LETTER: AUA Financial Aid Crisis – Update

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To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing again as a voice for the countless American University of Antigua (AUA) students who are at their breaking point. Our situation, already dire, has taken an even worse turn this semester, and it seems that no one in administration—especially those in New York—cares about the hardships we’re enduring.

We are almost two months into the semester, and many of us still haven’t received the financial aid we desperately need.

The school is trying to claim that the delay is due to issues with implementing a new computer system tied to the US Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), but we’ve heard this story before.

The excuses never seem to end, and frankly, we don’t believe them anymore. This isn’t the first time we’ve had issues with receiving our funds on time, and at this point, it feels like a deliberate effort to ignore our concerns.

Basic necessities—food, electricity, rent—are becoming harder to afford, yet when we asked for more money which we are entitled to, to cover our living expenses, we were flat-out denied by AUA’s president.

He told us that the $3,000 we get as an advance should be enough to last us two months and that we need to “learn how to budget better.” Can you imagine being told that while you’re struggling to make ends meet?

We are not looking for a handout, this is money we pay in taxes to the US government, which is to be used for our medical education.

For many of us, just rent, utilities, and groceries easily surpass $2,000 a month. I’m personally paying around $600 a month for groceries, and I’m not splurging. That $3,000 advance they’re giving us doesn’t even cover two months’ worth of living expenses. How are we supposed to focus on our education when we’re constantly stressed about whether we’ll have enough to eat or pay rent?

And the administration’s solution? They told our student government, ESGA, that they need to hold a meeting to teach us how to budget. The nerve of it! We are doing everything we can just to survive out here, and instead of addressing the real issue—the fact that we’re not receiving enough financial support—they’re telling us to learn how to budget better. How out of touch can they be?

Long story short: we are struggling. And the administration doesn’t care. They’re watching us sink and refusing to throw us a lifeline. The disconnect between the students here in Antigua and the administration in New York is alarming.

They’re treating this like it’s just another bureaucratic hiccup, but for us, this is our lives. We didn’t come here to be left in financial ruin; we came to pursue our dreams of becoming doctors. But those dreams are becoming harder and harder to hold onto.

Sincerely,

Year 2 AUA Student

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Please write to the Federal Government concerning this matter… They might be some red tape involve but they will get to the reason why the bursar’s office is not doing its due diligence and why its taking so long to process to take care of this matter especially for a returning student..,

  2. Consider ACSOM in Dominica, rent in Portsmouth is the cheapest in the Caribbean plus you get American and Canadian Accreditation.

  3. No mention of the new rules of the US department of education and how it affects Title 4. You should blame the US for changing policy to dissuade Caribbean medical students. These issues don’t only exist at AUA.

  4. @Ricardo Mendez but what about when they leave Dominica. That school hasn’t graduated any students yet.

  5. I agree students are being ripped off here. The school is on watch by the US DOE for financial mismanagement. Into the bargain, they have recently fired many faculty and refused to pay them their entitlements. This scandal goes much deeper than it appears. Students and faculty should join to shut down the school until they are paid their rightful entitlements. To add insult to injury, they are paying huge bonuses to a few ass lickers while all the time crying poor. It is not students who need to learn how to budget, it is the Administration. all students should refuse to pay anymore fees until they receive what they are due and this whole issue need to be publicized in more detail. the Antiguan public has a right to know that one of the largest employers on the island is not only refusing to support students but is engaged in wage theft from their employees

  6. It’s insane I regret coming here to study I am convinced the locals here especially the main grocery called Epicurean see us as cash cows that they can just milk for money. I would not advise anyone to try and live here as a student. Nothing is affordable and the standard of living is extremely low for the money we are spending. My rent is 800 usd for a room out of a really basic house hardly any furniture. I expect this in places like LA or NYC but it’s crazy here. We can’t afford living here and AUA still won’t listen. The prices in Epicurean go up every week, I wanted to buy blueberries this week but couldn’t because it’s 44.95 for a small 8oz pack, I normally buy blueberries because the strawberries here are beyond expensive had to skip it this week along with many other things. I can literally only afford to buy $12 pizza from these pizza men around the island because to go the grocery is to much. Not to mention the cost to rent a simple basic vehicle, and house is even more insane. If I had known this I would have gone to Grenada to pursue my education because it is so hard to just survive here. To any potential students out there avoid this island, avoid AUA unless your parents are billionaires.

  7. I’ll ask this question. If it’s that affordable in the US why not stay there and attend medical school there? Please stop blaming AUA for what seems to be an issue with price control and a failing economy, which seems to be separating us into the poor and the rich and no in between. Its not only international students who are having a hard time making ends meet.

  8. @Be honest as to why you are here. You do not appear to understand. Students blame AUA because they were promised money from the US government. The US government has given this money to AUA as a “trusted school,” but AUA is withholding their money causing the students to have problems. The poor and rich are both eligible for this financial help in the USA.

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