Oi.. the cost of tuition is crazy...

[BlueBongo]

K.. here's my problem.... my tuition this semester is $8606.50... my financial aid is only cover $7069.00 of it.. so that leaves me with $1537.50 to pay out of pocket.

I am an independent student and I have horrible credit. I have tried to apply for alternative loans but I have been denied those too.

We moved across the country so that I could attend school in VA.. but I did not count on this happening. Before the move everything was covered as far as financial aid was concerned.... but then that changed. Now I am stuck with $1537.50 of debt that I cannot pay.

I just don't know what to do now and thought I'd ask for advice or see what you all might have to say?

My school does offer a payment plan where I can pay so much every other month but to start that I have to be able to pay 1/4 of the amount with the application and the application is due by next Friday... my other problem is I don't even have the $400 to give them now. I am just very unhappy about this, I've already spent so much on my books and have been diligently attending classes.. but it's going to tear me up if I have to drop out this semester because of $1500 dollars. Why can't I just be rich or something?

[lordjeebus]

Does that $7000 include Federal loans (Stafford, etc.)?

If not, I don't think you can get turned down on that for bad credit.

If it does, perhaps you should look into getting a job on the side -- that's what I've been doing to minimize my student debt. If you have 15 weeks in your semester you'd only need to make $100 a week...

[BlueBongo]

That $7069 is all of my federal loans and grants. I am currently working, but I am seeking another job as waitresses at IHOP make no money here.. but because of my odd school schedule my availability is kinda shot. I just don't know what I can do, but at the same time I don't want to drop out of school this semester either.

[forseti-6]

Well this might not be a solution you'd want to take, but it is an option. That being going into the military reserves. I think some of them have programs such as tuition assistance and such. Only one weekend a month (unless you get deployed of course, which is a possibility), and extra money.

[Vespertine]

I feel your pain, I just coughed up the rest of my tuition.

Look into any scholarships you might be able to dig up based on your major. They usually have a ton buried in the department that they don't want people to know about. :-P Outside of that, I'm clueless. Good luck!

[lordjeebus]

Are you eligible for federal work-study (ask your financial aid office if you don't know)?

Basically it helps you get an on-campus job that pays pretty well because your employer only has to pay 10% of your pay -- the government covers the other 90%.

If you're old enough, you could look into bartending -- the pay's good and you'd only have to work a couple of nights a week.

[amonkie]

Have you tried looking at work study programs? They're usually sponsored by the university, and they tend to have flexible schedules. Also, I made money on the side being a volunteer for the different research projects being done by grad students at the like. We've got the Air Force research lab on our campus, so that makes it a little interesting, but it's worth looking into.

[irseg]

Originally posted by BlueBongo
my other problem is I don't even have the $400 to give them now. I am just very unhappy about this, I've already spent so much on my books and have been diligently attending classes.. but it's going to tear me up if I have to drop out this semester because of $1500 dollars. Why can't I just be rich or something?

I feel your pain.. A thousand or two isn't a whole lot---unless you don't have it. I was in the same situation.. What I did wasn't exactly orthodox, but it worked.. I put the payment down to get on a deferred status (1/3rd in my case--maybe sell some stuff to get the $400 you need), that was supposed to give me a few extra months to pay the full balance. Then I put it off until the semester was over and I was working at a better job. Around that time I got a nasty "pay up or we're gonna send your ass off to collections" letter. Then I made arrangements with them to pay over the next 6 months and adhered to that. So basically I stretched out their payment terms to about a year with no interest. I was a little worried about it showing up on my credit report, but it's clean.

[BlueBongo]

Good to know, irseg. I'm sure if I can get away with that... that's definently what I will do.

Working on finding a better job so I can afford school... we'll see what happens.

[bigbad]

I don't know how close you are to your friends, but you could ask around if it's possible for everyone to chip in a bit to help you out. I know if I was having problems like this my friends would help out, can't hurt to ask right?

[frozenstellar]

SHIT! $USD8600 a semester? thats insane! i spose though, without having a semi government funded place, my course is $AUD26000 a year. thankfully i only have to contribute ~$5500 a year, which can be deferred til fulltime work starts.

i cant offer any help, but if thats the cost of tuition in america, then hands down to the students on this board who pay it.

[BlueBongo]

Yep... the harsh reality of a cold cold thing when I dont live in a country that will pay for me to go to school. Bastards. But, I take what I can get... just wanna be better off than my parents are/were... and getting my education is how I can start.

[irseg]

Originally posted by BlueBongo
Yep... the harsh reality of a cold cold thing when I dont live in a country that will pay for me to go to school. Bastards. But, I take what I can get... just wanna be better off than my parents are/were... and getting my education is how I can start.

Look on the bright side, you're also in a country that won't steal as much of your money for being a productive member of society when you graduate and get a good job.

[Zamunda]

Originally posted by irseg
Look on the bright side, you're also in a country that won't steal as much of your money for being a productive member of society when you graduate and get a good job.

I don't think I'd agree with this... as soon as we get out of college we're going to start paying increasing taxes to cover the deficit... now what they should really do to help us all out is to make college tuition tax deductible... but this isnt the politics section i guess

[irseg]

Yeah I agree that our taxes are insane and will likely get worse, but they're still not as bad as even more socialistic countries where taxes pay for education, health care, etc.

[Zamunda]

true, then the question becomes whether its our education and health care system is worth the price... I would say the education is... the american college system is very unique, and I think preferable to a system consisting only of large govt. funded universities... although we have those too hmmm

[frozenstellar]

whats the tax rate over there in the US? i know we have different taxation brackets, but i think in the highest tax bracket, we're taxed 48.5%, then add an extra 6% for tuition repayment. it hurts when you've got your first post-grad job, and taxed almost 55%.