I attended 1 semester at a instate University, I flunked quite quickly. I lost my financial aid because I did not meet Academic requirements. I’ve always been gifted academically, but due to parental abandonment and in turn homelessness during my senior year of high school, the emotional toll followed and affected my studies substantially. I took a semester off and would like to enroll in a community college, but I’m afraid I will be denied financial aid because I now owe tuition to the University. My question is, how can I show the Community College/ FAFSA that forces outside of my control affected my studies?
You might be able to deal with not satisfying your satisfactory academic progress issue due to extenuating circumstances. BUT you will not be able to enroll in another college until you pay your debt to the first one.
Even when enrolling in a community college, you will be asked if you ever attended college elsewhere, and you will be required to submit a transcript from that other college. That other college is NOT going to release a transcript u til your bills are paid in full.
The debt I owe is only present because of me extenuating circumstances. The tuition was previously covered but now is not because my financial aid was taken away.
It doesn’t matter. You owe the school money. If you didn’t withdraw in time for a full refund…you owe them money. You will have to pay this debt.
^ Thumper has it.
How much do you owe? Do you have any extra money saved from working since you left college or are you using that to pay rent, buy food, etc?
Federal rules don’t allow for the CC to give you aid if you are not eligible.
You only owed money if you didn’t withdraw properly or attend the amount of time during the semester that was required to fill the aid conditions. You will not get that expense you incurred dismissed, I do not believe. You will have to find a way to pay it.
Once you pay what is due you will still have problems getting aid for the next semester because of not meeting SAP. What you will have to do is find out the SAP conditions at the new college. Policies vary somewhat from college to college and a CC may have slightly more lenient policies. But if you don’t qualify you may be able to self pay a few classes to get back into SAP. Meet with the financial aid office to work it out. You might meet with admissions at the new college and see if you will be allowed to take a class or two while you are trying to settle the debt.
In any case, you need to learn a few things
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always be familiar with your college policies, as outlined in the student handbook and the SAP policies. Learn what is required to add/drop and the dates, and the withdrawal policies for a class and for the school. That way you will not be uninformed of what is required and what will happen when you don’t meet the requirements. Schools are not allowed to give you federal aid if you don’t meet the school SAP. Their hands are tied.
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learn to build a support system and use it. Use peers and schools resources to get yourself through a semester at a time. College records are permanent. Costs incurred will not ‘go away.’