hmg346

Hello,

i have a question , i am in a bind. i already have my b.s. degree, and am returning to university of louisiana for a second bachelors in biology. they told me i am not eligible for financial aid due to the fact that i have 180 credits.. that was for my a.a. degree and my b.s. degree. i have been told that there is not a limit to the number of credits but there is a monetary lifetime limit. can u assist me on this... i need the proof to give to the appeals board.. any help is greatly appreciated

thumper1

You are not eligible for federally funded need based aid for a bachelor's degree because you already HAVE a bachelors degree. Most schools will not award institutional aid for a second bachelor's degree.

I'm not sure you can even take a Stafford loan for a second bachelors degree.

Perhaps someone else here will have more optimistic information for you...but I'm not sure you will get financial aid for a second bachelors degree.

mom2collegekids

Why not get a masters degree?


The bottom line is this...

there isn't enough aid to help everyone get one BS, so there certainly isn't money for a 2nd one.

Sorry.

swimcatsmom

You are not eligible for federal grant money (such as the pell) once you have a bachelors degree. There is no way around that.

As far as other aid such as loans, schools have a thing called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) that defines eligibility for financial aid. One of the things most SAP policies have is a credit hour limit - the most common one I have seen is 150% of the hours required for a degree. So if a degree requires 120 hours you become ineligible for aid after 180 hours. This may be something you can appeal, depending on the school. Some schools do not do FA for 2nd degrees. The hours include all hours you have taken at any

Federal loans do have aggregate limits. Finaid has good information about federal loans.

FinAid | Loans | Student Loans

momofthreeboys

180 credit hours? That sounds like more than a first BA or BS even requires? And you want another BA or BS? I agree, why are you not working on a master's degree if you want to stay in school?

emeraldkity4

I agree- 10char

kelsmom

We see second bachelors degrees a lot lately, because students need specific skills in the "new" marketplace that they do not have. Because it is so difficult to get a job in order to have the experience needed to overcome the lack of specific skills, the 2nd bachelors market is flooded. I did pm the OP, but to let everyone know ... Stafford loans can be used for 2nd bachelors degrees, up to the maximum undergrad loan limits ($57,500 of which up to $23,000 may be subsidized).

One the issues students run into when they want to do a masters degree is that they need prerequisites. If they are put into Post Bachelor status by the school, rather than in 2nd degree status, the loans are limited to a particular amount (usually $12,500) and the Post Bach period cannot exceed a year from the time of the first Post Bach class. Many of our students will try to get put into a 2nd bach program, instead, if they are only going part time, so that the time limit doesn't get them ... and so that they can maximize their loan eligibility each semester.

While some schools do award aid for a 2nd bachelor (I know someone receiving grants at an ivy for a 2nd bach), most do not.

'rentof2

I am going back to college for a post-bacc program this fall. Financial aid at the college here is treating it like a second bachelor's degree. I qualified for sub and unsub staffords. I accepted the sub loan for $5500, but I'm not going to take out the unsub (they awarded $7500 in unsub stafford.)

cap

180 credit hours? That sounds like more than a first BA or BS even requires? >>


That's about right if the school is on the quarter system instead of semesters.

kelsmom

My bachelors required 177 credits.

bluebayou

quarter systems typically require 180 credits to graduate.....

120 semester credits = 180 quarter credits.

Thus, a 3 credit semester course converts into 4.5 quarter units and vice versa.

Erin's Dad

I had 172 semester hours but that's due to the school I attended.

kelsmom

My 177 credits were semester, as well ... a few of them were from the mandatory thesis. I don't think my alma mater demands that many credits anymore, though ...