<p>So my friend is a second year student at a top 5 uni, but her registration has been put on hold due to unpaid spring term. She doesn't have any $ for fall term either because her dad has no money or savings and her stepmom doesn't want to pay for her because they have no relationship. However her stepmom has sizable income so if they fill out fafsa she will be held accountable. They won't cosign loans or anything. My friend has some physical disabilities that also caused her to do poorly in classes (disabilities that she's had all her life). Please help, what do you think she can do?</p>
<p>If she has unpaid debts at her past school then she probably can’t enroll elsewhere until those are paid off.</p>
<p>Does she live with her dad and stepmom?</p>
<p>Hopefully this will serve as a warning to other students who go ahead and attend schools that they can’t afford.</p>
<p>How much is the past due amount? Does she have grandparents that could help out? What is her financial situation for this year?</p>
<p>She doesn’t have family members willing to help her, and she’s pretty much estranged from her stepmom and her dad doesn’t have ANY money (doesn’t work or anything). Past amount due is probably around 10-15k.</p>
<p>The thing is, she has an ear/eye disability so she can’t hear or anything, and did really bad in all of her classes and was put on academic probation.</p>
<p>Well, then how did she do well enough in high school to get into a top 5 school?</p>
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<p>I’m a little confused.</p>
<p>You say your friend is attending at top FIVE university. The top five schools <em>I</em> know of meet full financial need…not merit aid…NEED. </p>
<p>At MOST schools, you cannot even register for your classes unless your bills are paid or you are participating in a payment plan to do so. Did your friend’s family just stop making payments on their payment plan?</p>
<p>Also, your friend could have two issues facing her…one is her unsatisfactory progress at this university…and the other is her lack of funds for THIS year (honestly, I’m very perplexed about last year’s bills…how DID she continue classes without paying those bills?).</p>
<p>Did your friend use the resources of the disabilities office at her university? Did she come to the college with sufficient documentation of her need for accommodations? Most of these schools DO have supports for students with disabilities but the STUDENT needs to access them.</p>
<p>She needs to figure out a way to pay the debt owed to school number 1. Since she is on academic probation at this school, she needs to have a plan for improving her college performance…or she is wasting her money and any financial aid money given by the schools or federal government. This should be a top priority for her. </p>
<p>And lastly, MOST top five universities require the CSS Profile OR a school financial aid form. The Profile and most of these school based forms also ask for financial income and asset information from BOTH parents and their spouses (if they have remarried). SO…your friend likely needed to provide info from her dad/stepmom…AND her mom (and stepdad if there is one). You don’t mention the mom at all. What is her involvement? </p>
<p>Most top five schools do NOT just use the FAFSA. The FAFSA is used only for the awarding of federally funded need based aid.</p>
<p>I don’ think you aren’t getting the whole story OP. Your friend is out of luck I think until the bills are paid. During the time away while that is being worked out your friend needs to figure out if it was the disabilities that impacted the grades or something else. Your friend has two problems to solve. Thumper has provided a pretty good summary of how the situation is viewed at ten thousand feet.</p>