Can I get FAFSA loans for a second bachelor's degree? Already have one degree but need another

The short answer is yes, but with some important limitations. Since you already have a bachelor's degree, you're no longer eligible for federal Pell Grants or other federal grants that don't need to be repaid. However, you CAN still get federal student loans for a second bachelor's degree as long as you haven't reached your aggregate loan limits. For dependent students, the lifetime loan limit is $31,000 (with no more than $23,000 in subsidized loans). For independent students, it's $57,500 (with the same subsidized loan limit). Since you mentioned having about $28K in loans, you likely have some remaining eligibility if you're considered an independent student. To access these loans, you'll need to complete a new FAFSA and make sure to indicate that you're working on your first bachelor's degree (yes, it's counterintuitive, but that's what the form requires).

i went through this exact thing last year!!! psychology degree gang lol 🙃 anyways ya u can get loans BUT u cant get any grants which SUCKS. i applied for fafsa for my nursing degree after having my psych degree and got approved for loans but my SAI was too high for anything else

The financial aid system is designed to penalize career-changers. It's absolutely ridiculous that they cut you off from grants just because you already have a degree. The whole system assumes everyone picks the perfect major at 18 and never needs to pivot. I went through this nightmare last year trying to get funding for a second degree in accounting after my first in English lit. Had to take out private loans at INSANE interest rates because I'd hit my federal loan limit. The whole system is broken.

There's actually a very specific process for handling second bachelor's degree applications in FAFSA. Here's what you need to know: 1) Yes, you're eligible for federal loans (both Direct and PLUS loans) but not federal grants 2) You must not have reached your aggregate loan limits ($31K dependent, $57.5K independent) 3) Your school must code you as a "5th year undergraduate" in some cases 4) You must be enrolled at least half-time 5) Your SAI will still be calculated and used for institutional aid Call your new school's financial aid office directly - they deal with this situation regularly and can code your application correctly. The community college advisor was likely confused because community colleges rarely process second bachelor's degrees.

have u considered just doing a masters in comp sci instead? some programs take ppl w/o CS bachelors and u might get better finacial aid for grad school. my brother did this after his biology degree

I've been trying to reach the Federal Student Aid people about this EXACT question for weeks with no luck. Their website says one thing, the automated phone system says something else, and I can never get through to a real person. Finally gave up and used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach an actual FSA agent. They connected me in about 20 minutes! The agent confirmed I could get loans up to my remaining aggregate limit for a second bachelor's. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - totally worth it when you need specific answers from FSA.

wait so what happens if ur already at the loan limit from ur first degree??? asking for a friend lol

One additional important point: when you're filling out your FAFSA for a second bachelor's, pay close attention to the question about your degree objective. You should select "1st Bachelor's Degree" even though it's technically your second. This is because the system is primarily designed to distinguish between undergraduate and graduate students, not between first and second bachelor's degrees. Also, your subsidized loan eligibility may be limited or non-existent depending on how much of your subsidized loan limit you've already used ($23,000 maximum). But you should still have access to unsubsidized loans up to your remaining aggregate limit.

also dont forget to look at your schools scholarships!!!! i got a "career changer" scholarship from my nursing program that was like $4500 a semester. lots of schools have special money for people coming back for 2nd degrees especially in high demand fields like CS

Just wanted to add another perspective here - I'm currently in my second bachelor's program (computer science after a business degree) and had a similar loan situation. One thing that really helped me was creating a detailed budget before committing to the program. Even though I qualified for federal loans, I realized the total debt load would be pretty intense. I ended up doing a hybrid approach: took federal loans for tuition but worked part-time as a tutor (using skills from my first degree) to cover living expenses. Also applied for every CS-specific scholarship I could find - there are actually quite a few for career changers in tech fields. The key is starting your scholarship search early, like 6-8 months before you plan to enroll. Your psychology background might actually be valuable in tech - user experience, product management, and tech recruiting all value that kind of background. Good luck with your CS journey!