My credit hours aren't high enough for financial aid. How do I go about my financial aid acceptance amounts?

Question

I start grad school this fall. I'm going to take 6 credit hours the first semester and see what that is like. If it is too much (also working full-time), I may decide to only take one class (3 credits) in the spring, which would make me ineligible for financial aid.

I am about to accept my financial aid offer for the school year. Should I accept enough to cover 6 credits in both the fall and spring? If I do this and only end up taking 3 credits in the spring, what happens to that aid money since I would then be ineligible?

Answer 1

You can go ahead and accept it now for the spring, but they aren't going to give it to you if you only enroll in 3 hours.

Nothing happens to the aid money... you just don't get it.  Also, if you are accepting loans for the fall once you drop to only 3 hours for the spring, you will have to start paying any loans you too out back.... graduated or not.