<p>Hi everyone..
Im currently out of counrty and when i get back to california i need the aids from the very first moment.
Ive filled out FAFSA and going to apply for stafford loan as well...I just need to enroll in a community college to get them..
so heres my question: How long it takes for me to have the money in hand from the enrollment day?
the aids are stafford loan and pell grant
thank you</p>
<p>Usually, the Federal loans and grants are disbursed a few weeks after the classes started.</p>
<p>However,
</p>
<p>Thank you…
how many weeks are we talking about?
if its 1 theres no reason to be concerned, if its 2 then im a bit worried, if its 3 im in serious trouble and if its 4 weeks or more id literally die young 
.
4 weeks doesn’t make any sense to me cuz its just too damn long
2 weeks after is more likely to be, am i right?</p>
<p>Why do you need the aid from the very first moment? Usually, colleges credit your aid and loans even if they don’t yet have the money from the aid bearers or loan companies. In other words, colleges let you start classes because they know the money is coming from the companies. You may have nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>
It depends on the schools.
A 4-year school that I know credited the students’ account in 2 weeks.
Another 4-year school credited the accounts in 3 weeks.
I also know a two-year school will credit the accounts in 6 weeks after the term started.</p>
<p>Schools have to wait a couple of weeks or so to “wait and see” if there are any schedule/fees adjustments coming thru during that time. </p>
<p>Are you saying that you’re coming in to this country with very little money in your pocket? Where will you be living? A full Pell Grant and Stafford loan are about $11k total. Your CC costs will first get deducted. Since it sounds like your a non-resident of the CC’s state, that usually means that your CC tuition/fees will be high. Your Pell and loan may have to go mostly to those OOS costs. </p>
<p>What CC will you be attending and what is the OOS rate there? </p>
<p>??? And what are you going to do about costs when you need to transfer to a university??</p>
<p>Wow…are you trying to attend a Calif CC and then go to a Cali UC as a poor OOS student?</p>
<p>The OOS CC cost for a Calif UC is about $6k per year. The COA is going to be around $20k+ once you add in rent, food, books, transportation, etc.</p>
<p>And how will you afford a UC when you transfer?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There’s nothing to suggest this student is a non-resident. To the contrary, it appears that he/she is a California resident who is simply out of the country temporarily.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there still needs to be a back-up plan for living expenses. If this student is planning on paying for food and rent from his or her federal grant money, there’s going to be a problem.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Yes, there is…his posts in another thread indicate such.</p>
<p>He moved out of Calif a year ago, finished high school in another country. He was going to attend a univ in his current country this year, then learned that he wouldn’t be able to transfer to a UC as a junior, and now wants to come to a CC first.</p>
<p>He’s not a Calif resident anymore. It doesn’t sound like his parents are in Calif since he needs money the second he moves to Calif.</p>
<p>arashbh -</p>
<p>If you are simply moving in with family who will provide food, housing, transportation, and the like, and you just need money for tuition/fees/books/materials that is one thing. If you don’t know where you will live, how you will pay for food and transportation, etc. that is another thing entirely. You need to come up with a complete plan for your return to California.</p>
<p>The semester’s (or quarter if the school is a quarter system) pell money and loan money will be paid into your bursar account and any direct charges for the semester will be charged to it. If the charges exceed the aid money, you will owe the school money. If the aid money exceeds the charges, the difference will be refunded to you to cover expenses not paid directly to the school. </p>
<p>The timing will vary according to each school. My daughter’s school paid refunds the week after the final add/drop period, so she usually received a check the 3rd week of school. She had to make sure she had another way of paying rent and bills and books up until then. My son’s school was much slower, taking about 6 weeks. His final semester they did not get their refunds sorted out until 3 weeks before the end of the semester. There are probably hundreds of different variations of when a school will disburse refunds, so really only your school can tell you. I think CCs are often a little slower as they tend to have a higher drop rate so want to make sure they will not have to seek repayment of funds disbursed if a student drops (that was the case at the CC my son attended).</p>
<p>Testing for understanding:</p>
<p>From OP’s posts, s/he looks like s/he is interested in attending Santa Monica College. </p>
<p>This school operates on the quarter system. </p>
<p>As an OOS resident, the tuition is $295 per credit.
[Summary</a> of Fees](<a href=“http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelopment/Admissions/Pages/Fees.aspx]Summary”>http://www.smc.edu/EnrollmentDevelopment/Admissions/Pages/Fees.aspx)</p>
<p>Student would have to be a full time student (12 credits) in order to receive full financial aid $11050 (5500 loans + 5550) pell.
As a full time student, just taking 12 credits, we are talking about $3540 per quarter. FOr 3 terms, we are talking about $10,620 without even adding in student services fees. </p>
<p>Op will be receiving very little if any money back because his financial aid will be broken down over 3 terms. </p>
<p>How is he going to pay for books, transportation to school and living expenses?</p>
<p>Am I missing something?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well, if that’s the case, is the student even eligible for federal aid? He or she may have been a U.S. resident at one time, but it sounds like that’s no longer the case . . .</p>
<p>I think he said that he’s a US citizen. If so, then he’s eligible for federal aid no matter where he is a resident.</p>
<p>Sybbie…you’re right…he won’t likely have much/any refund. Being OOS, he has to pay a LOT. </p>
<p>Maybe he doesn’t realize that he has probably lost his residency? Unless his parents still live here, he’s no longer a Calif resident.</p>
<p>If he is a citizen, it does not matter if he is a resident or not. Lots of US citizens complete their educations in other countries. They are still eligible to apply for FAFSA and federal aid. If he is a green card holder, then he does not automatically lose permanent residence status by just being gone for a short time.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What I should have said was that he or she may have been a legal U.S. resident (but not a U.S. citizen). Obviously, a U.S. citizen does not forfeit that status by moving overseas.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>But is a year considered a “short time”?</p>
<p>Generally there has to be intent to not return. As the OP is planning to return, a year should be no problem. I have known green card holders that lived out of the US for many years because of job postings, and they did not lose their green card status. I also know of one who lived here over 30 years and moved back to her home country (after American spouse’s death) and lost it much more quickly (then ended up wanting to return as her kids live here, took some sorting out). Really depends on individual situations. I would not expect a year to cause any problem (though it sounds like the OP is a citizen anyway)</p>
<p>you guys are awesome…thank you
so i think i gotta provide you with more details about me and my plan.
I’m a US citizen(foreign born)…as of now im enrolled in a university majoring in Electrical engineering…i get to do one semester before i make my move.
I have filled out FAFSA and it was approved by 3 CCs(smc sbcc and pierce college), My plan was going to Santa Monica college but all of a sudden things changed, 2 of my best friends got into UC Santa Barbara and we thought that i could actually come back and start all over again…Santa Barbara City college happened to be one of the best CCs in cali and most importantly it has the highest transfer rate to UCs.
so im going to santa barbara city college located in santa barbara, CA and be roommates with 2 of best friends…as “sybbie719” mentioned id get(5500+5550) per year for quarter system…( the amount was confirmed by finaid office of SBCC) + for the next school year i will have Cal grant backing me up with college costs(up to 9 thousand dollars a year).</p>
<p>special thanks to “mom2collegekids” for your help…im planing to go to the finest school on this planet, by the way im not exactly poor but my parents income is not very high when converted into US dollars. And also I dont want financial assists from my family, though they wouldn’t let me down if their help is needed.They’re not very comfortable with this plan though.
…
My expanses wouldn’t be too much, i wrote it down and it was about $1100 a month, this includes every single thing imaginable.
Im a nerd to be honest and the only thing i care about is how well i can make this plan happen…
please let me know if im missing out something here and/or you need more info to help me out.
thank you everyone for ur support</p>
<p>Oh one more thing…Cal grant covers the college costs even if ur an out of state student…
im not sure about my residency status right now.
theres call grant, pell grant and stafford load available for me as far as i know.</p>
<p>@swimcatsmom you are right…
it pretty much depends on individual situation…i have personal experience since i was a green card holder before.</p>