<p>Anyone have any suggestions where I can get help payin my bills while I am in school. I am a parent with low income living in the state of ohio.</p>
<p>Studentmom4, the MOST you are guaranteed to get from the federal government in the way of grants is $5600 in PELL grants, if you qualify, and have an EFC of zero. The amount is reduced as the EFC goes up. Your entire financial aid package, PELL, Stafford Loans, school aid, state aid if there is any, work study is limited by what the school’s official Cost of Attendance (COA) is. That is the official figure the school submits to the government and limits what government aid you can get. That number will include tuition, fees, estimate for books, estimate for housing cost, estimate for food, estimate for transportation and other living expenses. It does NOT include prior bills, and it is not a figure custom made for YOU, but an average. If you can “beat the average” by finding cheaper housing, having lower grocery bills, less in transportation costs, getting your books cheaper or borrowing them, and spending less overall, that extra is going to go into your pocket. If you spend more than that figure, then you have to come up with that extra. Unless you have some other source of income for child care, that alone could bring up your costs, as the costs for your child are NOT included in the financial aid. It is strictly based on what an average student need to pay for the fixed college tution and fees, and a composite on what the housing and other living expenses are. </p>
<p>So I suggest you find out what your COA is at your school for an independent student who is a parent. Some schools do have different COAs for different circumstances. Also ask if there is any flex in that COA figure. Your maximum PELL for the year is $5600, Stafford loan amount is $9500, so if your school COA is lower than that, you may be able to work with them regarding the fact that your expenses exceed that amount, if that is the case. Again, past bills and certain expenses are not going to taken into consideration, but you can ask what can be to get the maxijum COA to get the maximum aid you can get. You can also ask if there are any scholarships or other funds that the school may have that you can access. </p>
<p>Otherwise the only places you are going to get any money if you don’t have it yourself is from parents/family/SignificantOther/friends, private loans, or working.</p>