financial aid for pharmacy students

[kitkat06]

does anyone know generally what kinds of financial aid are available for students at the professional level? Specifically students who have already received their undergrad degree? i read somewhere that most undergrad finanical aid and scholarship awards are no longer available once the applicant is in the professional curriculum... perhaps it is for that pharmacy institution in particular? someone please tell me this isn't so...

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[kitkat06]

*bump*

 

[amartins02]

From my experience it is still need based. So, if your estimated family contribution is $10,000 then you come up with that much and the school finds the rest for you. It could be a combination of grants and scholarships but, chances are it won't be free money. You will owe most of it in the end.

I can give you info based on MCP Worcester. The first year is considered undergraduate but, since I have a B.S. I probably won't get any financial aid because they see it as "Well he has an undergraduate degree so why are we going to help pay for more undergraduate classes." But the remaining years are all graduate. There may be more opportunity to get grants but again, chances are that I will end up paying for most myself. Now you can improve your chances of getting financial aid if you are married and have kids. But there are tons are variables that could work for or against you. Hope that helps.

 

[patmcd]

Some schools offer their own scholarships. Most people only get loans to pay for pharmacy school.

 

[kitkat06]

say if i were to attend an out-of-state pharmacy school. how easy/hard is it to convert to a resident status to qualify for in-state tuition? thanks

 

[kitkat06]

Thank you for your responses, amartins02 and patmcd

 

[KellyBean]

1

 

[KellyBean]

say if i were to attend an out-of-state pharmacy school. how easy/hard is it to convert to a resident status to qualify for in-state tuition? thanks

I don't think you can just "convert" unless you moved there a year before pharmacy school starts. Even when you're there for the whole 4-year (attending pharmacy school), you are still considered out-of-state. But I am not 100% sure on this.

 

[sooz1002]

I don't think you can just "convert" unless you moved there a year before pharmacy school starts. Even when you're there for the whole 4-year (attending pharmacy school), you are still considered out-of-state. But I am not 100% sure on this.

yea, you're right. it depends on the state, but usually they make it pretty hard. you have to file taxes in the state, get a driver's license there, have your own place, be registered to vote, etc. if you're just there as a student, the school won't classify you as in-state.

 

[kitkat06]

really? there goes my dream of attending out-of-state pharmacy school... i don't think i can afford out-of-state tuition after paying for my undergrad... I was hoping that by paying out-of-state tuition for one year, you can change your state of residency

I know that not a lot of scholarships are available to students, especially for out-of state residents, but does anyone know about the eligibility of loans for out-of-state students?

thanks!

 

[kitkat06]

I wish I had asked this question before applying to out-of-state schools.

What about private institutions within your state of residence? Are scholarship and loans more readily available to students then?

 

[kitkat06]

yea, you're right. it depends on the state, but usually they make it pretty hard. you have to file taxes in the state, get a driver's license there, have your own place, be registered to vote, etc. if you're just there as a student, the school won't classify you as in-state.

Good gosh, that's a lot of hoops to jump through. Thanks for your reply sooz.

Thanks for your response as well, KellyBean

 

[sooz1002]

loans are need-based, which means if you need them, you'll get them. if you don't get enough loans from the school, you can always ask them for more loans. if that's stilll not enough, you can get private loans, too. when you graduate, you'll make more than enough to pay them off.

scholarships are different because they are merit-based, and you don't have to pay them back. these are nice of course, but not necessary, so don't worry too much about them.

 

[KellyBean]

A lot of pharmacy students are attending pharmacy schools out-of-state!!! If they can somehow pay for it, you can too. Some schools are private-schools, so it doesnt matter if you're in-state or out-of-state. You should fill out an FAFSA. I think 99.999999% of the students that go to professional schools have to take out loans (I didn't say 100% cause some international students are rich and pay for it with CASH..lol..)

You should contact your school regarding the matter. I didn't even apply for any in-state schools and if I get accepted in pharmacy school, I'd be out of state student, but I'll take out loans to pay for my tuition. Don't worry too much about it.