<p>Can someone explain to me how Columbia handles scholarships? I know that they go towards work-study before going to the grant. If the scholarship is subtracted from the work-study, do we still get paid the same amount from the work-study (since we get paid in cash for books and other expenses)? </p>
<p>thanks</p>
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<p>No, it means you have less work study and therefore can earn less.</p>
<p>You don’t get paid in cash from Columbia. Usually around November (for fall) or March (for spring) you will have the option to have any balance on your account either direct deposited into a checking account or to go pick up a check (DD is much much easier).</p>
<p>Assuming you have some balance on your account for books and whatnot, don’t expect to be able to get to that money until pretty late in the semester.</p>
<p>So if a FWS position pays at a certain rate, and you do a certain amount of work, only a part of that goes towards FWS and the rest go towards your bank account?</p>
<p>And how does buying books with scholarships actually work? Do you pay yourself and then get a check later?</p>
<p>yea i have a similar question abt work-study exemption through the scholars program. is the money in our account to buy books and stuff? can we also use it for living expenses? this and the whole student contribution is so confusing to me.</p>
<p>skraylor: correct me if i’m not understanding this correctly. the scholarship money gets deposited into our account and then we can withdraw that money into a check/checking account at a specific time in the year?</p>
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<p>Sure this is right? If so, when did they change it? I’m a bit surprised this would even comport w/ the labor laws.</p>
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<p>You don’t understand FWS. FWS is a part of your financial aid package. If the all of the charges to your columbia account amount to less than the sum of your grants+scholarships+etc then you get to pocket all of the FWS money you are allowed to make. </p>
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<p>Lets say you have 50,000$ in grants/scholarships/etc and 500$ in FWS. Lets assume tuition and room/board cost 50,000$ so you have this extra 500$ you need to earn to cover books/etc. That money, as long as tuition and room/board are paid already, is yours to spend how you please. You don’t need to go show recites to anyone or anything like that.</p>
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<p>No. Your scholarship money goes to Columbia (well, most scholarships send checks to the schools at least) and they have an account for you. If the balance in your account, after all the charges (again, tuition, room/board, student life, insurance, etc) are paid, is positive then you can get a refund check and you can do with it as you please. </p>
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<p>I’m only speaking off my own experience. Every semester I’ve had a positive balance in my columbia account and it’s right around then that you can get the money deposited.</p>
<p>skraylor: so let’s say columbia has given me 45k in grants. so i’m left with 8k to pay and 3k in FWS. now i have a 1k scholarship. so do i only have to pay 7k and then do the 3k FWS? How does the money get subtracted from the FWS?</p>
<p>thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>xruan, from what I was able to understand. Given the situation that you have to pay 8k and have 3k in work study, you would need to pay 11k before you can deposit and withdraw money from your scholarships.</p>
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<p>I’m 95% sure this is correct. You should call Fin.Aid to check but I think you got it.</p>
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<p>I’m 100% sure this is incorrect.</p>
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<p>refunds?? i always thought that if there was extra scholarship money left over that it they would just reduce your grants. no??</p>
<p>so guys, work out my situation.
(i dont remember the exact numbers but these are estimates)</p>
<p>tuition 32000
room and board 10000
books/other 2000
total cost of attendance = 54000</p>
<p>grant: 45000
parental contribution 7000
student contribution 2000
work study= zero. (F-u-c-k u kluge scholar program)</p>
<p>so my family has to give columbia 9000 in total. OK but how does the “books/other” section factor in? I don’t understand… because they take my 9000 and then none of the grant ever goes to my hands… so how do i have $$ for books?</p>
<p>thanks so much skraylor! i will contact finaid office. :)</p>
<p>“If you are receiving an award from an external source, the amount of that award may not appear on your first Student Account Statement for the term, but you may deduct it from the amount due.”</p>
<p>from Columbia’s undergrad finaid website</p>
<p>“If you are receiving an award from an external source, the amount of that award may not appear on your first Student Account Statement for the term, but you may deduct it from the amount due.”</p>
<p>i don’t understand what this means</p>
<p>hcvops, be grateful for the Kluge Scholar Award… You don’t have to work, unless you want to. With or without it, your total student + family contribution would still be 9000.</p>