Paying for pharmacy school

[willrocks]

For those of entering pharmacy school in Fall 2010, we are supposed to submit otu FAFSA after Jan 1st, 2010, correct? Are there any additional forms to fill out for financial aid? Information on paying for school is vague on many websites.

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[pharm B]

I think this varies school to school and is also dependent on your situation. A single person who is independent probably has it easiest.

The rest of us... Not so lucky.

 

[delano2000]

^^What PharmB said.

 

[Monalyce]

Hold on to your tax info, and worry about it after you decide which school you will attend. Often COPs have their own financial aid offices (sometimes shared with other health professional schools) and even if they do not, there is someone who is meant to help you with the financial aid process. The first step is completing the FAFSA and indicating what school you will attend. After that, you should have the summer to get it taken care of.

 

[pearljam5a1]

Yes, FAFSA is your main concern until you get accepted. The pharmacy school that accepts you will then process your paperwork and send you a financial aid award letter. You will then use this to determine if you need to take out any supplemental loans which you will probably need to do. I took out a grad plus loan to help me "survive" while I'm in school and that's what most students do. I would just concentrate on where you want to go and gaining acceptance. Don't stress too much on how you will pay for it because you will be fine.

 

[Carboxide]

I think this varies school to school and is also dependent on your situation. A single person who is independent probably has it easiest.

The rest of us... Not so lucky.

Actually, being enrolled in graduate/professional school means you are an independent.

 

[pharm B]

I just meant that the single guy has the least complications. Someone who's married (or divorced, etc), has dependents... Some of us have variables.

My question is: Do you receive fin aid before day one of classes? Say I apply to a SOP outside of my area (say a few hours away). Can I use fin aid to help pay for the move and first month of rent?

 

[Monalyce]

I just meant that the single guy has the least complications. Someone who's married (or divorced, etc), has dependents... Some of us have variables.

My question is: Do you receive fin aid before day one of classes? Say I apply to a SOP outside of my area (say a few hours away). Can I use fin aid to help pay for the move and first month of rent?

You *may* receive aid before classes start, depending on when your school sends its financial aid award letters. After you receive this letter, there is more paperwork to do. From my original response to the aid offered to the time I had my account surplus forwarded to my personal checking took two weeks.

 

[pearljam5a1]

My question is: Do you receive fin aid before day one of classes? Say I apply to a SOP outside of my area (say a few hours away). Can I use fin aid to help pay for the move and first month of rent?

I got my refund money about 2 weeks after classes started but YMMV depending on how well your financial aid office has its act together.

 

[pharm B]

Is cost of living typically an automatic consideration when they're creating your fin aid package?

 

[IrishRxMan]

Federal aid may not cover all the bases and leave you anything to live on, like with my school. So, you are relegated to taking out grad plus loans, which show up on the report from the school of funds available. The catch is, unlike stafford's you aren't automatically given those. You have to apply separately for those and choose the bank you will go through for the loan. Also, since the SOP is attached to an undergrad campus that is just down the street, they handle the financial aid and they don't disburse anything until two weeks into the undergrad semester which is actually 3 weeks into the SOP semester. It was a big surprise to everyone that first semester when you expected the money to be there and it wasn't for a while.

 

[Moni526]

Just wanted to chime in and say yes, it is best to fill it out after January. I got an email from one of the schools I applied to this year and they said I should fill out the FAFSA form as soon as possible, but when I was getting ready to complete it, the only option for school semester was Fall '09 as opposed to any 2010 semester. So I am going to keep ignoring the 'Incomplete FAFSA' emails I keep receiving and wait to finish it after Januray.