You can only take out $27k total for a 4 year degree. If you have $10,000 in debt already, you could seriously screw yourself. Do not pass “GO” do not collect $200…transfer to community college and save that money. Then transfer to a nearby university so you can finish your degree.
You don’t have the money to pay for spring and your parents’ PLUS loan request was denied. You need to withdraw before you’re deregistered for nonpayment. Deregistration isn’t the same as a withdrawal. You’ll still get a bill for the full cost, you just won’t be able to attend.
What’s the tuition at your local state school? Could you afford that with your Pell Grant and the federal student loan?
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You need to leave, work and take two classes at a time for awhile. When you are 24, aid will depend on your income. You are not being left behind. The majority of college students do it this way, believe it or not.
Your family cannot force you to sign a loan. Don’t do it.
My nephew was in this position, with a hold on is registration, and the school did not allow him to return. He eventually did return and finished and has a good job. You need to take the long view here, which is hard at your age.
Sorry for your situation but find others, maybe at community college, so you don’t feel alone in it.
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One important thing to remember…you must pay the bill you owe to your current college. This is an absolute. If you do decide to transfer elsewhere, this college will not release your transcript unless all bills are paid. And yes, you must submit transcripts from all previous colleges if you decide to apply elsewhere.
It sounds like you also won’t have sufficient funds to pay for the second semester, right?
I would suggest talking to this current college about setting up some kind of payment plan with a goal of paying off what you owe ASAP.
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Before you have the meeting about the payment plan (excellent suggestion, Thumper) schedule two more meetings- one with someone from the bursar’s office to make sure that every single cent you owe the college is being accounted for. You don’t want random charges showing up months after you leave the college- damage in your dorm room, lost key, overdue library books, computing fee, a $15 co-pay for a strep test at the health center. Get it all in writing- this is your final bill, this is what you owe. Then you can make a plan to pay that off without fearing that another shoe is going to drop.
Then- schedule a meeting with an academic advisor. I’m worried that with so many balls in the air, you aren’t going to be on track once you return to college to finish up a Bachelor’s degree on a timely basis. You cannot afford the luxury of learning that one of your classes is coded “remedial” so it won’t get you credit down the road, or any one of a number of things that impacts transfer credits. You and the advisor should go through your transcript line by line- the first college, and now this college, to make sure that the descriptions are correct, the grades are accurate, the number of credit hours given jives with your understanding. You don’t want to become a freshman all over again… you need a plan to graduate with a degree in something in the most efficient way possible. I don’t know if community college is a viable plan- you may already be too many credits in… but you need help from an advisor to figure that out.
There is no shame in being a year or two older than other people when you finish. There is no shame in having financial constraints which dictate some of your choices. There is no shame in having to work and juggle college at the same time- tens of thousands of kids do it every year.
But taking on semester of semester of loans… well past the point of reasonability- that’s just crazy. Put a pin in things, find a job, make sure you understand your options leaving your current college. You can do this!
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For state colleges by just looking at a few random ones, it’s looking about $20k-$30k. I’d have to do the math with some to see which one is the best affordable with only the grant and the loan, but it kinda looks like it’d be the same issue as my old university, which I believe is $20k as well I wanna say?
So my university doesn’t do payment plans for past semesters. Apparently, I missed the deadline to sign up for a payment plan for the fall. The advisors in my school suck. I technically don’t really have one, but I could try to talk to the director of advising and see if he can help, he usually helps transfers.
Thank you for your encouragement! it’s very much needed cause i’m feeling like a loser right now 
Wish I would’ve been smarter about this!
I don’t agree with the philosophy that you need to figure our the money before you apply. You cannot POSSIBLY know the cost until you apply to the school, get accepted, and receive your financial aid decision.
Talk to Financial Aid BUT keep in mind that not all colleges are equal when it comes to how helpful the team in that office is!
There are a lot of pieces missing here. If you got a small grant, how are you meeting the rest of the bill? Are your parents paying? Are you working? Taking loans? I’m confused.
If you are basically at your dream school on nearly 100% loans, that’s just not a good plan. ANY student receiving a bachelor’s degree through loans alone will find repaying those terribly difficult because the cost of the education outweighs the earning power of a bachelor’s degree.
I’m not sure what state you live in but in Virginia, there is an agreement with Community Colleges. Basically, if you follow a set curriculum and get the grades for your 1st two years, you get an auto-admit as a 3rd year to some mighty fine schools (UVA, included). It’s a great way to shave the cost of a bachelor’s degree by nearly 1/2! Maybe you can strike an agreement with your school to something similar?
In the end, NO SCHOOL IS WORTH OVERWHELMING DEBT. None.
Rethink this.
My nephew was caught in a very similar situation. He was at Cornell and he could not find the money for his last semester. Their FA Dept turned a deaf ear. In the end, the bill was met by his parents and he graduated - his parents spent 1/4 of a million $$ on his education but he was left with a VERY REAL TASTE IN HIS MOUTH that Cornell didn’t care about HIM, just his parent’s money. His dream school image has permanently been replaced by a dollar sign ($) and he remains bitter. As an alumni, he feels he was bamboozled by Cornell’s sales & marketing and I’m pretty sure he would find it hard to recommend spending that kind of money on ANY school. I know for CERTAIN he has recommended that his cousins attend UVA at 40% of the cost of Cornell.
Also, I watched a video a few years ago regarding SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. Meaning success AFTER COLLEGE. They were never the folks who were trying to keep up or fit in or couldn’t afford to be there. Successful people ACROSS THE BOARD were in the top section of their class – almost like the ride fed their ego, regardless of the school. It also endorsed that the bottom of ANY SCHOOL should have selected a different school (including kids at Harvard)! They should have gone somewhere they could SHINE!!!
I recommend you give up the high-priced school and seek out a school that will give you money to go – a school who WANTS YOU. You will SHINE & BE A SUCCESS! And once you’re working, where you got that degree often doesn’t matter.
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That’s why I think the Target debt-free degree plan is something to give serious consideration. It even covers costs at some HBCUs for certain degrees:
“ * Debt-Free Education: Target will support team members taking courses for high school completion, college prep, English language learning and select certificates, certifications, bootcamps, associate and undergraduate degrees. Team members can attend classes at more than 40 schools, colleges and universities, choosing from an industry-leading 250 business-aligned programs from Business Management and Operations to IT, Computer Science, Design and more. Team members who opt into this program won’t have any out-of-pocket costs and will have flexibility to find opportunities that fit with their interests, schedules and career goals. Academic institutions include the University of Arizona, Oregon State University, University of Denver and eCornell along with HBCUs Morehouse College, Paul Quinn College and more.”
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Ultimately, your school wants to be repaid, so definitely talk to an advisor about how to set something up.
Hang in there! You will be so proud of yourself when you have navigated this complicated issue and come out the other side. Believe in yourself!
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Hello!
My bad I did leave out some information. Basically with my small grant and loans, I have no idea idea how I’m paying for the rest of the bill. My parents are supposed to help me out, but they have no plan nor any money. I do not have a job at the moment.
At my HBCU, the financial aid isn’t helpful one bit. I can tell them how much I’m struggling, and they’ll just hit me with a “you have to pay the bill in order to register.” No payment plans for any past semester. Nothing.
I guess I looked at this school as a “dream” school because of the notable alumni and the connections I could potentially make. It is also at a pretty high ranking among HBCUS. Everyone was so excited when I said I was gonna start attending here. I’ve gotten more praise than ever just because I go here AND I’m doing well in classes. Don’t wanna say it gave me an ego boost cause that’d sound pretty stupid in this case considering I can’t afford it. When I got accepted, I honestly didn’t think much about the cost. I was like “omg I got in, everything is gonna fall into place!”
However, I’m seeing more and more each day of how, like you said, how this is just a dollar sign to me. So recently I decided, I just want my degree. I came this far in college, I don’t wanna drop out now. Not only graduate, but be successful!
I’m searching for schools at the moment, and hopefully one is gonna want me enough to give me something
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I took a closer look into this, it looks great!
However, and I’ll take another look if I’m wrong, but I think they only pay for business programs. My major is Health Education. I’m unsure if this program could still work for me if I’m in a totally different program.
I believe the program will cover partial tuition for non-business majors, but I wonder if you could switch majors to something that would qualify for full tuition but also let you pursue your ultimate career goals. Like maybe there is a business program focused on Human Resources/Employee Benefits that would overlap with a lot of the Health Education coursework or something.
Anyway, just a thought. Walmart, Starbucks, and other employers also have programs that might be worth a look.
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My DD is navigating the cost of college, too. Her situation is somewhat different - she has some $$ but that is ALL she’ll get because her dad is ill and all money goes to healthcare. She wants to become a physician so she needs to stretch her funds as far as possible so — although her dream school is Vandy, she is realistic about which schools are good options. Unless she gets a scholarship to one of the 14 schools she has applied to, she will undoubtedly go to a State university.
She understands the reality — that education is BIG BUSINESS !!!
I would assume scholarships at HBCUs would be difficult to come by. Try using your ethnicity as a bargaining chip — apply to schools who are offering scholarships to build diversity!!!
Also, several universities are now committing to meeting the costs WITHOUT LOANS! Apply there.
But wherever you go, make sure you will stand out as a stellar student. THAT is the foundation to being successful down the road — which is really the POINT of getting an education in the 1st place!!!
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Also, schools who commit to NO LOANS should be your NEW dream school.
If those don’t work, the next group should be schools who commit to meeting 100% of need. This, unfortunately, includes loans (which you should avoid at all cost!) BUT they have agreements in place to ensure 100% of the cost gets paid. That takes away a lot of the stress you are currently faced with! Also, the AMOUNT of debt is usually limited so you don’t take on too much debt & can never get out from underneath it!
Schools who DO NOT MEET NEED (like your current school) should not be considered viable options. There is too much danger of taking on too much debt & you’ve gotta track down ways to get the money. It’s too much stress when that energy needs to be in positive ways that enhance your educational experience!
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Yes, scholarships at HBCUS are very competitive. Everyone wants that “next African American nurse” or “African American entrepreneur.” I unfortunately, don’t really fall into those categories since my interest is Public Health, not necessarily being a doctor. I chose an HBCU because not to knock down PWI, but I felt uncomfortable there sometimes and I graduated from a predomaintly white high school where I felt the most uncomfortable. I wanted to be around people that “looked like me” that were being successful and doing big things.
HBCUS were built for us to have an education, yet they make it SO HARD for us to afford. It’s really sad to see! So I’m uncomfortably coming to the reality of being that “black girl at a PWI.” (which is not a bad option I don’t wanna offend anyone reading this!)
I did not know until recently that there were schools actually out there that are willing to help you out without loans, so I will do way more research on that. I will also look into schools that offer scholarships to build diversity.
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I think you should take a look at Colgate. They actively seek out students to help with diversity, meet 100% of demonstrated need, with no loans, and recently redid their aid formulas so families pay a fixed percentage of their income. Based on what you have written, it may be free (or nearly free) for you. The one issue is you will definitely be in the minority as there is a high percentage of students from the 1% and not a lot of diversity. If the goal is connections, a good education, and low cost, it ticks a lot of your boxes, but admission is very competitive.
Also they just announced this new minor. It would work with another major, perhaps one that offers a semester off campus at NIH with some research opportunities. Good luck to you!
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Unfortunately many colleges that meet need really target their dollars for incoming freshman so it might not work so well for the OP. We have a family friend through sports and the DD found great success at Howard. Have you looked there?
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Time for some truth here:
You are not listening to us. You cannot afford your HBCU. You need to withdraw. You need to pay the school so you can get your transcripts released. You do not need to graduate “on time” and that’s ok.
You keep saying the same things: it’s your dream school, everyone is excited that you are there, it gives you independence, and so on. Starting your life with tens of thousands in debt is not giving you independence. You are not responsible for fulfilling the dreams of your friends and family. You are responsible for paying back a lot of money you don’t have. You are responsible for ensuring you complete your degree so that you have a better future to look forward to.
Go to the FA office asap. Ask about setting up a repayment plan. Say you are withdrawing at the end of the semester. Work for a year at wherever you can, maybe Target, and pay off the money. Transfer your credits somewhere that will accept most of them.
I’m really sorry you are in this situation. It’s a shame you and your parents didn’t have realistic conversations about the financial aspect of paying for college before you chose to enrol at the HBCU. Going forward, your Mantra should be getting a degree that’s affordable. Best of luck.
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What is your state of residence and what would you like to do with your degree (career)?
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