My pell grant isnt enough, can I get a loan?

<p>I attend community college and I only have 5 classes left until I transfer. My EFC is 0 and I qualified for the full pell grant.</p>

<p>Last week I went to the finanical aid office to get classes paid for with my pell grant. I would have about 800 left over which will be given to me when school starts at the end of the month. That would be for books and just MAYBE a cheap laptop but not enough for other school supplies. Whats even worse is that my car just broke down a few days ago and I will need a couple hundred dollars to get it fixed. Is it possible that I can go back to the school and get a small loan even though I already been to the finaicial aid office and accepted the pell grant? I haven't had a student loan since I have been in college. A small loan would really help me because it would help me by school supplies, my laptop (if the pell grant wasnt enough), get my car fixed (which will only be a few hundred) and gas money. Also i notice transportation and supplies IS included in school expenses.</p>

<p>PS. Even though I accepted the pell grant to pay for classes it does not show on my account that my classes are paid for yet (it will not show until a week before school starts). So does that mean I may still have time for a loan?</p>

<p>Also I completed my entrance loan counselling and mpn after i did my fafsa. My fafsa doesn't say if im eligible for loans it just says that I can get the full pell grant, however my friends fafsa says she is eligible and how much she can get (shes never had a loan before either).</p>

<p>Any advice? Thanks!</p>

<p>Your school can not give you more aid than what would cover the cost of attendance for your school. What is left over from the Pell should help with books. Other school supplies usually aren’t covered, like notebooks, pens, etc. If the computer is MANDATORY for a class, or your school, then that would be an acceptable use I believe. Do you work at all? Unless there is some loophole, I don’t think that repairs needed on your car would fall under acceptable use of an education loan. I could be wrong. You won’t qualify for a loan if the Pell is enough to cover the COA though. Maybe a private one with a co-signer, but not a Stafford from the fed. gov. Why did you have to complete a master promissory note and loan counseling if you weren’t given a loan to have to pay back?</p>

<p>The cost of attendance (as stated on the website) is 10,388 (full year). It includes transportation and supplies so I assumed that what I needed falls into these categories?</p>

<p>I have the full pell grant, 5550 or 2775 for fall and spring. </p>

<p>I was told to do the loan entrance counsling and mpn by someone else who was getting their first loan, also it said it on the school website.</p>

<p>It depends on the school’s COA. If the pell is lower than the school’s COA then you should be able to get a loan to cover the difference (within the maximum allowed for loans of course.) Do you know your school’s COA?</p>

<p>It sounds like you probably qualify for a loan, but your school (like many CC’s) does not automatically offer loans to students. That doesn’t mean you don’t qualify … they do that because they don’t want students to borrow if they don’t need to. Just contact your financial aid office to find out how to request a loan.</p>

<p>As your aid has not exceeded your COA, you should be eligible for a loan. I am surprised you were not already offered one. Go in and talk to your FA department.</p>