About 4 years ago I goofed around and, being young and dumb, got myself academically suspended from college. Wanting to finish my degree, I have reapplied and been accepted back - my registration materials are on the way. However, I cannot afford to go back unless I have financial aid and I understand that in order to keep financial aid you must show 'academic progress'. But what about getting it for the first time with a standing GPA that is below a 2.0 from 4 years ago? I have never received financial aid but have now applied for the first time. The school did accept me back so is it possible that they could give me financial aid for one semester to try to get my GPA back up? I'm tryingto find out as much as possible. Thank You very much!
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Unfortunately, you would not be able to receive financial aid without going through the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal. For financial aid purposes, you must meet the qualitative and quantitative standards. As an undergraduate, the standards are:
Qualitative: Pass at least 75% of the credits you have attempted. This will include any credits that are transferred from another university.
Quantitative: Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or otherwise specified by your department. Your grade point average is only for that university. For example, if you attended a university in your situation and have a grade point average of less than 2.0, even if you were to go back after 4 years the financial aid office will still look at your grade point average from when you did attend. Versus, if you were to go to a different university, the quantitative measure would not be applied as they would only look at your grade point average for the classes you attended at their institution.
You would need to contact the financial aid office regarding the appeal. You must have an extenuating circumstance as to why you did not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress when you were attending. You would also need to provide documents to support your extenuating circumstance. If you have none, you would not be eligible for federal financial aid.
You can do several things:
1.) Look for scholarships to help you pay for college. Not all scholarships are based on your grades, so you would just need to do your research. You can search on a scholarships search engine such as FastWeb or on the Internet via Yahoo!
2.) Apply to a different university. If you get accepted, you would be able to receive financial aid provided you are meeting the quantitative standard (passed at least 75% of the credits you attempted). Again, your grade point average would only be based on the university you attend.
3.) Take 1 to 2 classes each semester which would need to be financed by the student. Taking a lighter course load will help you to focus on the classes you have an receive a better grade. This will help you improve your cumulative grade point average. Once your cumulative grade point average is above 2.0; you would then qualify for federal financial aid.
4.) Seek an alternative student loan. This is a loan would be based on the student's credit. You can search for these lenders by searching for alternative student loans on the Internet. There are many different lenders, so you would choose the one that best fits your needs. If you do not have any credit or have adverse credit, you may need to find a credit worthy cosigner.