Student loan

Forgive me for not researching this first. I am asking this for a
friend of the family.

She is in her last year of high school. Her mother has found a new
boyfriend and from what I understand has left the girl to pretty much
fend for herself. I do think that her mother still pays the rent or is
the owner of the trailer the girl is living in. I am not sure about
the utilities. I think the mother is still trying to provide clothes
and such but I am not sure her mother even has a job.

The girl is above average intelligence and very polite each time we
have met. She is or has been close friends with my niece. I think her
plans still include finishing high school but I am not sure what her
plans are after that. I do that if she had money coming in that might
encourage her to go farther in school. I think she is working at a
fast food chain now.

How much money can she get to use to continue school? Can she get a
loan for say car expenses and other expense besides books and tuition?
Can student loans be used to go to school full time and pay for living
expenses during the school year?

She is either a resident of Georgia or Alabama. It is close to the
state line. I am not sure which state she lives in. I think it is
Georgia.

There are too many unknowns here to give a definitive answer, but yes it
can be possible to obtain enough money to cover all costs of attending
college. Funding can be a combination of not just loans but also
grants/scholarships.

But how much, and how much of each, will depend on the cost of
attendance, the quality of the student, and the funds available at a
particular school.

Her types of financial assistance will also depend on her eligibility
after she files the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
which requires information about her and her mother's finances.

For example, she will at a minimum receive a Stafford Loan of $2,625 her
first year (interest-free if she qualifies). If eligible she will also
receive a Pell Grant of up to $4,050. If she is looking at a community
college in her own state, the Stafford loan alone will more than cover
the costs billed by the school and any excess will be given to her.

But so much will depend on her specific situation that the best thing
for her to do is start by talking with her guidance counselor, and then
perhaps with a financial aid officer at a school of interest to her. It
might, or might not, be possible for her to attend any college that
accepts her.

Steven B. Blank
College Financial Aid Consultants
29 Ives Hill Court
Cheshire, CT 06410
(203)250-7761


kilowatt.DeleteThis@charter.net wrote:
> Forgive me for not researching this first. I am asking this for a
> friend of the family.
>
> She is in her last year of high school. Her mother has found a new
> boyfriend and from what I understand has left the girl to pretty much
> fend for herself. I do think that her mother still pays the rent or is
> the owner of the trailer the girl is living in. I am not sure about
> the utilities. I think the mother is still trying to provide clothes
> and such but I am not sure her mother even has a job.
>
> The girl is above average intelligence and very polite each time we
> have met. She is or has been close friends with my niece. I think her
> plans still include finishing high school but I am not sure what her
> plans are after that. I do that if she had money coming in that might
> encourage her to go farther in school. I think she is working at a
> fast food chain now.
>
> How much money can she get to use to continue school? Can she get a
> loan for say car expenses and other expense besides books and tuition?
> Can student loans be used to go to school full time and pay for living
> expenses during the school year?
>
> She is either a resident of Georgia or Alabama. It is close to the
> state line. I am not sure which state she lives in. I think it is
> Georgia.
>