NIU students who receive financial aid might find themselves empty-handed next year.

Students who depend on financial aid from the Federal Higher Education Act Reauthorization (HEA)-Title Four, which was established in 1965, might come up short if they have guaranteed student loans, Perkins loans or Pell Grants.

It also will affect any student in a work-study program, as a student who wishes to claim an independent status, a student applying for a federal merit scholarship or a veteran in the outreach program.

Title Four of the Higher Education Act (HEA) “is the main vehicle for providing federal student assistance to low-income students,” according to a report by Maryln Lee McAdam, a staffer during the last reauthorization period in 1986.

If the act does get reauthorized, “everybody that receives financial aid from anywhere” probably will continue to get money, said David Starrett, Illinois Student Association executive director.

“All of us (at the ISA) are very interested and a bit worried about reauthorization,” Starrett said.

All of federal higher education programs, including financial aid, are part of the higher education act, Starrett said. If the higher education programs are not reauthorized, then the programs will not receive any money, he said.

The act should have been evaluated and changed in 1990, but there is talk in Congress of extending the present act for another year, Starrett said. The current act was established in 1986 and will expire next year.

“It’s possible it will happen this year, but there’s already discussion in Congress of extending the act a year,” he said. “It’s a sunset act. It exists five years at a time and then it goes out of effect.”

Congress and President Bush have the final say in reauthorizing the act, Starrett said.