man, you sound like a wreck...Seriously, isn't there some minimum number of hours you must take a semester (such as 12) to be qualified?
I took a few years off between HS and college so I didn't start 'til I was 21. My Mother makes less than $50K and I got nothing from FAFSA. I knew students in families that made less and didn't get anything either. I went to San Jac for financial reasons and transered to Texas State beginning my 3rd year. I turned 24 and got about $5K a year in Pell Grants (Free Money). I also got Work Study my first year and took out $16K in loans over 3 years. I have a friend who's my age but who has been going to school non-stop since HS. He just failed or dropped a bunch of classes. For a while he was in the same situation as me and got financial aid but passed some limit for attempeted hours and now gets nothing. He's 13 hours from graduating and has taken the year off to work to get money to finish. He'll take 9 hrs this summer and take the last 4 (science + lab) in the Fall. He'll graduate (hopefully) 3 1/2 after his twin brother.
Yeah, you can get 'em before. But when I turned 24 I was considered an independent, even though my parents still supported me and my mother claimed me as a dependent on her taxes. So their income didn't matter anymore, I was a full-time student(no job), and my EFC went to 0. As a result, I got approved to get Pell Grants. If their equation determined you were in need, you could get Pell Grants before you were considered an independent.
A friend of mine won a nationally competitive scholarship and used it to buy himself a ($5000) watch since his parents were already paying for his school. Not quite the same, since it wasn't government money, but it still pissed me off.
One more question...(forgive me). What if someone worked full-time for a year, then quit their job a month before they start back at school? They have no job, and barely any money. Since they had a full-time job while filling out the FAFSA, they are required to automatically count that amount toward the EFC? Even though they don't have a job now that they're starting back to school?
Shannon, Shannon, Shannon... Forget all this financial aid stuff and just get a job as a stripper to pay your way through college. You'll make more money stripping three nights a week than you could ever get from the gubment. Also, your boyfriend would LOVE it. Nothing gets a guy more respect from his peers than the immortal words, "I'm dating a stripper"...
I get pell grants but I only get about $1,000 per year. The rest is loans I have to pay off after school. Luckily I graduate this year.
Thanks for the advice, Witty McWitterson. However, I wasn't really interested in the info for myself, and mostly I'm just inquiring in general. Can anyone help with the scenario I asked about a few posts up? Your help is appreciated greatly!!
Sorry, can't really help on this one. It's been a few years since I've had to deal with it so I don't remember exactly how they go about it. I guess it's in how they word the question: "How much money did you make this year?" vs. "How much money will you make this year?"
If you quit your job, they still assume that you are capable of coming up with the amount that you earned in the previous year. The only way for your money not to count against you is if you are laid off. So basically, yes, they count your money towards the EFC even though you don have a job, and ur in school...
yay for scholarships! after constantly applying for fafsa, i've given up since they NEVER give me any money.
I remember in '95 I had to pay for school... But I hadn't worked since April of '94 (Mom passed away, spent time with Dad, etc...) So I had not made any income in almost 2 years.. so on the FAFSA I was 100% dependent on my Dad... I got the full $3500 I believe on the Pell Grant... in '96. Whoo-hoo! College for free... in '96! In '96 I got married. Still no income for me while in school (my wife got a PHT -put hubby through), and she made a whopping like $10,000 -way below poverty level. They offered me $237.00 for '97. It's seriously flawed... because I'm sure all of you know it takes more than 10k/yr to eat, pay rent, drive, insurance, etc... for a single person, much less... young married's.
Aw man IROC it, that's total BS. The FAFSA is just plain and simply not fair at all. This is disheartening, because I thought for SURE someone whose parents couldn't contribute a dime would be able to a least get SOME money from the government. Sigh sigh sigh.
