Ineligible to receive financial aid due to not being in a 4 year program.?

Question

I was told I was ineligible to receive aid because I wasnt' enrolled in a 4 year program due to having too many credit hours. I just now got admitted into a 4 year program(July26th). School starts Aug. 18th. Is it too late to receive aid? The fin. aid office told me I would be eligible once admitted into this program. However, school starts in 3 weeks. They already have everything they need. So, could they package my award and everything be completed in time? Anybody experienced this before? I did email them today, but just wanting to know if anybody has had this happen before.

Answer 1

The FAFSA application process continues throughout the year - the deadline for this year's applications is June 30th, 2009.

Once your FAFSA submission has been processed, the Department of Education will still send a need analysis to your school, and you will be eligible for Stafford loans and Pell grants, just as if you had submitted the necessary information months ago.

There are some other funds that are limited, and you have probably lost out on the opportunity to tap those funds for the fall semester. You may have to wait until next year to be eligible for all of the different programs that your school has available.

You will need to speak to the financial aid office, because every school has its own policy on how to handle the student accounts of those students who are receiving late-arriving financial aid. Some schools will require you to pay tuition up front and receive a refund when your financial aid funds arrive. Others might allow you to postpone payment indefinitely, so long as your financial aid awards have been accepted and posted to your account.

Good luck to you! I hope this helped.