Hi everyone. I was a CB member years ago but can't remember my old login info. I recently re-discovered CB and this Student Loan forum and I was very excited to have found all this student loan info in one place! My question isn't really credit-related though, I hope that's okay, because I need some advice! Sorry this is so long but I am hoping to make the situation clear.

Okay, here's the deal. I am a full time student, with 2 kids and a mortgage and no child support or help from my ex. I was laid off from my clerical job and having no luck finding work after many months, so I decided to return to school full time, something I'd been meaning to do for 16 years! I will be a sophomore after the summer, and I'm attending a VERY large community college with plans to transfer to the state university in the next year or two. Up until this past Spring I'd never borrowed for school because I'd only gone part time here and there and the pell grants were enough.

This past spring (spring 09), I enrolled full time and borrowed money through the Stafford Loan, funded by BOA. I received approximately half of my yearly loan limit, part of it unsubsidized and part subsidized (the smaller portion). I was told at the time that since I did not attend in Fall, I should still have the remaining loan limit available to borrow for summer, so I planned accordingly. I did very well (4.0, Dean's list) and submitted all my documents on time for the remaining loan funds, for summer use. I received notice that I'd be getting a subsidized loan for $1700, and when I didn't hear anything about the rest I went to the school to ask why. First they tried to tell me I was "maxed out", which is obviously not true, so i asked them to investigate. Well, I've now been told by a loan officer in the Fin. Aid office that I am only receiving the SUBSIDIZED tafford for summer, and the remaining amount I was expecting (about $2800) will not be coming through because I don't have "enough financial need".

What the hell? I pointed out that according to the government's own website, the unsubsidized Stafford is NOT a need-based loan. Furthemore, I have an EFC of zero, my income for the last 4 years has been WAY, I mean WAY below poverty level. I'm 37, independent, and not working. My kids qualify for Medicaid. How can they say I don't have "need"?? My estimated cost of attendance for 2009 is $17,900. All total for 2009 I've received $10k with $6300 of that being in loans, whereas the yearly max is $9500. I received the $1700, plus 1600 in pell grants, and my tuition for the summer is $800. Books for the first session (i'm going for both) have already cost me $250, I will need another $200 or so for session two. So that leaves me with $680?? a month for the entire summer. I don't see how that can possibly translate into "no need". I do have a roomie/partner to split bills with but my partner is in the same exact boat (full time student) and was given the same exact reason for denial of the unsubsidized stafford.... so between us we have $1200 a month to pay the house payment, gas, food, lights, etc, with 3 kids in the house...!?

I've been told I can write a letter to appeal and "see what happens". I have already started classes and can't drop without owing money, or waiting until later in the session, and then having to worry about completion rates affecting future aid... so I can't just quit and get a job and due to the nature of summer classes I am in school M-F ALL day.

Any idea how this can happen, and any ideas on how to get it reversed? I NEED that remaining $2800! I'm not expecting to live high on the hog here, but don't see how I can managed to maintain a 4.0 when I am worried about keeping the lights on. If I had had ANY idea this would happen I would have never registered for summer and would have signed up for some temp agencies instead, and just waited until fall to go back to school, but they completely indicated back in spring that I'd be "good to go" in summer with the remaining loan amounts. Thoughts?

No ideas?

Someone else on the 'net said I must have maxed out my "need" based on the COA and the EFC and all that but it doesn't add up to me. My COA is about 17 to 18k, I've only received 10k this year and only a little over half of that was loans. Soshouldn't there be a remaining unmet need of about 7k? Which would allow me to borrow a measly $2500 more for summer?

Most schools will no longer allow you to borrow more than the actual cost of tuition and books (and living expenses if you live on campus). Thats been a recent change. I remember back in the day that I would get a 2K check at the start of each quarter on top of my FinAid... now I don't get anything other than my education paid for (returned after being out of school for many years). Too many people were abusing the system... enrolling, getting checks... dropping, etc.

Enrolling and dropping out causes the financial aid to be reversed....which means any over payment has to be repaid plus the time you actually spent in school.

COA still includes tuition, books, room and board plus transportation costs and equipment.

I'm guessing you never informed the school that you were planning to enroll and need aid for the summer term. In my experience, most schools assume that students will not enroll for summer term unless informed otherwise. Your EFC, COA, and financial aid award are calculated for the entire year. Generally, by default, they assume that a student will use half of this aid for the fall term, and half for the spring (assuming the school operates on a semester system). When you enrolled midyear, you only qualified for half a year's financial aid. Because you didn't work with them to spread things out over the summer, they awarded you everything you qualified for immediately for the spring term, leaving no additional aid for summer.

I'd recommend that you keep trying to see if the FA office can work anything out, but this is my best guess as to what happened.

That's more likely due to maximum federal loan amounts failing to keep up with the rising cost of tuition, leaving little left for other expenses for many students. I just graduated from a major public university where, as long as a student has sufficient need, he or she can still borrow well above the actual tuition amount.

Hi everyone;

Saria, that's the thing. I DID tell them I'd be attending in summer.. when I enrolled in Spring and while talking with someone in the financial aid office about max yearly loan limits, I specifically asked him what would happen since I hadn't enrolled in fall. He said "Are you coming back for summer?" and I said yes, and he said "Okay then you will be able to borrow the remaining amount then, don't worry.." I enrolled for the Summer sessions as soon as it was possible to do so.

That is the ENTIRE reason I decided to do a maxed out full time summer (session one and two), vs. getting a job instead. I am trying to "catch up" for 16 years out of school, plus trying to hurry up with the community college because I am planning on moving out of state as soon as I am finished, and will transfer to a university out of state too... and the longer school takes the longer I am stuck in Texas. Had I known this would happen I would have tried to find a temp/summer job instead though because it seriously screwed me financially.



Since posting, I have been round and round with these guys, and have given up and learned my lesson.

They explained it to me as something about how each student has a "budget" and I cannot borrow more than my "budget" even if what I've received is a long way from being near the COA or my borrowing limits. I still don't REALLY understand what/why but I'm tired of trying to fight this. I also don't understand why my school doesn't also offer Perkins loans.... only Stafford, but that's another post. Oh yeah, and they figure child care into my COA... which floored me because I don't see how or where! Good thing I have a 17 year old!

So, as it stands right now, I have one month to wait for my fall financial aid money to come in, and in the meantime I probably will be late on the mortgage for August since fin. aid most likely won't come in by the deadline of Aug. 15th and I don't have all of it if I want gas to get back and forth to school for July. First late in the 3 years since I bought the place.

Next time I will more carefully budget what I do get, which should be easier. I spent a lot in Spring on a computer, backpack, school supplies I "thought" I needed (I didn't realize what I could really get away with), buying books at top dollar from the campus bookstore when not absolutely necessary (have since discovered textbook rental options, and craigslist, lol).... in short, I had more initial / newbie expenses but I am going to plan this year out to the last penny so I don't end up short again in the summer. I'm still annoyed about the decision but I have 9 tests this week alone (two summer sessions are overlapping), so not much time to argue anymore!

I am going through the EXACT same thing. I received my loan last year with no problem but this year the aid office is saying I don't need it yet I qualify for a full Pell, receive medical assistance for the kids, food assistance and am living paycheck to paycheck. I feel like they are wielding their power over us b/c if we are entitled to the aid why aren't they paying up? I've paid back my previous student loans and maintain a 3.47 GPA. I also wonder if this is unique to community colleges. I plan on appealing this decision.