Sunday, September 18, 2011

How exactly does Financial aid for school work? Do i need a debit card?

What if your under 24- living with your parents and together they make ok money %26amp; you have a full time job $10.00 with 2 other kids in the household. However, they are in a lot of debt owe people money, have bad credit and the 3 of us together are living paycheck to paycheck- will the financial aid office care- or do they just care about the whole taxes return thing? I really want to go to school full time but I cant afford it.|||Greetings.





First off: No. You don't need a credit card. Although a checking account (debit) card would simplify life a little more. And, no...your parent's credit rating do not figure into this.


Well, since you are under age 24, you will have to report your parents earnings on the FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) as you will still be considered a Dependant. What the government (and your home state) want to know is how much you and your parents will contribute to your education. This is figured by the tax and income information that you give on the FAFSA. It's still recommended that you apply because you may still qualify for some sort of aid. Make sure that you check the box for work-study as that may be a good way of making some extra scratch working on-campus.





If you are going into community college, see if the college has a fee-waiver program (which does not have to be repaid), which is not connected to your aid package. Also look into your college's EOPS/EOP program. They often offer book vouchers in exchange for progress reports. If it is community college, try not to take out a student loan, save that for the 4-year university.





Personally I made community college work to my advantage by working two part-time jobs: On-campus tutoring (work-study), and an off-campus retail job. It offered me enough flexibility to attend school full-time or darn close to it. When I transferred to a 4-year, I transferred as a Junior to a State University, and I attended for 2 1/2 years full-time.





Hope that helps

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