FAFSA aid package falls short by $7k - loan denial means no college?

Good news - getting denied for a Parent PLUS loan actually makes your daughter eligible for additional unsubsidized Direct loans! When parents are denied the PLUS loan, the student becomes eligible for increased unsubsidized loan limits (usually an extra $4,000-$5,000 depending on year in school). Contact the financial aid office immediately and tell them you were denied for PLUS and need them to process the additional unsubsidized loan for your daughter. This won't cover the full gap, but it'll help.

have u looked into private loans? my son got one from sallie mae when we couldnt get approved for parent plus. rates were high tho

YOUR SCHOOL IS HIDING MONEY!!! They ALWAYS have emergency funds and special scholarships they don't tell anyone about!!! You need to GO IN PERSON to financial aid and ask for the director. Don't take no for an answer!!! My nephew got an extra $5k just by being persistent and explaining his situation. These schools make BILLIONS and then pretend they can't help struggling families. It's CRIMINAL!!!

did u appeal the financial aid offer? you can totally do that especially with the divorce situation if that happened after u filed taxes. thats considered a special circumstance

I was in exactly this situation when my PLUS loan was denied! Nobody at the school told me what to do next, so I spent two weeks trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid. I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally tried using Claimyr.com to get through to an agent - their service connects you directly without the wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The FSA agent confirmed that the PLUS denial triggers additional unsubsidized loan eligibility for your daughter and explained how to get the school to process it. Saved me weeks of stress!

I work in financial aid at a different university. Here's what you should do: 1. Request the additional unsubsidized loan that your daughter is eligible for due to the PLUS denial 2. File a Special Circumstances Appeal with documentation of your divorce and any reduction in income 3. Ask specifically about institutional scholarships or grants (each school has different ones) 4. Look into payment plans - many schools will let you spread payments over 10-12 months 5. Check if your daughter qualifies for work-study even if it wasn't in her initial package As a last resort, your daughter could consider attending a less expensive school for a year and transferring after establishing a good college GPA. Many students save money this way.

my daughter got soemthing called an endowed scholarship at her school. it was from alumni donations for specific majors. what is your daughters major?

tbh this happens to so many families. my brother couldnt go to his first choice bc of $$. it sucked but he went to state school and is doing great now. sometimes you gotta be realistic about what u can afford

One last thing to consider - now that you've been denied for the PLUS loan, ask the financial aid office if they offer any kind of Parent PLUS Loan Alternative. Some schools have institutional loan programs specifically for families who can't qualify for PLUS but don't want their students taking on too much debt. These programs often have more flexible credit requirements. Also, with your SAI of 7850, double-check that you received all the federal and state grants you're eligible for. That SAI should typically qualify for some Pell Grant funding, and many states have their own grants based on FAFSA info.