I received financial aid including pell grant and stafford loan.
Classes started in mid january and 2-3 weeks later I ended up in the hospital. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital, then 3 weeks of daily physical therapy, and now I’m following that up with behavioral therapy three times a week.
I didn’t officially “drop” my classes until March 1st though as I was dealing with other things on my mind.
At this point I am being re-billed for my unearned financial aid but I don’t have any money. I also can’t restart taking classes in the Summer until this is paid in full.
What are my options here? For starters I paid full price for like 2 weeks of attendance. If I were to apply for a Tuition/Fees appeal due to medical circumstances would that negate the money that needs to be repaid from financial aid? For example if tuition was $10,000 and I owe $5,000 to pay back the aid, will that get rid of my debt?
if not that, what else can I do? Also who am I dealing with here? Do I owe the government money or the school, I’m a little confused about that.
Any suggestions appreciated, thank you.
You need a meeting ASAP with the financial aid office at your school AND your academic adviser. There is no advice on the internet which is going to replace sitting down with an actual human being-- every college has its own rules and dates for withdrawals, and every college has its own policies on how they will structure repayment terms. Get off the internet and make an appointment.
You need to talk to your academic advisor, and perhaps the dean of students, and the financial aid folks.
Ask at your college…and find out what you need to do.
Also, you should be aware that there is serious financial aid fraud in this country whereby students sign up for classes, get financial aid, and then disappear. Because there are so many bad apples, they have soured the process for the rest of the students. Financial aid policies have become quite stringent in an effort to stop this kind of fraud. So don’t get defensive if you are met with strict policies. Come in with a positive, cooperative attitude and documentation that shows you are not one of those bad actors, and the financial aid office will most likely work with you.
You will likely need documentation from your medical professionals. If you can get a retroactive medical withdrawal, that might help.
But really…your college is the place to get answers.
Get this started NOW. You don’t want this academic year to end without a resolution.