Financial Aid question

CaArmyWife · May 10, 2007

You can still receive aid with a AD. I have one also, I received aid last semester and this semester.

cabykay · May 10, 2007

I actually went ahead and took the few extra courses I needed at the CC I took my prereq's to get an associates of science. It opened me up to the option of a transfer scholarship to the university where I will be going to nursing school. Because of that choice I now have $4,000 per semester in scholarships ontop of the grants/loans.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · May 10, 2007

it will if you are at a cc but not if you are at a university. i had the same issue and had to transfer to a major university in order to get fa.

cabykay · May 10, 2007

it will if you are at a cc but not if you are at a university. i had the same issue and had to transfer to a major university in order to get fa.

this confuses me. i don't really understand. can you explain in more detail?

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · May 10, 2007

ok this is the way it was explained to me . if you already have a associates degree regardless if you received aid for that degree or not , you cannot get aid to get a second associates degree. basically you already earned one and the government don't want to pay for another one. however, you can move up to a university and seek a bachelors degree, if you don't already have one. i initially thought this was just my cc then discovered when i began to move around talking to other colleges that it is across the board. also, if you have accumulated over 99 hours without obtaining a associates degree they will cut you off from aid as well. this happen to me too and i had to get a special waiver just to get my aas degree. i had no choice but to move to a university after that. just today i received a letter from my home college with a denial for fa because i already had a aas degree. i sent them my fasfa as a habit.

this confuses me. i don't really understand. can you explain in more detail?

cabykay · May 10, 2007

That's weird. I hope I don't lose my financial aid because of this. The only reason I applied for my associates was to get the transfer scholarship. I don't technically graduate for another week and start the nursing program next week as well....

gemini08 · May 10, 2007

Hi,

I've never heard that if you have as AS you will not be eligible for Financial aid. I know that if you have a Bachelor's degree already then yes you will not receive any more aid. Where are you located? I'm in CT and I will find out about this tomorrow at my CC I'm attending. I never filed a FAFSA form until now, certainly not when I was attending my Univ. back in 89-91'. I paid everything in cash then, no assistance at all. I do hope & pray I'll be able to get some aid w/this being my 2nd AS. Any other insight on this I'd be very curious.

CaArmyWife · May 10, 2007

I have an AA and I am getting my ADN. I had to fill out a form and have it signed by the Dean and that was it. I have received aid AFTER I received my first AA.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · May 10, 2007

i know that the cc's has lead way to make some fa decisions on their own and this may be a choice made by cc. i know for sure that i cannot receive fa with a aa degree neither can my husband at our cc but he can when he goes to uta. i also know the community colleges around me are the same way ,ive talked to them because i was looking into a second aas degree. i don't know if it is a texas thing or what. i was also told by a out of state college (kaplan) that i did not qualify for the pell grant because of my already earned aa degree. there are several students on here that have had the same problems.....

Megsd, BSN, RN · May 10, 2007

It's also important to differentiate between the types of aid you will or will not qualify for. I am getting a second bachelor's degree and am not eligible for any grants, but I *am* eligible for federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

So you can still get financial aid, just not the free money kind.