How the Government Shutdown is Affecting CAU Students Financially
- Jada Williamson
- May 1
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
An explainer about how the government shutdown affects students at Clark Atlanta University, and what the data says about which departments are affected the most.
Which one is more important, financial enrollment or housing? Austin Martin is one of the many students facing this difficult decision. As a junior at Clark Atlanta University, he has personally been affected by the government shutdown. “My father’s pay was cut off because he works on base in our city,” stated Martin. Not only did the shutdown affect his family, but his school refund check was also reduced due to the crisis. Martin’s situation is fairly common. Thousands of college students felt the negative effects of the government shutdown in late 2025. Now, with this year's partial shutdown, students and their families are back to square one.
Why Did The Government Shutdown?
The partial government shutdown has lasted 76 days, making this the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Many factors played apart into the shutdown, but the biggest reason was disputes over ICE and immigration. Congress was unable to reach an agreement on funding these initiatives, which led to the shutdown. Shutdowns can disrupt many services such as government benefits, passport applications, and airport assistance. Most college students rely on aid from the government, whether that be FAFSA loans or Veterans Affairs.
Cameron White, a junior at Clark Atlanta University, was very vocal about his concerns for future funding. “HBCUs already don’t receive as much funding from the government as PWIs do,” he says. “ In the long-term future, we probably will see negative effects.” With minimal coverage on which agencies are affected, on top of the previous shutdown, Panthers are bracing themselves for the financial burden ahead. Faculty in the Financial Aid Office were able to provide insight into this topic and provide clarity.
How Does This Affect Clark Atlanta University Students?
Palmira Wakhisi, the associate director of financial aid, was rather laid back about this concern. “It didn’t affect the students here,” she says. “Our freshmen got packaged in March of last year, and our continuing students got packaged in June. So their whole financial aid is on the account for the whole school year.” Students do not have to worry about holds on Pell Grants or student loans because the money is already allocated. Disbursements will continue as they normally do, and borrowers are still required to make their payments on time.
Which Agencies Are Affected?
Despite this positive news, it is still important to realize that there might be delays. The graph below demonstrates how the shutdown affects different agencies.
The graph reveals that the Department of Education is only partially operating. There are a few reasons why this applies. Workers for the Department of Education are considered non-essential during government shutdowns. This means that they are not required to come to work. With a limited number of workers, certain processes might take longer. For instance, it might require more time to process disbursements. You will still receive the funds, just possibly not on the date you usually do. This can cause issues for university students.
Another issue is that incoming students are not considered. As stated earlier, only current students will continue to be processed. Students coming to Clark Atlanta for the 2026-27 school year might face some difficulties. “Incoming freshmen will probably have to go through private loans and payment plans,” says Palmira Wakhisi. Due to the worker shortage, it’ll take longer for FAFSA to process new applications. This also applies to military benefits.
Getting accepted into college is supposed to be an exciting experience, but the partial shutdown has made it stressful. There is only a certain amount of time you can wait before committing to a university. Government assistance plays a huge role in the decision-making process. While this might be someone's dream college, they are now relying on their parents to come out of pocket for tuition. According to Clark Atlanta University’s website, undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees for the 2026-27 academic year are approximately $29,000 to $30,000. This does not include funds for other necessities such as transportation, groceries, and room decor. This is a huge issue for incoming students.
How Does A Government Shutdown End?
In order for a government shutdown to end, congress must agree on new spending legislation and the president has to sign off as well. As far as this shutdown is concerned, Republicans and Democrats in congress have to come to an agreement on how much funding will go to ICE and border control. While this doesn’t relate to education, all sectors of the government are interconnected. Until congress can reach an agreement, federal agencies will be impacted in different ways.
When new legislation is finally agreed upon, employees will be called back into the offices and services will gradually go back to running smoothly. Also, federal workers who went without pay, usually receive back pay after the shutdown ends. What does this mean for colleges and universities? Once the shutdown ends, normal operations will resume without further delays. FAFSA processing will be running smoothly, veteran benefits will no longer be delayed, and institutions will get a chance to catch up with all the financial paperwork.
The government shutdown should not deter you from pursuing higher education or continuing it. No matter how long the shutdown lasts, operations have to go back to normal at some point to stabilize the economy. Not only is it important to understand how the shutdown affects you, but also how it affects the nation as a whole. All businesses, corporations, institutions, and individuals feel the effects of a government shutdown. It’s our job as citizens to push the leaders of this country to make wise decisions and create a solution to reopen the government peacefully.
College students who are just entering adulthood shouldn’t have to carry the burden of working full time while trying to go to school, when the government aid is in place to alleviate the stress. For current Clark Atlanta students, the loans still being processed should take some stress off of your plate. For future Panthers, it’s important to consider all payment options as you take these next steps. The motto here is “Find A Way or Make One,” your intelligence and talent will lead you down the right path, government shutdown or not!
*the graph was created with the use of AI
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