<p>So after two and a half years at Austin Community College, I am finally transferring to St.Edwards this Spring of 2013. Now, I met with a financial aid counselor at St. Eds, and we were going over my financial aid package for the spring. In my package, she included 3,250 in Stafford loans (half of the 6500 I qualify this year, because I already missed the fall semester.) My question is, is there anyway I can take out the full 6500 for the spring semester? I qualified for FA this year, but I had to do a verification and a appeal at the community college, so I never ended up getting the loan on time, so I paid everything out of pocket. But since the Spring is still part of the year, I want to know if I can get the full years Stafford loan in the Spring. Thank you!</p>
<p>(I dont know if this matters, but this year is the first year Ive qualified for any aid, and I have never received anything before)</p>
<p>Perfect! Okay, awesome than you! Do you know if there’s any way I could get the pell grant I qualified for this first semester as well? Probably not, right?</p>
<p>Also, would I be able to get the stafford loans from my first two years or not? And how do I get the stafford amount for this year, do I just tell my St. Edwards financial aid counselor?</p>
<p>no, you can’t get the stafford loans from the previous years ( a weakness in the system, I think). </p>
<p>Don’t know about Pell from fall semester. You should have gotten that already. if you didn’t, you need to ask your CC about that. That is an entitlement.</p>
<p>Well I applied for financial aid for the fall pretty early, but i didnt do that fafsa until september. After that, I had to do a max. credit time frame appeal for financial aid, and a tax verification process, and by the time this all went through, the semester was about to end. I asked if I would get my grant, and the counselor said no because I had turned in the appeal after the fall deadline. Should I go back to the community college and talk to someone else you think? because I feel like I should have still received it.</p>
<p>I asked if I would get my grant, and the counselor said no because I had turned in the appeal after the fall deadline.</p>
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<p>If the school did not approve the appeal for fall, you cannot get the Pell for fall … because you were Unsat for fall term. Unsat = no aid. The appeal approval would have been for spring term, if it was approved after the fall deadline.</p>
<p>Why on earth should a student get aid for a prior year after the year is over??? I don’t understand the reasoning for that.</p>
<p>Why on earth should a student get aid for a prior year after the year is over??? I don’t understand the reasoning for that.</p>
<p>I should have been more clear. I think those who don’t borrow for frosh and soph years should be able to borrow those amounts towards their junior and senior year costs.</p>
<p>This would help those who start at a CC and then can’t afford the costs of their university after they transfer. </p>
<p>And, I think that those who don’t borrow for frosh or soph years should be able to borrow fifteen thousand per year. Yes, I know that’s more than the total for four years, but those who make it to junior and senior years are less of a risk. Plus, many kids really need that much money to finish college…so if they were frugal at their CCs and didn’t borrow, let them get more for them to finish at a university.</p>
<p>^^^^ That makes sense - I can see the reasoning for it. I agree - it would help a lot of students without allowing them to borrow more than the maximum they could have borrowed during that time period. Plus, the further along a student is in school, the better the odds of completion.</p>
<p>So I went to meet with the financial aid people at St Edwards today, and they told me that because I was only going for the Spring semester, I would only get half of my year allowance. How do I get the full amount, or who do I contact? Is there like a government financial aid number I need to call? I’m so worried, school is starting on the 14th.</p>
<p>The financial aid person is wrong. You absolutely should be able to get the full amount of the loan if you have not borrowed at all during the 2012-13 award year. The only exceptions would be: 1) Your cost of attendance (COA) is low enough that the full amount plus any other aid would exceed your COA, or 2) you received a loan last summer at your CC and that school counted it as part of the 2012-13 award year (doubtful, since you were still in verification - the only way that would have happened is if you were selected for verification after the summer disbursement of the loan).</p>
<p>One other caveat … if you are currently only a freshman at the new school (not all transfer credits have posted, or not all will be counted), you will only be eligible for $5500, not $6500.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, some financial aid officers are not as knowledgeable as they should be. Please return to the financial aid office and ask to meet with a manager. If the manager insists that you cannot borrow more than half your loan amount, please ask for an explanation. Post back & let us know.</p>
<p>Yeah, she told me that the school will only give me half the amount because I am only there for one semester. The cost of attendance for this school is around 22,000 per semester, and financial aid is (with the half loans amounts) is only at 12,500. I’ve literally NEVER had any financial aid before, grants, loans, nothing. While I do have over 60 credit hours from my community college, only about 47 will be transferring, so I will be a soph. The additional 3,250 (if made available to me) would help a great deal! My tuition would be covered, and then I would only have to worry about housing. What exactly should I tell my financial adviser, I don’t want to come off as disrespectful at all, she’s been wonderful. Is there perhaps a federal number I can call to confirm before I try to again receive these loans. Also, thank all of you for your help, you’ve been so helpful!!!</p>
<p>First of all, the school isn’t really giving you the loan, so they shouldn’t be stubborn about this. They’re mistaken.</p>
<p>I think maybe they’re more used to 5th year seniors who only need Fall semester to complete. In THOSE cases, the student probably can only be awarded half of the loan because there would be an assumption that perhaps the student might end up needing to continue in the Spring semester.</p>
<p>I am literally starting to panic now because without this loan, I won’t be able to go to this school in the spring, and I am still being refused the loan. Any suggestions on where I can get a 3-4k loan without a cosigner :(</p>
<p>I am a financial aid director, and I can assure you that the federal regulations allow you to receive more than one-half for the semester. That is why I strongly suggest that you ask (very nicely, but firmly) to speak with a manager.</p>
<p>There is a regulation where undergrads in their last semester must have their loan prorated based on enrollment if they will graduate at the end of the first semester of the award year. That doesn’t apply here, of course.</p>
<p>when you call politely explain that they may be confusing the situation with when a student is only going to college during the fall semester of a given school year (such as in the case of a senior who is graduating in the fall). In that case, only half of a loan is given. However, when a student is going in the spring semester, and didn’t receive a loan for the Fall semester, he can get the whole school year’s worth of a loan for spring. </p>
<p>I also wonder if they think they need to hold back half of a year’s loan in case you go to summer school? I think some schools include summer school at the end of their school year and some include it at the beginning. Kelsmom can clarify.</p>
<p>I am so unbelievably frustrated. I just called tot he financial aid director, and he said because I was not enrolled at that school last semester, they cannot “Retroactively go back and accept funds” because I was not a student there last year. He also said I wouldn’t be able to collect the loans from the previous school attended, because my enrollment there was over. Help?</p>
<p>You’re not “retroactively” getting funds for last semester. The full loan would be for this semester. He wrongly thinks that you can’t get a full loan amount for spring semester.</p>
<p>That said, what are you going to next year? next year, your loans will be split. If you can’t afford this semester with a split loan, how will you afford the next two semesters with split loans???</p>
<p>I do work, and I will have enough in savings by then to cover the amount, but I don’t thins year. I am almost for certain just going to stay at a community college this spring, because St Edwards is frustrating me and refusing to work with me. </p>
<p>That being said, my community college is offering me a grant, and 1750 in student loans. I asked the counselor there if I could increase my loan amount to get the full 6500, or even 3250 for the semester, and then she said that I could complete a STUDENT LOAN REQUEST FORM for more money, but she wasn’t sure they would give it to me b/c the school have a high default rate on loans currently. Can they do this? Can they not offer me the full amount in stafford loans?</p>