Roughly 1,000 students who applied for general scholarships at UNM have not been notified of the status of their award.
The deadline for general scholarship applications was May 15, and awards were supposed to have been given out by the first week in August.
"I haven't gotten any information at all," said Laura Chamberlin, scholarship applicant. "My understanding was that I would have gotten some notification by now."
Due to the loss of a staff member in the scholarship office, Alex Gonzalez, financial aid manager, said awards will not be out until Tuesday at the earliest.
Job duties had to be reassigned while someone was hired to fill the position, he said.
Last year, the UNM Scholarship Office awarded $35 million to about 11,500 students on the main campus. All major scholarships have been awarded with the exception of general scholarships, all of which are merit-based.
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The office handles all scholarships except athletic and tribal scholarships.
Meanwhile, students who called the office asking about the scholarships only knew to set up a payment plan before tuition and fees were due August 13.
Gonzalez said many times students are instructed to set up payment plans to avoid disenrollment, but notifications weren't sent out because that would entail sending letters to 1,000 students.
According to the Bursar's Office, 1,525 students were disenrolled for nonpayment.
Leo Moya, head bursar, said about 2 or 3 percent of students who might receive need- or merit-based scholarships were disenrolled. He said not many students have visited the Bursar's Office wondering about scholarships, but by today he expects they will.
Those who set up payment plans and later receive awards will be reimbursed.
"It seems like administrative stupidity to do it two weeks later when they would have to reimburse people," Chamberlin said.
The awards will be uploaded to student accounts. Gonzalez said refunds are not a big deal because the system automatically sends them to student accounts and the checks can be picked up at the Cashier's Office.
"It may not seem a big deal, but it is," Chamberlin said. "I have two kids who need to be picked up at a certain hour. I'm carrying 17 (credit) hours and standing in line for two hours - it's not something I need to do."
About 75 to 100 students will receive merit-based scholarships in 20 different categories, Gonzalez said.
Merit-based scholarships are not based on financial need, but on academic success.
Chamberlin said she is expecting about $200 and a 'way to go' for her academic achievements, but it has been frustrating not knowing for sure.
"I appreciate what UNM has done for me, but when I see these big screw-ups, I just want to scream," she said.
