Hi all,
I have been trying to pay for my semesters as I go. Lately, however, I tried to get financial aid from the school, and they basically said that since I already had a Master’s , they were unable to help me with a loan. My bank was unable to give me a loan as well on the same grounds. Am I missing something here? How might I get a student loan to get me through the rest of my pre-med classes? Any help would be great and thank you!
If you are maxed out Federally, then your only alternative is private loans which pretty much require a co-signer.
Although, you are also eligible for research grants and the like, if you were to try and do one of those. But they generally don’t cover tuition.
Having a masters degree should have nothing to do with it. If you haven’t maxed out on federal loans (amount wise) previously, you are eligible for federal loans. There is a provision that says that a student who is taking courses required for admission into a another educational program can receive financial aid for twelve consecutive months. It doesn’t matter how you enroll in the courses. I was enrolled as a continuing ed student (and already had a masters degree) and was able to get federal loans this way. You can find this info on page 77 (of the PDF) of the Student Eligibility Handbook (on the web here ).
Are you enrolled as a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student?
Emergency,
Given the financial aid office and the individual’s own bank said they could not, I extrapolated that the fed limit was maxed out.
If you are indeed under the federal limits, then what Emergency said is true. If you are OVER the limits, then private loans or possibly SELF loans are available.
I think physio needs to give us more information: As I remember physio has a tertiary degree (in American terms, an equivalent of a bachelor’s degree) from India and works as a physical therapist. Physio might be running into these roadblocks because of immigration status and/or income level.
I am starting to figure this out…I think. I was having trouble understanding what FAFSA is, and what is meant by a federal loan. When the office told me that I was not eligible for FAFSA, that meant I was not eligible for a regular student federal grant or a loan. This has more to do with the fact that I am non degree seeking and has nothing to do with my previous education. ihopetobeado2 is right, I am Indian and have a Bachelors degree in physical therapy from there and a Masters from a US college. I do have permanent residency in the United . I have never taken a Federal Loan prior to this so I am not maxed out. I am ,therefore, hopefully eligible for what Emergency suggests since these classes are pre-reqs for a professional program. I wonder if income will have a part to play in this , it never came up during my very short conversation at the very busy financial aid office. I learn something new everyday thanks to all of you !!
I believe ALL Federal loans require permanent US residency so you should be good 
I did the non-degree seeking pre-reqs path when I got my MBA… paid for ugrad accounting, finance, marketing, and other bore-me-tears classes.
Glad Ihope could help you
I have been mulling over this issue as well. I talked to a financial aid counselor at a community college in my area about taking my prereqs and she said I won’t be eligible for federal aid. I am willing to take out loans but am not sure if I can even get a loan. Who do I talk to about needing to take this class in order to go to med school? What happens if they deny any loans? Are there other options?? (I am fretting about this).
Thanks so much for your help.
Read my post above and make sure your financial aid person is aware of that provision in eligibility. Many financial aid people are not aware of the clause that says you can get financial aid for 12 consecutive months if you are taking pre-reqs. I have heard from several people who were initially told they couldn’t get aid, but when they mentioned this to the FA people and the FA people looked it up, found they were able to get aid.
If you’re maxed out on loans, I’m not sure what to tell you…prior posters have better answers than I do. Are you trying to take pre-requisites? I returned to school full-time at a community college while working full-time. My full tuition was around $1500 per semester, which I could afford to pay out of pocket, without a bachelor’s degree. If you’re taking classes at a private school, the numbers are probably much higher. Point is, anyone can afford to pay for classes at a community college…it may not be prestigious, but all that matters is that you prove you know the material.