Second Assc Degree?

i don't know how important financial aid is for you, but i wanted to let you know that i got a general associates and then transferred to a university nursing program and have had no issues getting financial aid.

so that may be something you want to check into.

That is ridiculous! Looks like I won't ever get financial aid!

I already have 93 hours before my Stats class (4 credits) & before nursing courses!

Oh yes.....the hospital will pay for my RN-BSN bridge....and hopefully, will cover 100% of it. :chuckle

Update: I talked to the fin aid dept, and they said that if I had a general AA and got into the nursing program, that I would initially be denied aid. But, I could petition and petitions are usually granted for nursing students.

But, the cap for federal aid is 99 attempted hours, even if I did not get aid for the previous hours. This really bites.

shock-me-sane: I should have said 99 hours is the cap for getting an assc degree. If I were going to get my BSN, it wouldn't be a problem.

Must be nice to be you, Fun I'm just trying to figure out what I am going to do for money during nursing school! I thought I could get grants, but I will be over the 99 hour cap during the first semester of nursing school.

I just graduated with my ABS and am beginning nursing school in the fall. I am in the Katrina area also and I haven't heard of anything being offered here (Slidell, LA). So far I haven't been denied any student loans or anything. I hope I don't run into any of this as I have over 90 hours as well.

Ang - call the financial aid office at your school. Maybe they are all different, but I was told it was set on a federal level.

I talked to the head of the fin aid department at school. Some schools will do a waiver for nursing students who have more than 99 hours, but sadly, my school does not. Since it is set at a federal level, they do not want to have to explain the waivers if they are audited.

I hope this helps someone else.

Yes, there is usually a cap of around 90 for receiving financial aid for associates degrees, regardless of whether or not you already have an associates. The cap doesn't apply to bachelors degrees though. So maybe you could wait to apply for the general studies degree until you are finished at the community college? Are you going for an associates RN? If so, wait until you are graduating with that to apply for the general studies degree as well. The cap on hours really sucks.

Ok, well, I have a previous AA and over 100 hours but I did get a student loan thru FAFSA. Is a "loan" different than free money? I never ran into any problems. I think I had to fill a form out explaining why I was still in community college and now trying to get a second degree. They really, really want to kick me out of there!

I wish I could have just gotten my bachelors but the wait was 2 yrs and I did not have the GPA to be competetive. Hopefully, I can get into a RN-MSN program after graduation....

Did your school ask you to fill that form out? They are telling me I'm SOL.

Ok, well, I have a previous AA and over 100 hours but I did get a student loan thru FAFSA. Is a "loan" different than free money? I never ran into any problems. I think I had to fill a form out explaining why I was still in community college and now trying to get a second degree. They really, really want to kick me out of there!

I wish I could have just gotten my bachelors but the wait was 2 yrs and I did not have the GPA to be competetive. Hopefully, I can get into a RN-MSN program after graduation....

I also have an AA in general studies with lots of credits... probably 110+ because I moved so many times! I have 4 student loans I am paying on from my first degree, and I am getting stafford subsidized and unsub. for 5 semesters of nursing school, beginning in fall 2006. I have had no issues what-so-ever, no questions asked or any special forms to fill out! I didn't realize that other people were having an issue with this. I am so thankful I am not!

p.s. I should mention I am enrolled in an ADN program so this will be a 2nd associate's degree for me.

According to my school, it's a federal mandate, but that doesn't make sense if so many other people can get more federal money. Bah!

You can get more federal loans unless you have already borrowed the maximum regardless of how many degrees you have (so far as I know, at least). It's the grants that they make you ineligible for. If you are going for an ASN I would not apply for a general associate's b/c you will be ineligible for federal Pell grants while working on a second associate's degree. If you're going to BSN school, the grants become available again b/s you are working on a higher degree. I have a previous bachelor's, which I paid for with a full academic scholarship provided privately by my university. This makes me ineligible for Pell grants for BSN school, even though all I got from the gov't was a $2500 loan. If I go to get a Master's, I assume more aid becomes available (haven't researched this yet). That's basically how it works though. They won't give you a grant to earn a second degree at the same level. They might not give you one anyways though, depending on how much your EFC is...