I need LOTS of financial aid help?

L

ltsephiroth

New member
Okay, so... Let's begin at the top.

I'm a 23 year old high school dropout. I got my G.E.D. (in the top 2% of the state) and I'm now attempting to further my education,

I applied for F.A.F.S.A. and applied to my community college. I have an EFC of 0 (My family is beyond poor, and I no longer live at home). I recently lost my job, and spent the last of my money on bills. I'm living rent-free with a close friend for the time being.

Without any kind of income will F.A.F.S.A. cover the entirety of my community college expenses? If not would it be wise to apply for some form of student loans?

Beyond F.A.F.S.A, what should I know about student loans? What are 'decent' rates on a student loan, how long is the term, what is the agreement? Who is a decent student loan lender?

At present I am anticipating the following expenses for school my first semester. 600-800$ in books, 1500-2200$ for a new laptop (to last me for the next 3 years, comp-sci major), 150$ in clothing / supplies, and about 1000$ in tuition (it's something like 30$ / credit for in-state tuition).

Any help from ANYONE would be amazing. Thanks.
 
You will likely qualify for the full Pell Grant of $5,350.00..that's for the entire school year and will be divided among the two semesters. If you need more to live on, you also qualify for a Stafford Loan (probably subsidized) of $5,500.

Contact your financial aid adviser at your college to see what aid you qualify for through your school or state or private scholarships.

http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/P0901PaymentSchedules1D.pdf

http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp
 
You are trying to advance too fast. You need to do construction work that is very hard to learn and very hard to accomplish before you ever think of college. If you are adverse to hard labor then join the Marines.
 
If you have an EFC of 0 you should get 100% covered by financial aid. I had 100% covered including living expenses but I still needed to have a part time job to make up some of the difference. You might be able to live completely on financial aid but you would need to have really low rent and eat ramen noodles (cheap dinners) some nights. You would really have to budget yourself. Since you're living with your friend it shouldn't be a problem. But if that changes, I am not positive if financial aid covers living expenses for community colleges since they don't have on campus housing. You should contact the financial aid office about that. But with an EFC of 0 you will most likely qualify for work study (most schools have this) which allows you to work on campus and get paid decently. These jobs are flexible with a college students schedule. You MUST apply for work study early if you're going to take advantage of it. Contact your school immediately if you're interested in it. Good luck!
 
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