First time college student here. I am having some difficulty understanding FAFSA. I applied and was approved for the Pell Grant full amount $5815, split into fall and spring as per usual I’ve been told. But on the FAFSA email it says Direct loans up to a certain amount as well, which the school said I did not get.
My thing is I need funds for room and board/transportation etc. I have talked to my financial aid office over and over again and they tell me it is too late to get any sort of loans, that it will not apply to this Fall semester since we start the 22nd. I was also advised at one point not to get any loans since my Pell Grant “should” cover the cost of the books and tuition, to “save” the loans for later. I have been researching for days on how to get funds for transportation and room/board and just don’t know what to do. I live off campus - not with parents.
Any advice? I am in FL if that will help any.
Did you get ANY other aid? Bright Futures, for example?
You should be able to request the Direct Loan IF the amount of the loan plus any other aid won’t exceed your school cost of attendance.
You are entitled to the loans too. If you are a FL resident, you should also get a Fl state grant (not entitled, but pretty much everyone who gets a Pell grant gets one). You need to go back to the financial aid office and tell them you want the loans.
No other aid at all. Bright Futures doesn’t apply since I am in my late 20’s.
I just called and spoke with someone at another campus but same school and she said FSEOG has been handed out basically but they will be reviewing again soon to see if any other students qualify and also told me to go ahead and apply for my loans that I need since I was given wrong information.
So that is where I stand right now, I am applying now but I am SO stressed out!
It is never too late to get your Direct Loan IF the school accepts it/the Fed gov’t provides it to the school. Some for-profit schools are no longer eligible. Hopefully that’s not the type of school you are talking about.
Definitely accepts it, thankfully not a for profit school. I am applying for it today.
There is other Florida aid that may apply. If it is a private school, you should get FRAG ($3000). Florida also has state need grants, and I don’t think there is a filing deadline. It sounds like the school gave out all the SEOG money they originally had, but if any student doesn’t go back to school that money could be redistributed. Same with Work Study money. Many schools also have some need based financial aid, and again it may have all been distributed early but may become available again if another student doesn’t use it.
At this time of year, the squeaky wheel gets noticed. Visit the FA office and look pitiful. Ask them to explain everything you received and everything you could have received, and then ask why you didn’t receive it (late registration? late FAFSA filing?) That way you’ll know what to do next year and they might find more money because you really did meet a deadline.
'Is this a community college? If so, some do not do loans.
Hi All - Update.
I applied this morning and was already approved and got the loan amounts.
Two more questions:
- I received unsubsidized loans - I don’t have to start paying on this until 6 months post graduation like the subsidized loan, correct?
- I only applied for funds for fall and spring, at the time not considering summer classes. If I want to attend summer classes will I be able to apply for funds to cover that as well?
Yes, your deferment period is the same for both the subsidized and UNsubsidzed loans.
Re: Summer. The pot of money is on,y so big. If you use your full loan amount and full grant amount for the academic year, you won’t have any aid for the summer.
I old suggest you use the summer to get a job…and earn some money to help,with your college costs. This will also give you some job experience once you start to look for career jobs.
Most college students do not take classes in the summer.
Some schools consider the summer as part of the just finished year, some consider it as part of the next year as far as financial aid goes. You’ll have to ask your school how they consider it, and if you have any financial aid left (or if you want to use it from the next year). For example, if the summer is considered in the just ended year (financial aid year Sept to Aug each year) if you have a full pell grant and received $5800 during the fall/spring, you’d have nothing left for the summer. If you’ve borrowed the full loans, you have nothing left. The school might have some funds left and if you qualify, you might get them.