Can FAFSA Parent PLUS loan be revised midyear to cover unexpected summer classes?
My daughter just sprung on me that she wants to take summer classes to catch up on credits (she fell behind last semester due to health issues). We already have a Parent PLUS loan for the 2023-2024 academic year, but didn't include summer term costs when we applied. Is it possible to revise or increase our existing Parent PLUS loan amount at this point to cover summer 2024 classes? Or do we need to apply for a completely new loan? The financial aid office isn't responding to emails and her registration deadline is next week. Any advice would be really appreciated!
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Amy Fleming
Yes, you can definitely request an increase to your existing Parent PLUS loan for the 2023-2024 aid year to cover summer courses! Summer 2024 is actually considered part of the 2023-2024 academic year for financial aid purposes (even though it sounds counterintuitive). You'll need to: 1. Contact your school's financial aid office to request a PLUS loan adjustment form 2. Submit documentation of the additional summer costs 3. They'll recalculate your Cost of Attendance (COA) to include summer Most schools have a specific summer aid application process, so ask about that too.
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Juan Moreno
•Thank you so much! That's really helpful. So the existing PLUS loan can be adjusted rather than applying for a whole new loan? That's a relief. Do you know if there's a limit to how much we can increase it by?
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Alice Pierce
i had same issue w/ my son last yr. summer is def part of 2023-24 yr. we just had to fill out a form. took like 5 min. but evry school diffrnt so call ur fin aid office
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Juan Moreno
•Thanks! Did they process your request quickly? I'm worried about the tight timeline since my daughter needs to register next week.
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Esteban Tate
YOU NEED TO CALL THEM DIRECTLY!!! Emails will sit there FOREVER with financial aid offices this time of year. When my daughter needed to add summer classes last year, my emails went ignored for 3 WEEKS until I finally called. Even then I got passed around to 4 different people before someone actually helped me. The whole system is designed to be frustrating and make you give up!!
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•This is so true... I've been trying to get through to my son's financial aid office for 2 days now and keep getting sent to voicemail.
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Elin Robinson
After trying to reach my son's financial aid office for literally a week (constant busy signals, voicemail full, etc.), I found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual human at his school's financial aid office. You might want to check out their video demo (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) and their site claimyr.com. It saved me so much frustration when we needed to adjust his loans for a study abroad program that was added mid-year. Much better than waiting on emails that never get answered!
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Juan Moreno
•Oh wow, I've never heard of this. I'll check it out if I can't get through tomorrow. Getting desperate at this point with the registration deadline coming up!
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Atticus Domingo
The Parent PLUS loan can absolutely be revised, but there are some important details you should know: 1. The maximum PLUS loan amount is cost of attendance minus other financial aid received 2. Summer enrollment often requires at least half-time status (usually 6 credits) 3. Your daughter should check if she has remaining Pell Grant eligibility for the year before increasing loans 4. Some schools require a separate summer aid application 5. If your PLUS application is more than 180 days old, you might need to reapply I work in higher ed and see this situation all the time. Don't worry! This is a common request.
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Juan Moreno
•This is so helpful, thank you! She'll be taking 9 credits over the summer, so that should qualify as half-time. I didn't even think about checking remaining Pell eligibility - that's a great tip. We'll definitely look into that first before taking more loans.
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Beth Ford
My daughter just did this! We had to fill out a Summer Financial Aid Application specifically. Also, make sure your FAFSA is already on file for 2023-2024 (which it sounds like it is). The whole process took about 3 weeks from application to getting the increased funds, just so you have a timeline to expect. Good luck!!
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•3 weeks?? Oh no, that's way too long for the original poster if registration is next week...
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Juan Moreno
•That's exactly what I'm worried about. I wonder if they can do some kind of conditional registration while the loan processing happens?
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Atticus Domingo
One more thing I should have mentioned! Most schools will allow registration for summer classes even if the financial aid isn't fully processed yet. They typically have a summer payment deadline that's AFTER registration. So your daughter should be able to register even if the PLUS loan adjustment isn't complete. Just make sure to get the paperwork started ASAP so it's in process. The financial aid office can often put notes on the account showing that funding is pending, which will prevent registration blocks.
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Juan Moreno
•Oh thank goodness! That's a huge relief. I'll make sure we at least get the paperwork submitted right away, and hopefully that will allow her to register while everything processes. Thanks for this crucial information!
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Alice Pierce
make sure 2 ask about summer payment plans 2!! my kids school let us do 3 payments instead of all upfront
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Elin Robinson
Hey, just wanted to follow up - were you able to get through to the financial aid office? Did adjusting the PLUS loan work out for your daughter's summer classes?
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Juan Moreno
•Yes! Finally got through yesterday. They're sending me a Summer Aid Application and PLUS Loan Adjustment Form. Apparently they can increase our existing loan since summer 2024 is still part of the 2023-2024 aid year. And the great news is they confirmed my daughter can register before everything is finalized! Thanks everyone for your help!
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Ava Martinez
That's fantastic news! So glad you were able to get through and get everything sorted out. It's such a relief when the financial aid office actually responds and helps resolve these time-sensitive situations. Your daughter is lucky to have such a proactive parent advocating for her. Summer classes can be a great way to catch up, especially after dealing with health issues. Best of luck with her coursework!
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Quinn Herbert
•This is such a great outcome! As someone new to navigating the FAFSA process, this whole thread has been incredibly educational. I had no idea that summer terms were considered part of the previous academic year for financial aid purposes - that seems so counterintuitive but makes sense once you think about it. The tip about being able to register before the loan adjustment is finalized is huge too. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here, this is going to help so many families in similar situations!
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Sophia Russo
This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation where my son needs to add summer courses for his engineering program. Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm realizing I need to act fast and call directly rather than relying on emails. The information about summer 2024 being part of the 2023-2024 aid year is crucial - I would have never known that! Also really appreciate the tip about checking remaining Pell Grant eligibility first before taking additional loans. Going to call his financial aid office first thing Monday morning with this new knowledge. Thanks everyone for sharing your real-world experiences!
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