Starting college after 4 years of graduating high school.

I’m pretty sure this is a very unique story and yes , I know there are many people who have it much worse than I do.

I graduated from high school in 2014. I attended community college for a month that following year and dropped out. I do not regret dropping out because I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. A lot has changed since then. I made a huge mistake though. I dropped out but didn’t inform my school about it. I just stopped going, never dropped my classes and now I have around a $2k debt. I have a lot of questions. The first and most important one is do I have to pay that community college that money in order for me to apply somewhere else? The second question has to do with financial aid. I applied to fafsa 2 years (14/15 & 15/16) and I got zero back from them. My sister didn’t get any financial aid either. My parents make over 100k a year together but they have many many things to pay. They do not have money to help me and my sister for college? What can I do? Here comes the most embarrassing part. I graduated high school with a 1.7 gpa. Yes you read that right. I know I’m stupid for that. I didn’t Care in high school at all. The only year I did well in high school was my senior year. I had mostly A’s and some B’s. I also scored a 20 on my act. Can I even apply for scholarships online? I feel stuck. Financial aid won’t give me money because they say my parents earn enough. My parents don’t have money to give me. I messed up so much in high school and I feel like it’s a waste of time to even apply for scholarships. I need someone’s advice.

  1. Yes you have to pay the debt owed to the community college before you an apply any where else.
  2. FASFA does not give out financial aid. It determines if you are eligible for Federal aid. Your parents income looks too high to receive Federal aid, so that is why you and your sister did not receive any at this point. Has your parents situation changed? You as a student are allowed to take out student loans adding up to $27,000 over 4 years.
  3. If your HS grades are not great, then you would want to start again at a community college and then transfer to a 4 year after you complete your major and pre-req requirements. A CC will cost less than a 4 year if you commute and you can use your student loans and a part-time job to help pay and also save towards the transfer.
  4. If your parents income situation has changed, then you may be entitled to some aid. I would still file the FASFA each year since having 2 kids in college may also help in being eligible for FA.

So before I can apply to another community college I have to absolutely pay this other community college that semester? I’m also worried that maybe my gpa will transfer to this other community college? If that’s the case I already have a low gpa Without haven’t even attended college.

I honestly want to take out student loans as a last resort.

Yes. You have to settle that debt.

Yes, those old bad grades are permanently on your record. One option is to visit that CC and ask what happens if you re-enroll, and retake the classes. Sometimes new grades replace old ones. But each place has its own policy, so you do need to ask.

The good news is that newer better grades often mean more than older grades when it comes time to transfer. Community colleges have a lot of experience with students who have histories like yours. When you are ready to transfer on, the Transfer Advisor at your CC can help you make good choices.

How much do you make now? You don’t have to study full time. You can start out with just one class if that is all you can pay for.

The community college won’t release a transcript until you are paid up. Some schools *might * release a transcript if you have a payment plan. And you are required to disclose any and all schools you have attended. There is a National Clearinghouse that keeps track of this.

Some schools have an academic “fresh start” or “bankruptcy” program for students who had a bad start (not uncommon) and have sat out a few years and have matured and are ready to start again. I would look at schools that have that type of program.

What state are you are a resident of?

I live in Chicago, IL. I just spoke to a person from the new community college I’m trying to enroll in and she told me I can restart there since I have never received financial aid. She said that if I had received financial aid while enrolled at the other community college i would have had to pay the debt. I’m hoping she’s right about that.

Your gpa at the new college is based on the classed you take there. GPA’s do not transfer, at least not at any schools I’m aware of. A school may give you course credit for classes you passed elsewhere, but they don’t use the grades in calculating your gpa.

Where the old grades WILL matter is if you eventually apply to enroll at another college such as a 4-year. You will be required to list all schools attended and your courses/grades. If you retake the courses you failed then the grades may be replaced, otherwise they’re part of the gpa the school uses in deciding whether to admit you. However it isn’t that black-and-white. Transfer colleges are going to take the work you are doing now as more indicative of your ability than courses from several years back.

“She said that if I had received financial aid while enrolled at the other community college i would have had to pay the debt. I’m hoping she’s right about that.”

That isn’t completely correct.

You have to settle the debt so you can get your transcript. You need your transcript so that you can enroll in a degree program - even an AA or AS at a community college. If you are only taking non-credit classes, or if you are just taking random classes for fun without every intending to earn a specific degree, then your old transcript doesn’t matter.

Those old grades also enter into the total accounting for your overall progress toward a degree that is part of the determination of eligiblity for federal financial aid. @kelsmom who is a financial aid officer can give you some details.

Since it’s been four years since you graduated you might want to wait to go back to school until your 24 years old you then your parents’ income won’t matter for financial aid.

You should try and retake those classes, perhaps at the same community college, in order to “repair” those grades.
When you’re 24, you’re independent for financial aid so only your income “counts” when determining whether you qualify for FAFSA aid.
You DO need to pay that debt to the community college - ask them to set up a payment plan.
Your GPA doesn’t “transfer”, you start from scratch at the new college, but your grades follow you anyway if they’ve not been repaired. (“repairing” the grades is the best choice you can make since this way the new grades will count toward your transfer, rather than the old ones!)

I don’t think the grades from a few years ago are going to affect you. Yes, you had a rocky start, but you wisely took time away & are coming back now that you are ready. That is what CC’s are for.

If you were enrolling in the same school, your original grades might matter in terms of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid, but they won’t matter at the new school.

The financial aid person was referring to the fact that if you owed a debt for not repaying federal aid, it would affect your ability to get aid at any school; you don’t, so it doesn’t. (Paying the other school is something you should do because you owe them & should pay them.)

You didn’t receive financial aid at the other school, so you haven’t used up any of your lifetime eligibility.