CUNY HELP. Very important?

Need Some Help with CUNY?

• I am 44 years old. I graduated from CUNY 15 years ago. Yes, it was stupid of me to let 15 years go by but I can't do nothing about those wasted years. I want to return as a second-degree CUNY student for the fall 2009 semester. My question is: What is the best student loan for me? I exhausted the PELL and TAP awards earning my first B.A. and thus, they will not pay for a second degree. I have a 32-hour a week security guard job. Do I qualify for a student loan? Please, I need some solid advice.

• Answer:

  I went to Hunter College. The loan I have was from the Dept of Education (Direct Loan Services) and it's about 3% interest. I don't think the amount of hours you work factors into the decision. It's more about how many hours you are going to spend at school. I was not eligible for the loan if I was not a full time student. For the one semester that I was a part time student, I received APTS: Aid for Part Time Students but it was just a couple of hundred dollars. I never applied for it. I guess it came automatically after filling out the FAFSA, and it came after the semester had started. I know the amount you are eligible to receive also depends on how many credits you've accrued. I was eligibile for much less as a freshman than as a senior. Your best bet is to contact the financial aid office at the CUNY you want and speak to an advisor. If you haven't already done so, fill out the FAFSA online if you plan to get a loan through the Dept of Ed. I couldn't submit my loan application until my FAFSA was received.