Fin aid appeal & stafford loans

[WSnurse2b]

Has anyone had to file an appeal for financial aid and if so did it turn out okay? Has anyone been denied financial aid after an appeal?

Also, I read on the forums that community college students can no longer get stafford loans. Does anyone know if this is true?

And one more, if my financial aid is approved, my EFC is 1229, does anyone know about how much aid that would be at a community college?

Thanks! I am loving this board.

Wanda

[tonyal]

The Stafford thing is not true. I am getting Stafford loans and I go to community college.

[sunray12]

Why do you think you'll be denied financial aid? According to FAFSA the only grounds for denial are drug related felonies - and I think if you have tax issues you would not qualify. But ... if you have an estimated family contribution then that means that you qualify for financial aid so you would not be denied. You are definitely eligible for stafford loans if you attend community college. You can actually apply for these through the bank/cu of your choice or you can go with the lender the school refers you to.

If you do not have a prior undergraduate degree then you should be able to borrow up to the stafford max per year for undergrads. I think you can find out what that amount is by looking at the website of any financial institution that processes stafford loans. (I'm not a financial aid professional but I've spent a lot of time in school so I've been through the process many times over the years).

[WSnurse2b]

I have had to file an appeal at the college I'm planning to attend and they don't meet again until January so I won't know if they approve my financial aid until then. So I don't know if I will even be approved.

[RossayRN]

At the community college I went to they would only approve RN nursing students for the loan (because it cost more than everything else in the school they had other really expensive fees that all other majors didn't have to pay). They said because in the past people get those loans, and then later when they return to school and really need them they can't get them (I was applying for one). My EFC is 0 which means that my family doesn't make enough money to contribute so I get all the grants. The more money you make the higher your EFC the less you will get in aid. (EFC= estimated family contribution) yours is pretty high and might be the reason you got denied. Community colleges are cheaper to attend than universities. Here it was $60 a credit hour and when I graduated it was only $72 a credit hour. If my EFC was as high as your, I don't believe I would have gotten aid because that is enough to cover tuition and books and have some change at the community college.