[simpleandpink]

Hello.

I was given both Cal Grant A and a Subsidized Stafford Loan and accepted both.
I did the online entrance counseling and (three weeks into the semester), I still have not received my loan. I don't believe I've received any forms or anything in the mail for me to sign/fill out and send.
Right now, it says that it's still "in process" and "Your loan application was certified by the FA Office and submitted to the loan servicer."

So, was there something I forgot to do or missed? Or, is this typical and I should just wait it out?

Thank you so much for any help/comments! I'm not very well-informed about finances, etc. x_x

[saolaoane]

Your intentions are good to help your cousin. However, it may backfire. Even if her dad will not support her, she must provide both her parents information. There is a process called VERIFCATION, where the school or the federal government, will ask for verification of information provided on the FAFSA. These documents must be submitted to the school and the school will verify the information. Therefore, if her parents filed jointly on their tax return, it will reflect her parents' marital status and financial information. The school will have to make any updates to her files if the information provide is inaccurate. She will not get blame for it because they understand that the FAFSA is a very difficult process. But the changes will take time to take affect, which may delay her from receiving her financial aid in a timely manner.

Her parents filed seperate income taxes. So if she applies, do you think she'll get any aid? Like I said, her mom's job ends this November and her dad is basically not helping her. If she puts her parent's income taxes on there, the together the total would come out to be around 60k.

[sohothot]

if i didn't apply in time for fafsa in the fall. will i be able to get money and attend classes in the spring?

[jenjenyaj]

i just read in pg 14 that the school and fafsa cannot look at how much money u have in the bank
is that true with ur parent's bank account too?
cant everyone jst lie about that then?

Everyone can just lie, yes. However, your school does have the right to request verification of bank information and when they ask, you do have to hand it over. If you don't oblige, your file remains incomplete, and you cannot get any financial aid. Your parents' earned interest from assets do show up on your parents' taxes. So if they see that your parents earned a high interest, they may request to see where that interest is coming from. In addition, if you are selected for verification and you have to submit your parents tax return with all the schedules attached, one of the schedule list your parents' earned interest and where it comes from. So if it's from a savings account, they will question why you have ZERO listed.

Okay, so you did help a lot, but you didn't answer my question. :/
I was wondering how much financial aid I might be able to received with my situation.
I really would rather not stay here in my city and go to the community college here.

I can't give you a number. All schools give different amounts depending on the awards and your expected family contribution (EFC). In additions, award amounts and eligibility criteria change every year.It's still a bit early to know what the amounts and criteria are for next year. Some schools will offer additional grant money, while others do not. Since you are adamant about wanting a number, you can make an estimation by using the following figures:

Based on 2008-2009 FAFSA, if you have a ZERO EFC, you can receive:
$4,731 in Pell Grant
$2,000 to $9,000 in Cal Grant (depends on what school you go to. if you go to a private school you get more because Cal Grant pays for you registration fees)
$3,500 to $5,500 in Subsidized Loan (depends on your grade level)
$2,000 in Unsubsidized Loan
$750 to $1300 for ACG grant (if you qualify)

I know everyone hates loans, but I included it to give you an idea of what your financial aid package look likes. Depending on what school you attend, you can receive additional University grant. I only listed federal aid. I did not list State and University aid. These are just figures. They may not reflect your actual award package.

Her parents filed seperate income taxes. So if she applies, do you think she'll get any aid? Like I said, her mom's job ends this November and her dad is basically not helping her. If she puts her parent's income taxes on there, the together the total would come out to be around 60k.

Anyone who applies can get aid. It might not be the type of aid they want. LOANS are considered financial aid regardless of how much students hate them. The process your friend will have to go through will be to talk to a financial aid counselor to have them do a lost of income. But it's up to the school to determine if there is a lost of income. Because her mother's job is ending this November, she will still have to report her mother's income based on last year. The school will then justify if there is a need to change her mother's income.

Note that if she put that her parents are separated, the school may ask for proof of separation.
Be aware, that she is creating FRAUD by not including her father's income and can be penalized with fine and even imprisonment.

if i didn't apply in time for fafsa in the fall. will i be able to get money and attend classes in the spring?

YES. Apply for the FAFSA NOW! You can still get financial aid.

[Ringo.]

I got a state university grant and a pell grant. I also got a letter for Cal Grant A, but the dude at my school says that I'm not eligible for the Cal Grant because I got the other grants other. He said it's one or the other. Is this true? o__o If so, that sucks. haha.

[sohothot]

if i apply for full time and i receive a note saying i will be getting fafsa money. will i get only enough for part time or will i get enough for full time? or will it depend on the paperwork that is how much i will get?

[jenjenyaj]

Hello.

I was given both Cal Grant A and a Subsidized Stafford Loan and accepted both.
I did the online entrance counseling and (three weeks into the semester), I still have not received my loan. I don't believe I've received any forms or anything in the mail for me to sign/fill out and send.
Right now, it says that it's still "in process" and "Your loan application was certified by the FA Office and submitted to the loan servicer."

So, was there something I forgot to do or missed? Or, is this typical and I should just wait it out?

Thank you so much for any help/comments! I'm not very well-informed about finances, etc. x_x

You will have to contact your office to verify that you've completed everything. Did you sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN). Some schools allow you to submit the signature electronic, while others requires an actual signature. Therefore, you will need to ask your specific school.

I got a state university grant and a pell grant. I also got a letter for Cal Grant A, but the dude at my school says that I'm not eligible for the Cal Grant because I got the other grants other. He said it's one or the other. Is this true? o__o If so, that sucks. haha.

Yes, it's true. Cal Grant and State University Grant (usually at CSU schools) both pays for registration fees. Therefore, you cannot have two grants paying for the same thing.

if i apply for full time and i receive a note saying i will be getting fafsa money. will i get only enough for part time or will i get enough for full time? or will it depend on the paperwork that is how much i will get?

Your estimated budget, which is what the university calculate the cost of attendance for a student, will be based on your enrollment status (whether it is full time or part time) and your reported living situation (whether you are living on campus, off campus, or with parents/relatives). Every student's financial award is based on this budget.

Here's a detailed example of what a budget is:

2008-2009 Undergraduate Student Expense Budgets (Full time status)

Living On-Campus
Registration Fees: 8,635
Health Insurance: 849
Books & Supplies: 1,544
Room & Board: 11,978
Personal Expenses: 1,308
Transportation: 697
TOTAL: $25,011

Living Off-Campus
Registration Fees: 8,635
Health Insurance: 849
Books & Supplies: 1,544
Room & Board: 7,843
Personal Expenses: 1,437
Transportation: 1,413
TOTAL: $21,721

Commuter (Living at Home With Parents)
Registration Fees: 8,635
Health Insurance: 849
Books & Supplies: 1,544
Room & Board: 4,120
Personal Expenses: 1,799
Transportation: 1,889
TOTAL: $18,836

As you can see from the example, the cost for registration fees, health insurance (if it applies), and books & supplies are pretty much the same for all students. You start to see the difference when you look at room & board, transportation, and personal expenses. So, let's say you are living off campus; therefore your budget for the whole year is $21,721. And let's say on your FAFSA, your expected family contribution was 1000. That means, $21,721 - 1000 = $20,721 (which is your financial need). Therefore, the university will award you financial aid as much as possible to meet that need. Be aware that this WILL include loans. You will NOT receive all your financial need in grants.

Hope this helps you understand it a bit.

[sohothot]

if i have extra money from fafsa.. can i use it on booze?

if i want to transfer from a CC to the UNI i want.. do i have to take the classes that the UNI want in order to transfer right?

[t.k]

Hi! I have a question. So i applied for financial aid and I have to fill out some paper works. There's a paper that I have to fill out and its call "agency certification-untaxed income for 2007". Both my parents never work, so the lady at my community college that works in the financial aid office said that i had to take this form to social security and have them fill it out. But my mom has a case worker, so i dont know who i should take it to. social security or my moms case worker?

oh. i forgot one other thing. Is the AC Grant Form optional?

[SiLvErWiNg]

How long do we have to wait after all the documents are all completed until we receive the funds? cus my friend told me that it takes about 2-4 weeks or longer if you completed the fafsa on paperwork instead of online.But i did mines online.

[~ ViO ~]

i was wondering how much i would receive from financial aid because im only taking 1 unit this fall. would i still get the same amount im suppose to get or does all matter with how much income my family gets?

[nancie]

got my answer,
thank you =]

[angelicXD]

Okay, I don't know if this is how it goes to every college or whatever. I started on a campus job right now. However, they added the money to my financial aid award. The problem is I don't want it in my financial aid award. I work so I can use those money for personal use. Plus I already pay the amount for the Fall semester, so I don't know why they would split the total amount to both semester. Let's say I make 400 dollars. So they split half of that 400 to both semester. Notes, I already paid the amount for Fall semester.

Would I be able to request that money out? I don't know. I think I am in the right section since this is Financial Aid Advisor.

[jenjenyaj]

Hi! I have a question. So i applied for financial aid and I have to fill out some paper works. There's a paper that I have to fill out and its call "agency certification-untaxed income for 2007". Both my parents never work, so the lady at my community college that works in the financial aid office said that i had to take this form to social security and have them fill it out. But my mom has a case worker, so i dont know who i should take it to. social security or my moms case worker?

oh. i forgot one other thing. Is the AC Grant Form optional?

Ask your financial aid office. Or you can ask the case worker. Usually if the case worker knows about the form, they have done it before. The financial aid office just wants to verify the amount of untaxed income your parents receives.

Each school has different requirement to verify AC Grant candidates. If your school requires the form to be filled out, then you should have it completed.

How long do we have to wait after all the documents are all completed until we receive the funds? cus my friend told me that it takes about 2-4 weeks or longer if you completed the fafsa on paperwork instead of online.But i did mines online.

The FAFSA online is quicker to process. The information is transmitted to your school, depending on when they upload from the central processor. Sometimes it's daily, sometimes weekly. If they need documents, it takes some additional works to process your financial aid depending on the time. So on average, it takes about 2 to 6 weeks to get you your financial aid. If you aren't selected for verification, it's shorter.

i was wondering how much i would receive from financial aid because im only taking 1 unit this fall. would i still get the same amount im suppose to get or does all matter with how much income my family gets?

For 1 unit, you will probably get nothing or close to nothing. Most awards require that you be enrolled for at least 6 units. Your FAFSA will help determine your eligibility.

Okay, I don't know if this is how it goes to every college or whatever. I started on a campus job right now. However, they added the money to my financial aid award. The problem is I don't want it in my financial aid award. I work so I can use those money for personal use. Plus I already pay the amount for the Fall semester, so I don't know why they would split the total amount to both semester. Let's say I make 400 dollars. So they split half of that 400 to both semester. Notes, I already paid the amount for Fall semester.

Would I be able to request that money out? I don't know. I think I am in the right section since this is Financial Aid Advisor.

Is the money on your financial aid award called Federal Work study? Work study is a form of financial aid. It is a common thing to have federal work study added to your financial aid awards, for both semester. You cannot request that money out. You have to work to earn that money. It is paid out to you when you get your paycheck. What you decide to do with that money is entirely up to you. Work study money cannot pay out until you have worked those hours. Therefore, it never really pays your school fees.

Federal work study is a portion of money set aside by the federal government to help supplement your pay. Your employer pays a small percentage of your wage, while the government pays the other portions. For instance, if you are paid $10 an hour, your employer probably only pays you $2 while the government pays the other $8. Most on-campus employers prefer federal work study students because they don't have to dip into departmental funds. Wages earned from work study jobs don't count against you on the next FAFSA. You report the wages, but you also get to report that it was work study wages.

[angelicXD]

yeah it was work study. Thank you for the answer.

[sohothot]

is it true that fafsa wont give you money eveytime, even you need the money? cuz i talked to a buddy of mine and he said that fafsa will give you money for like 3-4 times and then they'll leave everything up to you to pay.

[msummer]

I am a little concerned. I have decided to attend cosmetology school in january. My EFC apparently is in the 23,000's. The lady at the school said this was a very high EFC number and im scared I won't get a loan. I just went to a community college this quarter and was offered a stafford loan that covered most of the tuition for the quarter. My mom said for the 2007 tax year her and my step dad were separated. Does that mean his information shouldn't be on my fafsa?

[chinkboye22]

if i didn't apply in time for fafsa in the fall. will i be able to get money and attend classes in the spring?

i have the same question as him but now its nearing November now and i really need money to take out if i want to study abroad for this summer
b/c i haven't signed up for Spring 2008 to Fall 09 sorry if the question is redundant...i hope its not too late and i checked the fafsa website and the deadlines make no sense to me cuz it says i can still apply till Fall 09 till the semester ends :| that doesn't seem right...

[sohothot]

i have the same question as him but now its nearing November now and i really need money to take out if i want to study abroad for this summer
b/c i haven't signed up for Spring 2008 to Fall 09 sorry if the question is redundant...i hope its not too late and i checked the fafsa website and the deadlines make no sense to me cuz it says i can still apply till Fall 09 till the semester ends :| that doesn't seem right...

whether you're late or not for the deadline. APPLY ANYWAY!!

i thought i was late for Spring, but turned out i was late for state grant but not pell grant. you know what i mean? you could be late for one deadline, but there are other deadlines. like pell grant, state grant, federal grant etc.. BUT APPLY ANYWAY!!

[Ivory Pearls]

Is there someone I can PM to help me with some questions?
Some are a bit personal so I don't really want to post them here.
Thanks.