<p>The lending market appears to be broken. Federally guaranteed loans will not be enough to help pay for college tuition, and private loans in many cases may not be available. Have people had experiences getting turned down for private loans? What are the alternatives?</p>
<p>Private loans require a decent to good credit score and credit history or a cosigner with the same. People are turned down for private loans all the time.</p>
<p>As far as federally guaranteed loans not being enough to pay for college tuition – that is absolutely not the case. they are usually more than enough to pay for your local community college tuition and in some cases (depending on your EFC and the amount of pell grants you receive) they will also pay for tuition at a smaller state college. </p>
<p>The federal government loan and grant program was not designed to pay for more expensive options – it was meant to allow every person a chance at a college education, which you can certainly get at a community college or small state college.</p>
<p>Your alternatives – attend a college you can afford, work your butt off during summers and school year and save your money, watch what you spend and cut down on any unnecessary expenses, do well in high school so that you will be eligible for merit scholarships, consider taking a year off to earn money, volunteer for americorps and earn a stipend, attend community college or a small state college for the first two years and transferring, apply to colleges that guarantee to meet full need, apply for a ROTC scholarship, apply to local scholarships, join the armed forces, talk to your parents to see what (if anything) they will contribute, be an RA (resident assistant) after the first year, apply for one of the free schools (Deep Springs, Westpoint, Air Force Academy, Cooper Union, etc), consider one of the colleges meant for low-income students (Berea)</p>
<p>hsmomstef -</p>
<p>Preach it sister!</p>