<p>I feel pretty confused about financial aid at the moment.</p>
<p>In 2009, I went to college for a semester that I essentially failed out of. Half of my financial aid was disbursed. Feeling like a failure, I picked up some online classes, where some more of my financial aid was disbursed. When I pulled out of the program early due to full-time work, my in-progress loan for the rest of the program was canceled, so I owe my online school 1.4 thousand dollars. </p>
<p>Now, it's pretty apparent that I've messed my life up pretty significantly. However, I'm an intelligent person and want to go to school, so I've applied/was accepted to a nice community college south of where I live for the Spring semester (this January). </p>
<p>The online school sent my account to collections, and I don't have any way to pay them right now. Can they stop me from getting financial aid for community college? </p>
<p>How does financial aid work at this point? Do I need to file my 2010/2011 FAFSA, or do they use my 2009/2010 (most of which has been disbursed already)?</p>
<p>I've dug myself a pretty deep hole here and I just want to get back in the saddle.</p>
<p>It is currently the 2010-2011 school year. You need to complete THAT FAFSA. 2009-2010 was LAST academic year. And if you plan to continue in 2011-2012, you will have to submit that one too.</p>
<p>Spring 2011 is part of the 2010-2011 school year so is based on the 2010-2011 FAFSA. You will have to file the 2010-2011 FAFSA (and you will have to file again for the 2011-2012 school year, the 2011-2012 FAFSA).</p>
<p>All your dropped classes and withdrawals may cause you to be ineligible for financial aid. Schools have to have a policy in place called SAP (satisfactory academic progress). SAP includes a GPA minimum and also a requirement that you have completed a certain percentage of all classes attempted. Usually around 67-75%. If you failed and/or dropped all the classes you attempted then you probably wont meet SAP. There is usually an appeals process though. (Your school will see that you have had federal aid in the past as they have to look at your records to determine your eligibility).</p>
<p>Did you have to repay any aid that was disbursed to you? Sometimes when you drop classes you have to repay a portion of the aid. And have you been repaying the loans you did have?</p>
<p>I have not had to yet repay the loans I took out earlier.</p>
<p>I am applying as a freshman, because I have no transferable credits from my first school and my classes online don’t amount to an entire semester.</p>
<p>I’d just really like to be able to recover my educational life. I’m 19, I can’t have messed up the rest of my life yet.</p>
<p>Loans go into repayment 6 months after you stop being enrolled 1/2 time. When did you stop being enrolled half time? Please make sure you don’t miss starting the repayment or that could cause big problems. They will go back into deferment once you are going to school (at least half time) but do not miss any payments. </p>
<p>Even if you have no credits the school is probably going to want to know about the previous classes attempted. Your application probably would have asked if you have been enrolled in a college before. You have to be honest about it because when the school processes your financial aid they will see that you have outstanding loans so will know you have attended school before. Most schools will allow an appeal if you do not meet SAP.</p>
<p>I stopped being full or part time 2-3 months ago.</p>
<p>The application for the community college was very simple, I think it asked if I had any previous schools and I listed the ones I went to, but they didn’t ask anything further. I think if you want to transfer credits, you do it later.</p>
<p>So this 1.4k sent to collections won’t stop me from getting financial aid from the school?</p>
<p>“I can’t have messed up the rest of my life yet” – ah, that sets off lots of alarm bells. Lots of people fry their young lives permanently and horribly. </p>
<p>Many times a person thinks they “Can’t afford” an attorney – but this might be an excellent time to take all your documentation and get to an attorney who specializes in dealing with collections and get some help. You saying “pretty please, give me some time here” is not going to go anywhere with the collection agency. Some calls and letters from an attorney’s office might get you some breathing room from collections/the on line school. </p>
<p>The worst thing you can do is stand on the sidelines, wringing your hands and hoping this will all resolve on its own. You need to dig in, ASAP, and read everything that you were given about the loans. Zoom into the community college and ask for help from their financial aid office too. </p>
<p>The collection agency can make your life really nuts. There are supposed to be limits on how many times they can call you and on their behavior (like showing up at your workplace to yell at you). – but collection agencies are famous for barging over the line. You need to sort out all this FAST before you find your paycheck garnished or some other hideous thing happen. </p>
<p>I seriously think you need some expert legal help. You may have a legal clinic nearby that could get you started on getting this resolved.</p>
<p>I’m currently unemployed, my job was temporary and I was just going to bide time until January when I went to school. I’m 19, so my parents have been nice enough to let me live with them after I came back from my first school. Nobody has asked for repayment from loans or anything yet, just an unresolved 1400 from the online school. I feel a lot like a dug a hole much too large for somebody my age. I literally have no money. </p>
<p>So if I filed my FAFSA last year, they’ll use this one for January? Will they be able to retrieve it, or will I?</p>
<p>Did you file a 2010-2011 FAFSA? That is the one you need to do for aid for January 2011 semester. If you already filed the 2010-2011 FAFSA, you need to go into the FAFSA website, and YOU need to submit that one to your new college.</p>
<p>If you haven’t filed the 2010-2011 FAFSA, you need to do it NOW. The 2009-2010 FAFSA will do you NO GOOD for aid for the Jan 2011 semester.</p>
<p>The 2009-2010 FAFSA was good for the 2009-2010 school year. It does not count for anything anymore. You must file the 2010-2011 school year to get aid for the 2010-2011 school year using 2009 tax data for yourself and your parents. You will not get any aid at all unless you file the 2010-2011 FAFSA.</p>
<p>You will also have to file the 2011-2012 FAFSA in 2011 to be eligible for aid next fall. You have to refile FAFSA every year.</p>
<p>You need to take care of the debt with the collection agency as soon as possible. To have already messed up your credit rating at 19 is really sad. The quicker you get that fixed the quicker your credit rating can begin to be repaired. Very important for your future.</p>
<p>I don’t have a way to effectively “take care” of it, I’m 19, I live at home, I don’t have a job or a way to get one until I move to school. I’m really sickened that this is my life at the moment. I just want another shot at school.</p>
<p>As swimcatsmom said, it’s unlikely that you’ll be eligible for aid if you don’t meet SAP standards. You need to find out what those standards are for the college you’re applying to…I think generally you must have completed and passed around 2/3 of the credits you’ve attempted. The other problem is that you’re unlikely to get your transcripts released from the school you owe money to…and the new school will need them. You should have a candid discussion with the admissions/FA office at the new school and find out what your options are. You may be able to appeal for a probationary period of financial aid at the new school, which is usually given for 1 semester. </p>
<p>I don’t understand how you expect to settle your old debt with the collection agency and this is something that you must do as soon as possible! Can your parents loan you some money to do this? If not, the best thing you can do right now is to get a job and settle your old debts so you can start fresh financially. It’s a relatively small sum and shouldn’t be that difficult to wipe out within a few months.</p>