Alright, I've searched through pages and pages on here and I love all the information that I found. However, I'm still quite worried. I graduated from highschool in May of 2005, and took a year off (big mistake, don't recommend it, but that's another story). During that year, I did nothing but take it easy. No job, nothing. My reasoning behind this was that I'm going to be working for nearly the rest of my life (planning on being an attorney...most likely finance or tax), I just wanted time to relax. Now I'm attending the University of North Dakota in...eek, 21 days and I'm worried about how to pay for it. I filled out my FAFSA way back in January (yes, I was that eager) and while I'm getting some grants and federal loans, I'm still a few grand ($2700-3000) short, which means I'll need a private loan. My question is this...I assume that I'll need a cosigner, which will most-likely have to be my mother. Now, my mom has fairly decent credit (was told it was "perfect" in June) but she has a LOT of debt. How exactly will this affect my ability to get a loan? Also, is it possible to take out more than what I need to cover tuition? I would like to buy (but don't necessarily need) a notebook computer for the portability. Oh yeah, I'd like to mention that I'm planning on NOT doing work study. I would like to get a part-time job off-campus so I can pay for my personal bills (car payment, cell phone, etc) and pad my savings so my mom doesn't have to pay for them. Is this a good idea or would it pay off in the end to just do the WS (~2200)? Any questions/comments/concerns are welcome and highly appreciated!

P.S. I hope I put this in the right area, after reading it, it seems like a jumble of topics...but student loans are the main point!

-BDF

Yep. Just my luck. That offer that BOA sent me was declined. Should I try different banks or try a new route? Frustrating ...ah well, what doesn't kill you just makes you stronger

Was your mom offered a Plus Loan?? If she is denied for that, you would be eligible for additional unsub staffords.

If you were offered work study, why not take it?? The jobs generally pay well, more than minimum wage and a lot of the positions on campus give you the opportunity to study while being paid!! The other good benefit of work study is that anything you earn on work study is not calculated into your income when applying for aid next year! You dont have to worry about driving off campus to a job, bad weather which ND is well known for and coming home to exhausted to study!

She was not offered a PLUS loan, but I suppose it can't hurt to apply for one. I didn't know I'd be elligable for more Stafford loans if a PLUS loan was denied. The reason why I choose to not take work study is because I can make more elsewhere. I've applied for a Target position that is almost certain (95% sure) and that will be more of a guarantee that I can pay my bills, which aren't much, but I don't want my mom to have to pay them any more. Thank you for your response

Talk to your FA officer to see if you can get a Plus Loan.

If you don't have credit history you'll need a co-signer to get private loans.

A private loan can be used to cover the entire cost of education. So, it is possible to get more than what tuition is.