Working Through College

[greenfamilyfarms]

My husband and I are both working our way through college, slowly but surely. I went to register for my summer and fall classes, and I had a hold on my record for not paying by bill. So, I called the student accounts office and they had my account set up for the Fall 2009-Spring 2010 instead of for the currect year!! So, I have been paying for semesters that have not even come yet. They refuse to credit my account for the current semester. Great!!! Now, where am I going to get the funds to pay my current bill to register for classes for the Fall? We have applied for FAFSA, but we don't qualify since we don't have dependents (or so that's what they said).

Has anybody else had this problem?

 

[JennsPeeps]

I've never had that problem but I do work for a university. Take it up a level. Complain. If it's a state institution, it's likely mired in bureaucracy. There is a way through the red tape but it's going to take some work and lots of phone calls.

You might even want to find out who the dean or director of finance is at that school. Take it to that person. Believe me, the last thing that person wants is a student to drop out in this economy. Schools need the tuition dollars.

Good luck & keep us posted.

 

[elliemay0305]

wow that sucks! i have never had that problem but you would think they would work with you! sound slike they are trying to get your money if you ask me. it was probably an error on their part to! sometimes it seems like know matter how hard you try to help your self they come up with a way to penalize you!!

oh by the way is it everest?

 

[Katy]

When my daughter was in school there were several times she had to go straighten out a screw up. If they are the ones who entered the wrong dates it's their fault, not yours. I agree, ask to speak to a supervisor in that department and keep after them.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Not qualifying for FAFSA because of dependents?

That doesn't make sense to me. Every teenager I know of has to fill out the FAFSA, and they all certainly don't have kids. I'd go straight to the school's financial aid office and sit there until someone helps you out.

 

[cluckychick]

Until the age of 24 you have to use your parents income on FAFSA forms. Our oldest who just turned 24 returned to school this year because he finally got to fill out his fafsa w/o using parental income and he gets all his schooling paid for now. Dependents don't mean anything and whoever told you that are wrong. Did you fill the fafsa out online at the goverment site or did you fill it out through the school?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
You don't have to count your parent's income if you're married.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

No, UNC-Pembroke (my college) told me the main reason why we didn't get federal assistance was because we DON'T have dependents. Heh. Now I know why so many college students have kids in college.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I have to register tomorrow but I will have to pay for my first couple classes. Because the college I'm going to makes you go to a debt management workshop first. Before they will release my information for my student loans. But they haven't updated the website to show when the workshops will be available for the month. They also made me fill out the FAFSA even though I don't qualify for free aid. I told them right off I just want to do the student loans. Nope have to jump through their hoops week after week. Calling the college is useless. You call talk to 4 different people get 4 different answers.

 

[Rosalind]

Quote:
It may be your income level is too much for a family of (howevermany) for them to offer need-based aid. IIRC, it's pretty much as long as you aren't visibly starving to death or living on the street, you get nothing from big state schools. The benefit of big state schools is, they're cheap. The downside is, getting financial aid out of them is darn near impossible. Sometimes it's cheaper to go to private schools just because they're so much more generous and flexible with the financial aid.

Agree w/ others who said, go to the dean. And start asking the dean about how you can get money for the pre-paid future tuition refunded since you'll be dropping out of college because you're unable the current semester if there's no financial aid for you. A lot of these people seem to take the bill collector attitude that you HAVE the money somewhere, you just don't WANT to give it to them and if they yell at you enough you'll cough up.

Another trick I learned: Never escalate from "I think your employee may be confused" to "Hang on, that doesn't make sense" to "Well, how in the heck am I supposed to..." to "Fine! Give me back all my money then!" Just go straight from "I think your employee may be confused" to "OK, if that's the case then I need to quit school and arrange for a refund on the semesters I've paid for, how do I do that?" Escalation just makes the other person gradually madder and madder. If you go straight to the worst possible outcome, calmly, the person you're arguing with tends to back down or start trying to negotiate.