<p>Can someone tell me why you can be approved for a $2500 loan from Sallie Mae then your school decides how much you actually get. I applied for a loan for more than the tution cost to cover books and some living expenses but the school is only approving about $300. I am lost and I don’t understand the financial aid people!</p>
<p>What is the COA of your school?</p>
<p>What other aid have you been awarded?</p>
<p>If most of the COA of your school is already being covered with grants and/or loans, then you don’t have much COA left.</p>
<p>Federal rules limit financial aid to a college’s cost of attendance. If you have some unusual expense, you can ask the school to increase your cost of attendance to cover it but it needs to be something they didn’t actually account for already. (I’ve seen people ask to have the cost of a computer, winter clothes or additional travel expense added to COA.) If you have an unusual major that requires expensive equipment and the school is using a standard COA, that is a good reason too.</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> that Wells Fargo has a loan that does not require school certification an I believe that’s the route I will be taking since I need at least 4k more than what the school says I need, and that they will not modify my certification for.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help! That at least points me in a direction!</p>