Is there any other financial aid rather than FAFSA?

Can't any and EVERYONE get Financial Aid by doing FAFSA??? I need a new start.?

• During my grade school years, I was a good student. I graduated with a 3.7 GPA and had a good ACT/SAT score. Since then, It's been all down hill. This wasn't because I couldn't do the work, but I wasn't focused. I never really sat down and considered what degree/major I REALLY wanted. I let my mother make several decisions for me that I should have done on my own, etc. Well, I'm attempting to turn my life around. The school I previously attended will NOT give me financial aid, because I'm on academic probation (dropping classes, W, WF Grades, etc.) there and I dont currently have the finances. So this is my question, basically, (if you're not on academic/financial aid suspension at some school) Can't ANYONE get financial AID as long as they do a FAFSA??? I'm too old to be claimed as a "dependent" and allowing my mother to assist me on this, and frankly now I'd be ashamed for her to do it anyway. I'm going to have to do my FAFSA as an unemployed dependent. Assuming that whatever school I apply for next accepts my FAFSA, isn't it likely they would give me enough money to attend school??? I just want to get off to another start, get a part time job while in school and do things the right way now.

• Answer:

  Let me ask you a couple of questions. First, did you have student loans at this school, and if so are you current on payments on them? Second, are you planning to return to the same school? The answers to this question may be pertinent to the answer. If you have defaulted on a federal student loan you are out of luck for at least 6 months no matter where you go to school while you work on a rehabilitation agreement with your servicer. You'll need to make 6 consecutive monthly payments on the defaulted loan(s) to rehabilitate them sufficiently to regain eligibilty for Title IV (federal) aid. No, you can't make a lump sum payment. While you are in default you are not eligible for any form of federal aid (same if you owe a repayment on federal grant funds because you dropped out or walked away before the end of the semester). Second, check with the Advising Center at your previous school to see if they have some sort of fresh start option for students in your situation. That may well get you back into school there with conditions (you may be limited to specific classes and a specific number of classes), and you may, if you are also on financial aid suspension, able to file an appeal with the Aid Office stating how your situation has changed. They may allow you one more semester of aid to get your act together and show that you are able to study effectively. Repeating previously failed classes is probably a reasonable idea as well. If you do not meet the statuses on the FAFSA to be independent automatically, you will still need parent informaton until you are 24. Your SAP status does not follow you to another school, and not all schools will require a college transcript if you have no transferrable credits. You may, however, want to consider returning to a local community college to get your feet underneath you, since if you are not for one reason or another eligible for financial aid, these colleges are usually reasonably enough priced for you to pay for one or two courses a semester out of pocket while working full or part-time. Most colleges do have payment plan options that may just make this option feasible for you.