COA 20628 Public Uni ?

Paying for College
1

I got my award letter a week ago. 2016-2017 COA is 20628, which is $640 more than my 2015-2016 COA of $19988.

My Uni met my 2015-2016 COA with Pell, other grants, loans, and work study. I’ve always checked yes for work-study on the FAFSA.

For 2014-2015, which ended last May, I had $3300 awarded for Work Study. I didn’t work during 2014-2015.
The FAO ended up giving me the $3300 listed under Work Study as FSEOG, a grant, right at the end of the semester.

When I worked for the aid office over last summer, as a student worker, I found out I was awarded the $3300 as a grant because when students withdraw or fail and fall below full-time status, their aid has to be given back to the school, who then sends it back out to students whose COA hadn’t been fully distributed.

They had “excess funding” for students whose COA had either been fully met (my case, but just didn’t work to make the 3300 over the school year) or whose COA hadn’t been fully met due to submitting their FAFSA after the priority date and were still in classes.

Oddly, I myself had submitted my 2014-2015 FAFSA really late. In July before my first semester in Fall 2014. So I was quite shocked to get the $3300 FSEOG during Finals Week of Spring 2015.

My question is: Does ACCEPTING work study on FAFSA and then in my award package HELP me get the allotted amount from it…so long as I don’t take a job and then just wait for the allotment of work study to be given as a grant?

Also, I’m really excited to see if this is going to happen again in a couple weeks, as it did last Spring.
I was awarded 3000 for work study for 2015-2016 and I didn’t work, so does that AUTOMATICALLY set me up for the funds to be given as a grant, since my 2015-2016 COA of $19988 is “fully met”, but $3000 of that was for work study, which I haven’t worked, so is it more likely that the FAO will award me once again?

Thanks!

2

Up to the school. If other students didn’t use up the SEOG funds, and they reverted to the school for redistribution, and you haven’t used up all your eligibility, you have a shot. School might give priority to freshmen or might give priority to students who haven’t received it before.

Why don’t you go ask?

3

You were very lucky to get a grant at the end of the term in lieu of your work study money. But you are just lucky that was able to happen. I would not count on that happening every year.

Plus…doing a work study job will give you some additional employment experience.

4

Federal work study income doesn’t increase your EFC.

I hope you don’t end up owing the school $3,000.

I’m surprised you didn’t have to have the tuition bill paid by a certain date or be unenrolled from your classes.

If Pell and other grants covered more than tuition, fees and books, the excess is taxable income.

Also, wouldn’t the work study have reduced the amount of loans you have to take?