Hi I’m new here and having a hard time finding this answer on the internet so hopefully someone can help me here.
I started college in the summer of 2014 at a community college. I took all online classes there because the AA degree I was wanting to take was in audio technology (basically music production/engineering), the school was 9 hours away and it was the only school I found offering online AA degree in that field. It’s not cheap taking these courses online because of the investments in equipment needed so financial help has really relieved that burden and I have been paying back my loans every month when I can.
I, however, was never aware of a “maximum time frame” for financial aid. I wanted to stay in school full time so I took 3-4 courses every semester. Because not all the courses that I was required to take for the AA degree were not offered every semester I took classes that I was told by the Guidance counselors, would still count towards my education plan and degree because they were in the same field.
At the beginning of 2017, I was then notified that I had gone over a “maximum time frame” and that I would not be getting financial aid. All I needed to take next was 3 math classes to graduate but my appeal was denied and finally after talking with 3 more guidance counselors (also the maximum amount of times you can get help from a counselor) told me that the math courses that I was wanting to take are not offered online and that I would need to take them elsewhere and take them in person.
I have never tried changing majors and my GPA is 3.94 so it’s not that I am a bad student or not trying to complete my degree. 
SO, my question is, would transferring to a different college to take my math courses allow me to receive the same amount of financial aid that I was receiving at the last school?
To receive federal aid, you have to be enrolled in the college as a degree seeking student. Can you do that at the college that offers the math classes?
It seems it would be easier to just take the classes at a local school, pay for them, and transfer them to the school where you are registered. There might be state funds available for a local school.
You need more information about the math classes.
Can you get credit for any of them if you take a CLEP or other exam?
Which math classes that you can get to in person are accepted for transfer credit? What about online math classes from a different college or university? The important thing is to verify that the credits will indeed transfer. You could take them one at a time if you need to be careful about the money.
You may need to travel to that CC and sort through everything in person.
You may have reached the limit for the amount of federal money that you can access for an AA. If you have, there isn’t much any CC can do about it. You will probably need to pay for these last classes on your own no matter where you study.
Is it a for-profit school?
Hey guys thanks for your responses!
I believe that I can transfer to the college as a degree seeking student. I’ll need to ask the school that I am thinking of taking the math classes at.
What exactly is a CLEP exam? Is that the placement testing? I thought I might try to study a bit harder for the placements to get in the higher math classes (Math is definitely my weakest subject).
About the limit that I can receive for federal aid, I am also thinking about trying to get a BA in that degree because they do offer it at a different college near me. But if there is a limit, I probably wouldn’t be able to advance my education
Thanks for your help.
All of this is a little confusing for me.
I would talk to the different schools and see what your options are.
You probably can’t transfer all the work you’ve already done to a new school then take three math classes and get a degree. The new college will most likely have a “minimum credits taken at our institution” degree requirement.
The usual strategy would be to enroll at a local community college as a nondegree student, take the three math classes, then transfer those credits back to the school where you are almost done with the degree. You would need to work with the math department at the first school to make sure the credits from the second school transfer back.
The complication is your need for aid. Is there any way at all to afford your cheapest community college option? Is it possible to get a job with the training you have so far and see if your employer has education benefits?
That sounds like what I am going to have to do. Take the courses at the new school after figuring out if the credits from the new school will transfer over. The school I’m currently attending has been so bad about helping me figure this all out but this information definitely gives me some idea of what steps I should pursue.
The need for aid is definitely the biggest issue here. I live in California and as you might know, it is extremely expensive. I have a job now but it’s still difficult. I’m sure there are other jobs I can pursue and looks like that may be what I will have to do. If all else fails I am hoping for at least the California BOG waiver from a local community college.
CLEP exam scores sometimes are used for placement, but most often they are used to award credit. Check your college/university website for information about “credit by exam”. CLEP scores that count should be listed there. Read more about CLEP here: https://clep.collegeboard.org/about-clep/how-clep-works
awesome!! you guys are the best!