My 2018-19 Student Aid Report (SAR) says “Based on the information reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) by the schools you have attended, you have received Pell Grants for the equivalent of between two and two and one‑half school years.” Each of those years I also applied for TAP.
I just applied for the 2019-2020 FAFSA. By May 2020, I will have an associates degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
If I can only receive 6 years of Pell grant, and 8 years of TAP, does that mean that I will be covered to receive my bachelor degree in 2022?
UPDATE
I applied for FAFSA 2018-19 in December 2017. So I think the half is referring to the semester that was in progress at the time. I should have completed 3 years by now. Or 3 and a half since we are going into 2019. So by the end of Spring 2019, I think I will have completed 4 years. That means that I will have 2 more years of Pell. If I have 2 more years of pell at the beginning of Fall 2019, I must account for FAFSA 2020-2021 and FAFSA 2021-2022. Which means I’m in the clear! Right?
Ok, so I looked at a calendar and added the years up. I will run out of Pell grant midway between FAFSA 2020-2021. But I should still have 2 years of TAP. Correct?
I notice my Pell grant can potentially cover all of my tuition and TAP is always refunded to me completely. Tuition this year was $4,890.00. I always receive about $6,000 from Pell for the whole school year. and about $3,000 per year from TAP
Shouldn’t that mean I can go without TAP so long as I have Pell and perhaps save for that last year and a half starting now just in case?
Maybe I can even take out a small loan when my Pell starts running out and use it for the last year and a half.
TAP is never returned to you because it can only be used toward tuition and applied first.
At the bachelors level tuition is $6870/year plus fees. By the time you add fees you will be gettin back very llittle money. If you finish your tap this spring, how will you finish your degree
If my TAP will be finished this spring, may I still apply with only Pell and make up the difference with my own money? At least for my associates? Whether I’m paying for my associate’s classes or my bachelor’s classes, It looks like I’m going to be paying around $2,000 - $3,000 out of pocket per year. Which is Doable I guess.
Why is it going to take you all this time to complete your bachelors degree? Did you NOT take more than 12 credits a term towards your associates?
Really, 6 years of Pell money shpuldmbe a sufficient time to complete your bachelors.
If you are using the bulk of your TAP money to complete an associates, you haven’t been taking a full courseload, right? Of did you need to repeat some courses?
Sorry, I transferred twice. I started at SVA, transferred to CUNY City Tech, and now Im at FIT. I went through a lot and had to stop going to school after SVA because of mental health problems. At least now Im certain about what I want to study. I really should have gone to FIT to begin with. But that is why it is taking so long to get my associates. I had to start over at FIT as a first year because not all the credits transferred. Should have mentioned that.
I asked financial aid this semester how much aid I have left. They said I have 300% left out of 600%. So that should mean my calculation is correct. I never got around to asking exactly what year I will run out of aid. Which is why I posted this question. But to return to my last question,
May I still apply for FAFSA, only receive Pell, and make up the difference with my own money? I think I will be short $2K - $3K every year.
Right now I’m thinking of taking out Stafford loans for those years that my pell grant does not cover. I think for that part of my plan, all I need to know is, is there a limit to how many times I can take out a federal Stafford loan? I already took out a few but I’m caught up on all of them.
If you still have Pell eligibility…yes…you can file the FAFSA, get your Pell to pay part of your college costs, and pay the remaining costs out of pocket. If you haven’t exceeded the aggregate limit on the Direct Loan, you can probably take that too.