need help asap!!!

OctBride05 Posted: Dec 01, 2003 10:43 PM

need help asap!!!

ok, i go to suffolk cummunity college and i got NO financial aid this semester. i owe $500.00 before i can register for the spring semester. my mother and father do not help me out and the reason i didn't get any financial aid is because my parents salary is too high. is there anyone i can right to and explain my situation. i haven't lived with my parents and they haven't supported me for 5 years!!! i don't want to ask fh for the money because he already paid $800.00 of it.

ChristineC68 Posted: Dec 01, 2003 10:46 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

I guess you would need to meet with someone in the financial aid office. Can you submit copies of tax returns that shows you are not a dependent of your parents?

swags1016 Posted: Dec 01, 2003 10:48 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

If your parents still claim you on their income taxes there is nothing you can do. If you are over 25 then there is no reason that their income should be taken into consideration it should be based on yours alone.

SomedayBride Posted: Dec 01, 2003 11:05 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Swags is right, if your parents claim you, there's nothing you can do. If they do not claim you, you might be able to claim hardship (all schools are different though) or you may be able to appeal the decision to the financial aid board. I don't know if your school has this, but another option might be a payment plan. I know that the CUNY schools offer payment plans for their tuition, but I am not familiar with SCCC. Sorry.

KarenK122 Posted: Dec 01, 2003 11:07 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Speak to someone in financial aid. They have payment options that you can do or they also have loans that can be taken out.

Niecey Posted: Dec 02, 2003 12:42 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

I would talk to someone in the fa office at the college. I had a friend who went to college a couple years after we graduated hs. She still lived at home but she was 100% independent financially and her mom's salary was still being considered to her financial aid and her mom was not able to help her at all. She had to declare her self as independent and go thru a lot of paperwork but she was able to do it. I don't know what the process included though.

yabbobay Posted: Dec 02, 2003 02:03 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

educational loans are not a bad idea...they are low interest...you don't have to pay them until you graduate (or stop going to school) and they are good for building credit...

ANYONE can get them...

OctBride05 Posted: Dec 02, 2003 04:35 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

i am only 22, and i'm pretty sure my mom still claims me as a dependent even though i told her not to last year because i had the same problem. i am so mad because they DO have the money to help me but they just won't. my aunt told me she would give me the money but won't have it until march.

can i get a student loan even though i have bad credit???

btrflygrl Posted: Dec 02, 2003 04:39 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

If you are independent of your parents, their salaries should not be coming into play with your tuition.

SomedayBride Posted: Dec 02, 2003 05:14 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Your credit shouldn't really matter when it comes to student loans, however, if you are not eligible for financial aid, you will not be eligible for a loan. (at least this was my experience, since technically, a loan is financial aid)

jannshari Posted: Dec 02, 2003 07:35 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Even if you are independent of your parents, some schools still require the info. When I applied to law school, one school required my parents' income as long as I was under 26 and one school required it as long as I was under 30!!!! Even if I had been married, if I was under a certain age, they still required it. My parents didn't pay a plug nickel for my law school education (but they did put me through college), and I had to take loans out for everything, including my rent and food. Take out a small loan for the $500 and pay it off during the grace period after you graduate so no interest accrues.

OctBride05 Posted: Dec 02, 2003 10:35 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Posted by SomedayBride

Your credit shouldn't really matter when it comes to student loans, however, if you are not eligible for financial aid, you will not be eligible for a loan. (at least this was my experience, since technically, a loan is financial aid)

i don't think this is true. my brother was not eligible for financial aid and he got student loans.

SomedayBride Posted: Dec 02, 2003 10:43 PM

Re: need help asap!!!

Really? Well, maybe his school is different. I know that last semester, I wanted to take a loan but they said that the student loans through the school were considered financial aid, and i was not eligible.