Can I enroll in classes in college if my financial aid student aid report isn't done yet?

Question

Like could they just bill an account in my name for a later time or something like that. I have been trying to complete my financial aid papers and I keep getting messages saying they need more papers and more and more...I am already accepted, have the hall and room I will be staying in, and I am signed up for fall welcome in which I sign up for classes, but will I be able to without having financial aid completely figured out yet?

Answer 1

You can certainly register, but when the payment deadline arrives, it's very highly unlikely that your school is going to look the other way.

When a student has been offered (and accepted) financial aid, most schools have a payment deadline for financial aid recipients that is later than the deadline for students paying without aid.

If you haven't yet been awarded aid, the school has no way of knowing what kind of aid you might eventually qualify for. You're asking them to let you skirt the payment deadline without any assurances that you'll be getting anywhere near enough aid to pay your bill.

That's like saying to someone you owe $100 to: "If you let me pay back you back next week, my dad is going to give me some unknown amount of money on Friday."

They'd say "Is he going to give you a $100?"

And you'd say - "I have no idea."

The lender would say "But what if he only gives you $10? What would happen?"

You'd say "Then I still won't be able to afford to pay you back."

Would you expect the guy you owe $100 to let you slide another week because you might be getting some unknown amount of money "in a few days"?

Your only option is to make an immediate appointment with financial aid. Don't wait for school to start. If you're going to orientation, that's a good day to make an appointment for. Tell them what's going on, and they might be able to guesstimate how much aid you're likely to receive. They may have some special allowance they can make for your situation. If you don't talk to them, you're really taking a HUGE amount of risk - the bill will come due, your aid hasn't arrived - and you are administratively dropped from your courses because you haven't made payment arrangements. Don't risk that embarrassing mess.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

You can register but all schools have a deadline for which the bill must be paid. For me, I registered in May but the money is due in by Aug 25th, if you don't pay by then your classes will be dropped.