Unemployment and EFC

etobiason
Sun, 17 May 2009 18:17:33 +0000

I have been unemployed since Feburary of 2008 and shall exhaust my unemployment benefits this August. I was taking some classes at the community college part-time before being laidoff and enrolled full-time last summer. I shall earn my AS this summer and will attend Rutgers this fall. My funding for schooling has been entirely based on a state program that allows the unemployed to register tuition-free in availible classes the day before they begin. So I avoided having to deal with financial aid, till now.

I am still not entirely sure how I shall pay for the upcoming year as my unemployment earnings puts my EFC way above the Cost of Attendance. There is a new website www.oppertunity.gov that says there will be extra funding for those on unemployment, specifically Pell Grants.

Does anyone know some specifics about this ? Is the EFC calculation going to be adjusted? As the current formula makes its nearly impossible for to get a low enough EFC to get a Pell grant.

Any input would be greatly apreciated.

[url=http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/opportunity/index.html]Opportunity.gov[/url]

New Educational Opportunities for Unemployed Workers
Americans with more education and training have more secure jobs and higher earnings. With jobs hard to find, it may be a good time to consider going back to school.

The President recently announced that unemployed workers receiving unemployment benefits may qualify for a special hand in paying for education and training. And aid can be significant: In particular, the Federal Pell Grant program can provide up to $5,350 for educational costs at community colleges, colleges and universities, and many trade and technical schools. This is only one example of several federal student aid programs available to assist unemployed workers.