Your right, College Financial Aid Offices often makes the process more
confusing than it already is. However, your situation usually finds
open arms at those offices to help you.
Note: You will find that I have provided general information in the
first section of my answer, that you are probably already discouraged
with. I did so just in case you should need to contact them on your
own at any time in the future. It would save you trying to find them
on the web. Your list of contacts and experts is at the bottom. The
beginning of this information starts with exclamation points (!!!)
If you are seeking government Financial Aid, there is a web-site from
the HEIC or Higher Education Information Center. Before you click on
the link below, here is what you can expect to find there.
http://www.heic.org/finaid.htm
As you may have already found, most financial aid and grants are for
students who plan on attending public universities.
One program you may be eligible for is the Massachusetts No Interest
Loan Program Description.
http://www.osfa.mass.edu/programs.asp?program=no_interest_loan
ultimately it is not free money, but may allow your step-son to afford
to attend.
The HEIC also has a link on their main page (most the way down to the
left) that has links for banks/ financiers such as NEFA and Sallie Mae
that would be able to better assess your situation.
I do not know your financial situation or what major your step-son
wishes to pursue. However, there are many "private" grants and
scholarships available.
As well as many loans. See these sights for more details.
Loans http://www.estudentloan.com/ Scholarships
http://www.collegexpress.com/scholarships/index.do;jsessionid=343B53085AFA43C36F91D99EF73C96DF
Above is the general information. Here we get to the specifics. If
you haven't done so already, contact the institution where your
step-son will be attending. They should have a "Special Conditions
Financial Aid" form, or something of that nature. It is to be filed
with or after your general FAFSA. This allows not only the school to
take special consideration on offering school loan and grants, but
will also possibly open the government?s doors for help. You will need
to contact your school/s of choice to get this form. Private or not,
they should have it because of disabilities acts and so forth. This
form at most schools I scanned still applies even if the disabled
person is the parent. Remember, when they view your financial ability
they are looking at the parents more than the student so it's info
they need and want to know.
I do not know the extent of the disability. As I'm sure you are aware,
you will have to have documentation of it. If it was caused due to
military service or an accident, there are special provisions for that
as well.
Now to find an expert to lead the way for you.
The most noted experts in the field of Financial Aid are based out of
Connecticut; they are called the College Service Center and host the
financial aid super site at
http://www.financialaidsupersite.com/?referrer=Google they were
rated by NEWSWEEK as one of the best.. To read more about them
according to Newsweek see this link
http://www.financialaidsupersite.com/docs/FinancialAidGuide-TheBursarCometh.pdf
I went through all the following in my answer, because those were all
the steps I had to take to find what you are looking for.
!!! !!! !!!
!!! The Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. !!!
The listing in the link provided provides the names of all people
members of the association. Some of the members work at colleges and
in traditional financial aid offices. Many of them are "private"
financial aid counselors and that is all they do. These are the people
you need to talk to. Their titles are listed, look for Financial Aid
Consultant in their title. These are people that normal work outside
of the institutional setting and will be of the greatest help to you.
Here is the link! http://www.masfaa.org/membership/memberlist.php
I was very excited to find that there is a list of proven contacts and
experts available on the web. I wish you and your family much luck and
success in obtaining the financing and help you need. |
