An update, for those of you that have been following my previous thread about college and family issues: I moved out. Under…less than amicable circumstances. My last update in July was that my parents were getting a divorce. Instead, they reconciled. 6 months later, in the first couple days of January, they freaked out again. I don’t want to publicly detail exactly what happened but my mom began acting very erratic and threatening toward my dad. I didn’t feel safe, so I moved out without notice at the beginning of January. It was something that was planned and executed in 2 days so suffice to say, I was not emotionally stable.
I AM SAFE. I’m living with my boyfriend and a friend. The landlord is aware and I am approved to reside in for the remainder of the lease (filled out the rental application and paid the fee). I have insurance through the state.
I dropped to less than half time for this quarter, so my financial aid was suspended for the upcoming quarter. I am currently working on a letter detailing my circumstances as well as putting together evidence. I don’t want to post the letter publicly but if anyone is willing to have me PM it to them and read it over/give feedback, that would be greatly appreciated.
You posted this in Aug. 2016 about the summer quarter:
Was your aid reinstated for the fall? @Kelsmom is a financial aid officer and can explain the rules. The way I understand it, federal and state grants are linked to credit hours and colleges have no leeway to adjust them. If you qualify for full-time aid, that’s what you get. If you drop to part-time, they can only give you part-time aid.
If you were suspended for not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), that’s a different issue that can be appealed. Will you be full-time in the upcoming quarter? How many credits did you successfully complete?
I agree with austinmshauri’s remark that colleges don’t have leeway abut the qualifications for financial aid as a full-time student, with minor qualifications: If your financial aid comes from the federal government, then I am sorry to say that there is most likely nothing that can be done about it. The credit requirements to be a full-time student are hard and fast. They are subject to federal audit. Special circumstances don’t qualify for a waiver.
The college may be able to waive the requirement for any component of your financial aid that comes from the college itself, though (endowment funds, scholarships, part of the general fund designated for financial aid, etc.) There is also a possibility that aid for part-time students is available.
I would recommend that you talk with someone in the financial aid office, before spending any time writing a letter.
You do not have to be a full time student to get financial aid. But you have to have at least 6 credits (Or whatever a half-time load is in your school).
For a student who is registered with the disabilities office, with a formal accommodation of reduced course load, financial aid would continue for the reduced course load until the degree is accomplished, meaning, aid continues past the expected 4 years.
However, “reduced course load” never means one class for a residential student, that I have heard of, or less than half time. Are you a continuing ed student? Or are you attending a school that is flexible about course load, allowing you to take less than half-time?
My daughter is attending a degree completion program at a college that has one for “adults,” and she keeps her credits at 6 per semester to maintain her financial aid. Below that, no aid. No matter what the reason for the low credit load. (She has a health issue and is registered with the disabilities office.)
One note that isn’t relevant to you: we recently found out that withdrawing after the refund deadline means refunding the Pell Grant as well!
I would meet with your advisor and/or the financial aid office to avoid losing aid in the future. You may be one credit off.
Also, taking 9 credits triggers the health insurance issue. You have to either accept or waive it and pay premiums versus public insurance. So be aware of that too. Sounds like you should take 6 credits and stick to it.
Sorry, left off some details. The summer issue is unrelated and was resolved with no impact on my financial aid.
My current issue is that I am halfway through Winter Quarter. 3 weeks into this quarter, I went from 15 credits to 5 credits after moving out of my parents’ home. I was unaware until a couple of days ago that dropping 10 credits this quarter (winter) would suspend my loans for NEXT for quarter (spring).
The letter is part of the satisfactory academic progress appeal. I am only receiving federal unsubsidized loans and I am following my school’s process to have them reinstated. I have already spoken to my FA office and they gave me the form to process the appeal. I have to write a letter (what happened, what changed, plan for the future) as well as present evidence of the circumstances that caused me to drop my classes. I do not really have anyone to give me feedback on my appeal, and I have seen other students their appeals letter here and get feedback, so I was just wondering if anyone would be willing to read mine.
To be extra clear: my parents had an eruption in January, a couple days before the quarter began, where my mom was threatening to divorce my dad. My mom visibly carried a firearm into a confrontation with my dad in the home.
I chose to move out on the first day of the current term. Because of serious emotional complications, I chose to go from 3 classes to 1. Because of this choice, my financial aid was suspended for the upcoming term that begins in April.
I am following my school’s appeal process which includes writing a letter. I was hoping to get some feedback on the clarity of my letter but would prefer to PM it as opposed to post it publicly.
I am not able to offer much advice, because the details are very confusing. The only thing I can suggest is to talk to your financial aid office to find out the answers to any questions you may have. I assume the reason you lost aid for next quarter is because you failed to complete the minimum percentage of classes you began - this is called pace of progression, and it is determined by dividing cumulative number of credits attempted by cumulative number of credits earned. Your college will have a % published in its SAP policy.
In terms of writing an appeal letter, you will need to outline what led to the issue that caused you to lose the aid, what has changed in your situation, and what steps you have taken/are taking to make sure you are successful. A visit to your academic advisor to develop an academic plan is encouraged - include the plan with your appeal. You will have to follow this plan.
When dealing with institutions, it can help to know that kindness is not always a motivator for them. Institutions have agendas relating to administrative or financial burdens that may not be on your radar with all you are dealing with.
That said, feel free to PM me your appeal letter.
I don’t know if you have used any counseling on campus or off, but the help of a professional would be useful in the appeal. You would have to demonstrate concrete steps or changes that will prevent this in the future.
If you suffered severe emotional consequences to your family situation, and could get a diagnosis of, say, depression or anxiety, you could be registered with the office for disabilities and have the accommodation of reduced course load. But no matter what the reason for the reduced course load, in most cases, you would have to be at least half time to stay enrolled and get aid.
There are schools that have classes for continuing education, extension, adult learner, or degree completion students (the language is different everywhere) and some state universities allow non residential students to take just one course at a time. You may be able to access aid in some way if you attend college in a different manner, other than as a residential or traditional student.
I would look long and hard at your own situation and see if this is the best way for you to attend college, given your family situation and your reactions to it, which are indeed justifiable and understandable, but may pose problems for the institutions own agendas, so to speak. And they may be right in wondering if there is a better path for you right now.
Anyway, send me your letter and I will look at it and try to be helpful : ) And wish you luck in a very difficult situation.