What are my chances of getting financial aid on these incomes?

Question

I am going to Concorde Career College in San Diego, CA. For those of you who aren't familiar with this school, its a fast-paced school. I can get my associates degree in vocational nursing in 51 weeks WITH NO WAITING LIST. The program cost is $28,000. That includes shots or anything health related (such as TB or other health tests), scrubs/uniforms, books, class costs, etc. I am determined to go to this schools because I can complete my degree fast, and every other place around here has a 3-4 years waiting list to apply for the nursing programs. To get to the question, I just turned 20. and my husband joined the military a year ago. Our incomes combined for 2007 is $22,282. That is what I will be using to fill out financial aid. I've heard you cant go over $20,000. Is that true? And about how much will financial aid pay for that college for me?

Answer 1

You might not qualify right away because like you said you cant make over 20,000 for a family of 2.. But make sure to talk to a Financial Adviser/Specialist at your school and explain to them if you can get a FEE REDUCTION FORM.. in this form you will explain your situation. Most likely you will get help.

Answer 2

My husband and I made more than that last year (not much), but I still got enough financial aid to cover all of my tuition and books.  This was in Texas and the university is much less than $28,000 per year, but I still don’t think you should have a problem getting financial aid or loans to cover the costs. Just be sure to fill out your FASFA early and don’t wait till the last minute because that can make a difference. Good Luck!

Answer 3

First you need to go complete your fafsa at www.fafsa.ed.gov to see what you EFC (expected family contribution) is.  If your EFC is under $4000 you will qualify for a PELL grant.  There is no set income level, the fafsa looks at several different areas to determine your EFC.  With that income, you will most likely qualify for some PELL, probably not a full PELL grant though.  The PELL grant is anywhere from $400 - $4731 per semester, depending on your EFC.  If your EFC is 0 you get $4731 for the year, if your EFC is closer to $4000 you will get more like  $400.   As for Federal Loans, the most you can get is $9500 for one year.  As you can see, those 2 things alone will not be enough to cover the $48,000.  You will need to talk to the school to see if they offer any state or institutional aid to help you out.

I would be very leary of a program that charges that much money for a 51 week course and why can they give you a degree in such a short time?