A low-income financial aid program at the University of Virginia (UVA) has become so popular and oft-used, the school's board has voted to dial it back, to the protest of a large student-led group.

According to UVA's student newspaper the Cavalier Daily, a group of students gathered Friday as the Board of Visitors convened to change the policy of AccessUVa, a very successful financial aid program for low-income students.

Because of the growing cost to the school, the board decided over the summer to get rid of AccessUVa's all-grant financial aid. That feature has been replaced by federally subsidized loans. Beginning with the incoming class of 2018, in-state students will receive $14,000 in loans and out-of-state student will receive $28,000 in loans, saving the school about $6 million per year.

The demonstration Friday was led by a student initiative called Voices for AccessUVa. The initiative is meant to convince the Board of Visitors to leave the financial aid program unchanged.

"Our goal is to get students informed about what the changes are, and hopefully mobilize a response," Heather Berg, a third-year Batten Institute student, said.

Fourth-year student Hajar Ahmed said the change just makes UVA inaccessible to low-income students all over again.

"For many low income students, UVA will simply become unaffordable," said Ahmed. "Disguising loans as aid to the poorest of the poor is despicable."

Several people in the demonstration shared personal experiences with AccessUVa and how it gave them their only chance to attend college. Still, some students totally unaffected by the aid program participated in support of the classmates.

"I don't have personal experience with AccessUVa, but I'm here for solidarity with my fellow UVA students," said fourth-year student Einass Abdelmoula.

Helen Dragas was one of two members to vote against the changes to AccessUVa and she too attended the rally.

"I wish I could articulate it as well as your colleagues just did," she said. "I think our mission at the University of Virginia is affordable excellence, it is access to the best education we can provide in this state for all Virginians, regardless of family income or wealth - and that extends beyond the boundaries of the Commonwealth as well. I voted against the change because I felt like [AccessUVa] is such a core, mission-driven program that needed to be sustained."