I'm graduating this year from high school. I only live with my dad. My father is on Social Security because he isn't able to work. My mom was on Social Security as well but she recently pasted away.
I have a little bit of money in my banking account, but it is for medical expenses.
We live in a low income housing project.
I'm going to a community college!!!
How do I apply for financial aid? Do I do it online? What website? Is it free to apply? If I'm like in my 30s or 40s, will I be able to get financial aid?
Does the money come from the government or from the school. Do I have to pay it back???
OK so what happens if I do get money and I have to "drop out" of college to help my dad, will I have to pay it back then? Do you apply twice a college school year or once?? Do I apply every year or just once for the 4 years?? Would you get a check in the mail or would the money from financial aid go directly to your school of choice???? Will they check my banking account??
Any info will help. If you have any recent stories about financial aid by all means share =]
not trying to sound mean but the more reasons you have to not afford college, the more money you are eligible for.....the government helps those in much more need than others, but the key thing is apply for financial aid the january of your senior year...the earlier, the more money you can get...fafsa.ed.gov..you have to register in order to apply and they are going to ask for your pin and all that information.....I learned from experience about the applying early situation...i waited too long and wasnt able to get much financial aid, so i had to take out two loans plus i had grants from my university that they gave me....my mom is the only one working and we have an income less than $34,000 and their are 3 dependants living in our household,my dad isnt working....
fafsa.org is how you apply for financial aid. yes it is faster to do it online than send it through the mail..and it doesnt matter how old you are, you are never too late and they dont penalize you b/cause of your age and thats one of the good things about the government...everyone has a chance, so yes you are still eligible for financial aid...
well the money that you receive for assistance in financial aid comes from the government...but there are grants from your school and the scholarships fro your school if you are eligible for them and apply for them..
no you only have to apply for financial aid only once a school year. there are two semester(spring and fall) and you apply once....2 semesters=one application..now the next school year you would have to reapply again for that next two semesters...and all the money you receive from financial aid covers that whole school year in which you are applying for...get this: if you get too much money from financial aid, and you still have money left over after your school tuition and everything is paid for, then the government doesnt take whatever is left back from you, you can get a refund check back...so the government sometimes pay you for going to school for free....no you do not have to pay back the money unless you was to get a loan or something..but financial aid, grants,scholarships, you dont have to pay back....maybe you should consider applying for some scholarships also...you might could get that money back in your refund check...now all the time you dont get a refund check...like my situation,i just recently graduated from high school this past may, so i am a freshmen this year and i didnt get a refund check b/c i waited til the last minute to apply for financial aid and ended up not having enough financial aid, so i had to apply for loans and i had got just enough to just to pay my whole tuition bill....
if you was to drop out of college, hopefully you dont, no you still dont have to pay back the money still...but if you get a loan and you drop out of college, then you need to let your college registar know what you are doing and also you loan lender..i say that b/c they will give you a 6-month time period(default) to handle your issues or whatever adn once that 6-month period is over, then you have to start paying back the loans....thats only if you decide to get loans...
no, they will not check your bank account, i dont think so, but its good to let them know how much you have saved up in a bank account and if they was to find out you were lying about anything on your application, then you could get fined, jail time, and wouldnt be able to apply for anymore financial aid assistance..you have to realize this is the government we are talking about and they dont like it when people hide things from them....it happened to one of my relatives...she put dependants on her application that was not even on her previous taxes nor living in her household, and the parents of those dependants were using them on their taxes,so it made it suspicious....
oh yeah, thats another thing, to make the process a little more efficient and hassle-free, please have your tax information on hand,social security number and/or pin numbers..they are going to ask for all that....if yall didnt file for taxes the previous year, then dont worry, just tell them you didnt file....
i hope i did help you in any way possible...someone helped me prep myself for college,so im helping someone else...congratulations, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR.....STAY FOCUS...and if you need any more help you can email me if you like...i would be gladly to help you in furthering your education...mariesha_281@yahoo.com... Some friends of mine in college told me that they have a lot of information regarding scholarship from these places.
Good luck it is the responsibility of the guidance counselor at your high school to answer all these questions, as well as to help you with anything else you need. Do not let them discourage you cuz they claim to be busy, it is their job!!
i would suggest you apply for a pell grant, and student loans. grants dont need to be paid back loans do but not until you graduate college! and if u work in the inner city as an educator, for example, your loans might not need to be paid back at all. ok , so in january , you fill out the fafsa at this website: www.fafsa.ed.gov. I strongly suggest you do it as close to January 1 as possible - because grant money is 1st come , first serve , and its not just ppl from ur state trying to get the money - its ppl from all 50 states .
make sure you have all the financial info . yes it free , and you should get a good amount of money due to your financial situation . BTW - if you DID NOT WORK in 08 , and are not gonna file taxes- you dont have to put ur financial info. You should get grants or scholarships , which you dont have to pay back . You may get small loans - which you do have to pay back . The money can come from both the government or the school .
if you have to drop out , then if you have loans - you will have to start repayment immediately . You apply once- once you are admitted you dont have to apply for admission again . You do have to fill out the fafsa though each school year . My school gets the money then , whatever is left over then they put it in my bank account as a refund ( they email me first though ) I agree with pepatong, talking with a counselor would be your best bet. However, I'll share what little I've learned in the past two semesters of filing.
Don't use the money in your banking account, just leave it be. FAFSA is the main way of getting federal assistance with your education costs, and it's completely. From what you've described, it sounds like you'd be well qualified for things such as Pell Grants, but you'll have to check with the Financial Aid office at your JuCo.
If you get a Pell Grant and find yourself having to "drop out", even temporarily, it would be best to wait until a cetain deadline to drop out. If you drop out before that deadline (usually, it's the next to last month in the term, in semester oriented JuCos) you'll have to pay all that you're not "using" back.
With FAFSA, you apply once a year, usually in the Fall, and it covers your Fall and Spring terms. My experience with a Pell Grant is that the school first takes its cut for tuition, and then the rest is sent to me in check form so I can deposit it and use it for books, supplies, etc.
Age DOES NOT MATTER with financial aid! If you fall under requirements for aid, you'll get it, regardless of whether you're 18 or 80...although most 80-year-olds get to go to school for free. ;D Additionally, they have no reason to check your bank account, but since you're under 25, you will have to report your dad's tax information in order to see if you're eligible for aid.
Again, it might be best to talk to a counselor so that you can make certain nothing's left out. All that aside, early congrats on graduation, and I hope you have a good experience with JuCo. :) First of all, congratulations on your decision to go to college. I don't even know you but I am very proud of your decision and I think with your maturity you will go far in life.
I am going to answer your questions in the order you have asked them.
First, to apply for financial aid from the government, you need to go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ - this is the website every guidance counselor in the US sends their students to. It is free to apply and very simple. You can recieve financial aid for college at any age.
The money comes from the government. Schools generally do not supply their students with any financial aid for the future.
Scholarships (which can be given by the state, private organizations, or competitions) do not need to be paid back. That money is given to you. Loans and grants do have to be paid back. There are many programs to help you pay back the money either during school or after you graduate. If you drop out, you need to pay back any money you owe. You only need to apply once. Almost every form of financial aid repeats itself every semester or year. Depending on what type of loan you were to get, the money would either be sent to the school (books, tuition) or to you directly (housing, travel). No scholarship program would look at your bank account but to recieve loans, yes, the bank or company will need to see you account and validate all information asked of you.
Talk to your guidance counselor and/or financial aid advisor at your school about all of this. Also, never underestimate the power of google. Although some sites are crap, most are not and can be beneficial to your research in college financial aid. Research different scholarships. Some are awarded just for writing an essay - its thats simple.
Good luck! |
