<p>I'm new here. I hope I am on the right board here. </p>
<p>I am currently taking 3 classes and I have financial aid. My first class started this past Thursday and the other two will start this week. I am not sure if I want to keep the other two. I thought I can handle 3 classes, but I find myself that one class would be enough until I get myself back in the groove. I have been out of school for about 20 years now and have 3 children. I just wanted to know if I drop the other two classes, what happens to the financial aid. Do I pay the school? or do I pay the federal? What if the school hasn't gotten paid yet from the federal? I know I need to ask the school's financial aid dept. I just wanted to know now and if anyone here knows. Since the the other class hasn't really started yet, will this affect me later on if I ask for help again. Thanks.</p>
<p>It will affect your financial aid. Financial aid is based on your enrollment. Different aid requires different minimum enrollment. The pell for instance can be based on full, 3/4. 1/2, and less than 1/2 time. 3 classes would have probably put you at 3/4 time, if you drop to 1 class then you will be below half time. Stafford loans require that you be enrolled at least half time so you will be ineligible for Stafford loans with just 1 class.</p>
<p>If you have started the classes and drop them after the add/drop period they may affect your eligibility for aid later on. Schools have a thing called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) which affects your eligibility for aid. Part of SAP usually includes that you must have completed a certain % of all classes you have attempted (classes dropped before the add/drop period for your school would not normally affect this, classes dropped after the add/drop period will).</p>
<p>If aid had paid out and you drop classes early on then you would probably have to repay some of the aid. </p>
<p>These are general guidelines but you do really need to talk to your school to see what this will do to your aid.</p>
<p>You do need to check with your school for their policy, but I can tell you my experience. My financial aid department does a last minute enrollment check the day of financial aid disbursment, and if you have dropped below the number of hours you were awarded aid for, they will not disburse that money to the student. I dropped below fulltime, so they reduced my financial aid disbursment to reflect that. So if you haven’t gotten your financial aid and drop the classes before you get it, then most likely you just won’t get it. </p>
<p>If I had waited and dropped after the add/drop period, I would be put on financial aid probation, and I would have to make up those classes/hours in the summer or I would not be eligible to receive financial aid again. That is how my school does it, but it may not be the same everywhere.</p>
<p>I understand about how much they will cover depends on how many credits you’re taking. Even with one, they are still paying for the class. I’m just worried that if I apply later that they won’t grant me the aid. I also need to know what do I do with the books I already bought with federal aid (Pell Grant). True, I need to know if the school has already been paid.
Unfortunately they are closed tomorrow. It’s Labor Day.</p>
<p>X-ing my fingers that I will be able to drop the 2 classes without affecting my financial aid at a later time. Otherwise, I will stuggle with 3 classes. I understand if we were already half way through and I suddenly drop the classes, then for sure I have to pay them back. My 2 classes hasn’t even started yet… We will see… Thank you.</p>
<p>Ok… I just read the award letter that I must at least be enrolled for 6 credits. I’ll take 2 classes rather than 3 if possible. Will ask the school on Tuesday.</p>
<p>I know the federal is helping me cause I already got the Financial Aid Award Letter and it states of how much they will cover depending on how many credit hours I am enrolled for.
I already went to my first class last week and this week the other two classes will start.</p>
<p>6-8 credits they consider it as half time student (reading from the letter). I used the federal money for the books. So I don’t think I should get reimbursed. It would be nice if the federal hasn’t paid the school yet, so maybe I don’t have to owe anyone?? Sorry if these questions are stupid questions and confusing. This is my first time ever receiving a Pell Grant. My point is that I hope it won’t affect me getting help later and that hoping that I won’t owe anyone since IF I am dropping one class on the first day. If it doesn’t work out… Then I guess I will have to keep 3 classes and just do my best. I won’t Ace it… that’s for sure.</p>
<p>At both my kid’s schools books could be returned for a full refund if they were returned before the end of the add/drop period (2 weeks after school starts at both their schools). After that you were stuck with them but could try selling them back at the end of the semester (not for a full refund of course, usually a rather measly amount).</p>
<p>The school should have a policy somewhere about returning books. If you are within the period where you can return them for a full refund the they will just refund the money to your FA account, reducing the Pell that is shown as having been disbursed. If you are not within the refund period then you may not be able to return them and, if your aid is reduced because of lower enrollment, you may end up owing money (depending on how much the aid is reduced).</p>
<p>Really the school is the only one that can tell you and their policies may be different to the schools I am familiar with. My daughter’s school is already past the add/drop period so if she dropped a class tomorrow she would still have to pay it but her aid could have to be repaid (double whammy). But they started 2 weeks ago. You said you have just started this week so you may be ok, depending on your school’s policies. Check the school web page for any information on add/drop periods. And ask the school before you do anything.</p>