Bachelor's to Associate in Nursing (RN) -- Financial Aid eligibility?

Paying for College
1

<p>Hi Everyone:</p>

<pre><code>I would just like some input from others who may understand the FAFSA system a bit better than I do. I have my Bachelor's in Science and graduated last May 2011. I applied to an RN program near my area to continue what I really want to do, only realizing when it was too late. It's an associates degree program in Nursing which will make me eligible to take the NCLEX.

Anywho, I filed my FAFSA and it was saying that I am considered a dependent student when really I shouldn't be. I filed as so and was told the max loan amount is $30,000 but I borrowed $38,000 (don't know how that's possible if there's a max). So I checked my FAFSA to see if I could file as independent. Instead, of filing as dependent I placed that I was getting a "Graduate certificate" since I already have a degree, is this correct? I have heard that getting into an associates program is better for aid than going for a 2nd Bachelor's degree.

Any input would help. Sorry for the long novel. Hope everyone is well!
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2

<p>Once a bachelor’s is completed, it is unlikely you’re going to be eligible for aid. You might be at some private schools if they have an endowed scholarship covering someone in your situation, but grant aid from your state or the fed is a no go. You may also run into the federal loan max, which would mean no more direct loans, either. </p>

<p>And ADN is not a graduate certificate, so no, you didn’t fill that out correctly.</p>

3

<p>A similar question was recently posted. Here is the answer given by a former financial aid officer:

</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1334944-student-loans-nursing-student-2.html#post14334692[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1334944-student-loans-nursing-student-2.html#post14334692&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>Since you’re not going for a grad degree and you’re not 24, then you’re still dependent. </p>

<p>Are you saying that you’ve already borrowed $37k for undergrad for your BS? If so, that’s more than enough debt. </p>

<p>Are you living at home? If not, can you live at home and commute to a local CC with RN? If so, then the cost should be quite low.</p>

5

<p>Since OP has maxed out, she has 3 options:</p>

<p>try to secure private loans
Have her parents pay
work, go to school part-time paying out of pocket</p>

6

<p>If you get a health care job, there may be some employers who are willing to assist in educational costs while you attend a health care program part-time.</p>

7

<p>Jeana, were your parents ever turned down for a parent PLUS loan? If so, you may have borrowed additional unsubsidized Stafford loan … fr/soph can borrow up to $4000 additional, jr/sr up to $5000 additional in the year in which the parent was denied a PLUS loan. That can bring the total to more than the $31,000 dependent undergrad limit.</p>

<p>In cases where students have additional unsub due to PLUS denial, the loan total can actually be misleading. The aid officer will have to review your loans and remove all additional unsub due to PLUS denial - not really “remove,” but pull them out of the total for computing your base student loans. It is possible that the portion of the total loans attributed to the student’s base loans (that is, without any additional unsub) may be less than the allowed $31,000. In that case, you will be eligible to borrow the remainder. If you are at your max, you can ask your parents to apply for a PLUS loan. If they are approved, they can ask for it to be canceled if they don’t want to borrow it … but if they are denied, you can actually borrow all of your year-in-school eligibility in “additional unsub due to PLUS denial.” I once helped a student in a post bach program who was at her max - she thought she was out of luck. Her mom applied for and was denied a PLUS, and she was able to borrow the full amount of her annual eligibility ($10,500 in her case) in additional unsub.</p>