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Butterfly8325
LIF Infant
Member since 9/10 79 total posts
Name:
Karen
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Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
In March i called to withdraw from classes for the semester with the intent of retaking in the fall, FIL has stage 4 cancer and classes were just too much. They withdrew i aksed it that was all i had to do and she said yes. She said if i had an outstanding bill at the Business Office i would have to square that off, which i didn;t and never have, i had a $1,300 pell grant, no loans or anything.
Fast forwaqrd to yesterday, 4 weeks later. I get a letter stating that i only completed 50% of the semester and because i didn't complete 60% of the semester i have to pay back almost $400 in financial aid. I am furious about this because for 1--i was never informed about having to pay back financial aid during the phone to withdraw from classes and 2---she withdrew me from colege all together and my program bot just the semester which they aren't even sure they can fix. I am unemployed with a toddler and baby coming, i can barely pay the mortgage let alone groceries this month and they want me to pull $400 out of where?
I wonder about my rights as student to be informed, how can they just not tell me i might have to pay back financial aid, i never signed anything for financial aid this semester, it was only a pell grant i received. I feel blindsided with this bill. The Business Office and Financial Aid Department are 2 different departments. How hard is it to say if your not 60% through the semester you might have to pay back financial aid, if that was the case i would have called to check and not withdrawn and just dealt with the classes even if i had to fail them, i cann't afford to pay money to them.
My question is, is there anything i can do? I feel i had rights as a student to be informed about this when i called about withdrawing from classes and nothing was said and WHAM, $400 bill with no warning. What can i do?
Thanks if you got this far, ai appreciate it. I am freaking out beyond belief right now.
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Posted 4/13/11 7:33 AM  |
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CathyB
Member since 5/05 19403 total posts
Name:
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
It probably said it in the terms & conditions wen you signed for your pell grant.
I'd contact the Business Office and see what can be done. Maybe they'll be able to put you on a payment plan.
Sorry, it must be very stressful to deal with on top of everything else going on.
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| Posted 4/13/11 7:41 AM |
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Butterfly8325
LIF Infant
Member since 9/10 79 total posts
Name:
Karen
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
Posted by CathyB
It probably said it in the terms & conditions wen you signed for your pell grant.
I'd contact the Business Office and see what can be done. Maybe they'll be able to put you on a payment plan.
Sorry, it must be very stressful to deal with on top of everything else going on.
That's the thing, i never signed anything, i signed a promissary note for my loan for Fall 2010 but the pell grant was all i got for the spring. I filled out my FAFSA, they sent me an award letter and that was it. I just don't get how they can do that, not say anything and just send a bill, seems wrong. The woman i talked to yesterday even said someone should have told me i might me liable. Is the Business Office who i need to deal with? Is there a higher up i can complain to about this and talk to about how i feel my student rights were not taken into consideration?
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| Posted 4/13/11 8:29 AM |
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CathyB
Member since 5/05 19403 total posts
Name:
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
Posted by TSP52507
Posted by CathyB
It probably said it in the terms & conditions wen you signed for your pell grant.
I'd contact the Business Office and see what can be done. Maybe they'll be able to put you on a payment plan.
Sorry, it must be very stressful to deal with on top of everything else going on.
That's the thing, i never signed anything, i signed a promissary note for my loan for Fall 2010 but the pell grant was all i got for the spring. I filled out my FAFSA, they sent me an award letter and that was it. I just don't get how they can do that, not say anything and just send a bill, seems wrong. The woman i talked to yesterday even said someone should have told me i might me liable. Is the Business Office who i need to deal with? Is there a higher up i can complain to about this and talk to about how i feel my student rights were not taken into consideration?
I'd send an email or letter to the dean/director/VP/whatever of both departments and see who gets back to me.
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| Posted 4/13/11 8:32 AM |
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canwhit
LIF Infant
Member since 12/10 79 total posts
Name:
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
There are terms to the pell grant that you have to finish a certain amount of school and if not you have to pay some back.
But maybe you can work out a very small payment plan with them so you don't have to give up one lump sum right now. Good luck
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| Posted 4/13/11 8:43 AM |
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nov04libride
big brother <3
Member since 5/05 14672 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
I think legally that chart with the percentages that you need to pay back is published (where I work, it is published in the catalog/Bulletin). Students are responsible for everything published in the Bulletin. It would have been nice for them to tell you, yes, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on if it is published anywhere. 
Which community college is it?
Message edited 4/13/2011 8:51:46 AM.
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| Posted 4/13/11 8:47 AM |
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JEKS1219
LIF Infant
Member since 9/08 163 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
Here's the guide:
http://ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachments/0809V5Ch2.pdf
I would call them AND put it in writing. Make sure you address it to the director of financial aid and the Bursar so that it does not impact your ability to receive the funds in the fall.
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| Posted 4/13/11 9:01 AM |
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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
Essentially your student loans have nothing to do with the school. I also find most sudent aid office and bursar to be the least helpful. You are really on your own in regards to know the rules of grants and student loans.
I am sure there were requirements. Your school should have helped you but you are really responsible for the repayment.
There are requirement with minimum credit for semesters to qualify for certain loans, repayment process.
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| Posted 4/13/11 9:07 AM |
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JEKS1219
LIF Infant
Member since 9/08 163 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
For loans yes I agree - for grants, specifically PELL grants - the school gets an "amount" to distribute, it is needs based. Another important factor is if you had received funds yet or withdrew before the funds were disbursed. If the funds were not yet disbursed to your account then it shold be much easier to deal with. There is usually a schedule of repayment - the guideline is 60% of attendance = 100% of funds.
Message edited 4/13/2011 9:30:36 AM.
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| Posted 4/13/11 9:25 AM |
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CaMacho
Sisters :)
Member since 7/06 15112 total posts
Name:
Jess
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
Posted by tryin4no2
For loans yes I agree - for grants, specifically PELL grants - the school gets an "amount" to distribute, it is needs based. Another important factor is if you had received funds yet or withdrew before the funds were disbursed. If the funds were not yet disbursed to your account then it shold be much easier to deal with. There is usually a schedule of repayment - the guideline is 60% of attendance = 100% of funds.
This is how it works at our university too. I speak to students about this daily. It is right on our website under the guidelines of PELL grants and students are responsible for being informed when they accept any awards. There are many factors that go into it (like how many credits they drop, if they fall below full time, etc) but since it is federal money, even if students withdraw for exceptional circumstances (medical/illness), they are still responsible for paying back PELL. 
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| Posted 4/13/11 11:01 AM |
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dm24angel
Happiness
Member since 5/05 34581 total posts
Name:
Donna
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
I thought that this was justtypical info on how Grants work. I do knwo this info is out there b/c I knew this yet no one ever told me.
The school will work out a payment plan with you though.
Loans are different then grants b/c a loan is yours regardless, you pay it back no matter what. Atthat point in a semester though, the grant cannot be offered to anyone else and you have a responsibility to pay some of it back.
I would just talk to them and tell them whats going on and hope you can work it out. Also like someone mentioned, make sure that this wont put you in a negative standing in the school for future payments. Sometimes dropping out at that point means you cannot receive aid for a certain number os future semesters.
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| Posted 4/13/11 12:09 PM |
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EPIC
LIF Infant
Member since 2/11 340 total posts
Name:
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
This happened to me I had to pay back approximately $3k. Look on the bright side it's $400 it could be worst/more.
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| Posted 4/13/11 12:17 PM |
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JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
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Re: Community College--right to be informed regarding paying back financial aid? LONG...help needed
You might be able to appeal to someone at the college based on the family illness so that the college waives the fees for the classes. I had done that at Suffolk when my dad passed away. Good luck.
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| Posted 4/13/11 12:31 PM |
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