How can I get my financial aid back after being out of school for two years?

Question

I am a thirty-two year old mom of two boys, 7 and 5, with autism. I started college in 2011 and last attended in 2012. I was not able to enroll anymore due to moving and various diagnosing and therapy needs I had to make sure my children went through. They are both about to be in school and I am finally able to enroll again. However I apparently owe financial aid from my first year of attendance. I was not aware that I owed because they never sent anything to my previous or new address stating I had a bill. I have been accepted to a new college, a junior college, in a different state and am approved for financial aid through fafsa. Until yesterday I thought everything was going smoothly and was thrilled to be getting back on track to getting my degree in psychology. I received an email stating that I owe back payments on fafsa that I previously received. My passion is psychology and having two children with autism has allowed me to help others work through some of the same hardships that I have personally gone through, but now I am at a roadblock that I do not know how to get around. How can I receive my financial aid to get back into school if they say I owe money? Is there an appeal process I can go through?

? · Answer

you gotta pay off that old balance in full first

once you get that paid off, then you can move forward with financial aid

there is nothing to appeal, you owe back fin aid funding from your previous time in school

if you can afford to take one class out-of-pocket... then you might be able to make payment arrangements to get your previous transcript released & then pay out-of-pocket for one class at a time at this new school until you get the balance paid out

also, when you owe back financial aid, it is highly probably that you had a semester of withdrawals & with this it is also likely that you do not meet academic criteria for federal financial aid

I hope you know that getting a bachelor's in psych is usually useless... you must get that graduate degree for psych to be worth anything

Prov MD · Answer

No, you cannot appeal this. To go to school, you first need to pay back the money that you already owe, then you can get further financial aid. That's just the way it is.

Anonymous · Answer

So there is no process that I can go through to get any financial assistance? No appeal or payment arrangements that will allow me to continue my education?

Anonymous · Answer

You will have to pay it back before you are allowed back in. FA doesn't allow for sickness, time off, etc. It seems unfair, but money is money. I'm sorry for your hard times.

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How can I get my financial aid back after being out of school for two years?

4 Answers