes this year was the implementation of a new program for purchasing textbooks called the Course Materials Access Program (CAP) program, which was put into effect after it won the student vote in the 2025-2026 ASCWU elections.Through the CAP program, students are charged a flat fee every quarter that guarantees access to all their textbooks for the quarter, whether or not they were assigned any. Following the implementation, many students stated that they were unaware that they had to manually opt-out of the fee if they would rather buy their own textbooks. “The automatic enrollment into the book payment system this year was annoying and a little stressful to realize I had to opt out … since my textbooks are never that expensive,” Ryan Afruma, a third year student, said. Students stated that a key issue they had with the new system is that they may still be initially charged the CAP fee, even if they opted out, and then refunded the fee the following quarter. Because of this, some students said they had to find the funds to pay the initial fee, even if they didn’t want to take part in the program. Brimhall mentioned that she chose CWU for its affordability, and changes like these threaten her ability to continue her education. “All this has done is make it even harder to sustain in an already expensive school, which wasn’t what was advertised when I first applied,” Brimhall said. “I sought an education here because it was a ‘cheaper’ university, but lately it’s been increasingly difficult to pay for anything.” On CWU’s “Cost of Attendance” webpage, there are currently twelve separate fees listed, totalling $798.62. As of the time of this article’s publication, there was no easily accessible mention of the book fee, or the CAP program, on this page. In order to access information about the CAP program, students have to navigate to the CWU Wildcat Shop Page. Because of the way the CAP payments are processed, current students who receive full “tuition and textbook” scholarships and grants may experience unexpected remaining fees, even after the scholarship money is applied.“Low income students deserve an education too, and I find that this institution has done little to support or improve their systems for these students,” Brimhall said.</div></body>

Block Source: cwuobserver.com

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Several changes to how student fees and financial aid are handled have caused students confusion on their tuition, and complications with financial aid. Students often rely on financial aid and private loans for tuition, fees and housing, as well as food. Annika Brimhall, a fifth year student, said they were...

Students struggle to navigate changes in Student Fees and Financial Aid

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Several changes to how student fees and financial aid are handled have caused students confusion on their tuition, and complications with financial aid. St

Students struggle to navigate changes in Student Fees and Financial Aid

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