My grandson was all set to go to ETBU Spring of 2019. LSC will not transfer his transcript. Financial Aid LSC says he should not have been granted FAFSA for fall of 2018 says he needs to pay back over $4000 because of actual GPA. his cumulative gpa on his transcript is 2.0. He was not honored a grant for spring of 2019, as I found out, but he was allowed to pay a little here and there.He was given $1400 per Financial Aid Mgr, He had a 1.93 on what LSC classifies as his actual gpa. We have talked to the Financial Aid Mgr and the Business Mgr. no compassion, will not work out a payment plan my grandson can afford. Only 3 choices pay it all at one time, pay 10% down $589.85 a month for 12 months, or 20% down $1179.68 and$786.46 a month for 6 months. He cannot afford it and neither can we. He lives with us and has for 5 years. We are both 75 years of age. He has had a 2.0 gpa for every semester except for the fall of 2018, both parents deserted him and his brother. there have been severe circumstances which LSC Kingwood has been made aware of, but to no avail. There has got to be someone I can go to to clarify and get this fixed so he can go to ETBU.
What is FERPA? Can they help? Should I call FAFSA? The Financial Aid Mgr is new and I asked him if every student that did not have the actual gpa from 2016 through today will have to pay FAFSA. He said only the ones they catch by checking on past mistakes he has found. That is not right. Please help.
FERPA is not an organization. It is a law, that mandates a student’s privacy. Basically, it means that unless your grandson signs a FERPA release form, you have no access to his records, accounts, anything. But of course if you go in with him, as it sounds as if you did, they will speak with you and him at the same time.
I assume that he didn’t enter ETBU because LSC held his transcript. Did he continue at LSC this past semester? It sounds from your post as if he did. If circumstances are as you described, it sounds as if his best option is to earn the money now to pay it off. He is young, and I assume he is able to work. In this economy, it is very possible for young people to find employment. At his age, at times, I worked 60 or more hours/week. He lives with you, so I’m assuming he doesn’t have to pay for rent and food. I’m sure there are jobs available in Houston. It is very possible for a young person to earn $4000 in a summer. Then LSC would release his official transcript to ETBU, and he could start with a clean slate. I suggest that for the moment, he go to speak with the admissions office at ETBU, bringing along an unofficial copy of his transcript from the LSC website, and plan for admission in September, assuming he can pay off his debt to LSC by then, which I’m sure he could.
Yes, he should try to pay as much as he can this summer. In the future, his GPA needs to be above 2.0 so he have impending probation or suspension looming over him if his GPA falls below a 2.0. Better attendance is key.
FAFSA is just the form used to come up with how much federal money a student can get. The financial aid officers at the schools are charged with making sure that certain rules are being followed when that money is dispensed. There are semester hours, grades and other rules involved. If anything is discovered to be amiss, yes, the student can lose the funds even retroactively. The school has to return the money to the federal government and their charges are unpaid.
I’m sorry this happened to your grandchild. My kids have not all had smooth school years. It’s terribly unfair that those kids on financial aid have higher standards to uphold but those are the rules when you get that money. What LSC is doing is not unusual.
If your grandson can find a job with Starbucks, he can take online courses with Arizona State. Other companies are also giving college benefits. As others have said, he is young, can work off the debt and get a firmer footing in college. Getting under a 2.0 is really not acceptable at many schools in terms of getting credit for courses and graduating. I say that as a mother of kids who have gone under that gpa line at times. It took my oldest 14 years to finish college. The man he was when he did that last term when he finally finished up with a 4.0, was not the same immature boy who barely got 2.0 at times.
I’m also sorry about all of the tragedies you and your grandson have undergone. Just getting through this last year as he did, is monumental. I wish some other arrangement could have been made.
Hang in there. It’s early yet for him. More focus on his schoolwork and better grades means better educational foundation and steps to take increasingly difficult courses. Yes, he needs to step up but I can see this was not the time to expect him to do do.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain a situation that has made me literally sick. I even had a seizure that took all day for me to sleep it off. I am going to try one more appeal. If that doesn’t work, then he will need to remain at the college til he gets it paid off then transfer. His younger brother will be going to EBU without him. That is causing a bit of hurt. But God has a purpose.
I think the school is bound by federal regulations. In order to receive a Pell Grant the student needs a certain GPA. If your grandson can’t afford the school without the grant I wouldn’t let him enroll even if they allow him to set up a payment plan. If he ends up owing them more money it will just delay his education more. Can he work this summer and repay what he owes?
Did he get Pell at the new school? He may not be eligible for aid at the new school until he raises his GPA. What does his financial aid package say?
Please don’t stress about this. It’s not uncommon for kids to run into this situation, but they can work themselves out. Do you know why he’s been struggling in his courses?