<p>I’m in a similar situation. My state required the fafsa be complete by March 1 st and I missed the deadline so I got no state aid. But the federal government came through and offered pell grant plus $9500 in stafford loans, sub and unsub. I am nervous about taking out such a big loan and may not take it all, but things are going to be really tough if I don’t. Now that I know there are protections in place to help limit your loan payments to a percent of your income I am a little relieved. Like another poster said, if you’ve got your living expenses covered and are willing to take the loans you should be ok. Ask your financial aid office if the school has a scholarship application. I submitted mine and there were 2 scholarships specifically for non-traditional, independent students.</p>
<p>Why not wait one more year and fill out the forms on time, if you are state grant eligible, that could be smarter than taking loans.</p>
<p>Sorry for bringing this thread up from the dead but here’s an update:</p>
<p>I submitted my FAFSA last week. It got processed by UC Berkeley which has retained my admission and they are willing to give me the FULL package of 24k and 10k in loans. Davis hasn’t processed it yet and probably is going to have a similar offer.</p>
<p>Something I want to ask though is if I receive a certain amount for housing, do I have to use that to pay for dorms ONLY or can I use it to pay for my own apartment?</p>
<p>If you live off campus, you need to amend your FAFSA and check “off campus housing.”</p>
<p>You can also ask to convert some of the loan to work study.</p>
<p>So if I live off campus I can’t use financial aid for that?</p>
<p>Some apartment managers at Davis claimed you could do that.</p>
<p>You can probably use your financial aid toward an off-campus apartment, but some schools have different amounts they allow for off-campus versus on-campus housing, so your package may change somewhat.</p>