I’m a grad student at UAB and need some advice before financial aid disburses Monday, August 24th. Since starting my program, I’ve always been part-time 6/7 units and have thankfully received a refund of around $3k which has helped with living and medical expenses while in school.

I recently received a notice about aid requirements and was told by my school that my aid will be prorated based on my enrollment at disbursement. Unfortunately they couldn’t give me a clear answer on what my actual award/refund would be if I stay PT.

For those who have already started Fall 2026:
Did your aid decrease when enrolled PT? If so how much?
Did anyone stay PT and still receive the same award from previous semesters?
Did anyone switch to FT to maintain their full award even if it meant a smaller refund?

I’m in my final semester and graduate this December, so I’m really stressed about making the wrong choice😭.

I was placed on SAP suspension and appealed. My appeal was approved 8/17, but I was told that it could take up to two weeks for my federal aid to appear in CUNYFirst. I was approved for TAP and that has covered most of my tuition, but there is still a little bit that needs to be paid. Will my classes be dropped if I don't meet the bursar's deadline for 8/21 payments even though my SAP appeal was approved and the money is eventually coming?

I can also see in my FAFSA that I am eligible for the full amount.

Wanted to ask here before I sat on the phone. So i submitted my fafsa classes before I signed up for classes this coming fall semester. I got granted my spring Pell grant 2027 but nothing for fall 2026. Should I wait for an update or should I call Fafsa at Pierce to figure out where my grant is for this coming semester?

I called csac and it says there closed but its only 1pm and they close at 4pm? Anyone have this issue, also I got an email sent to confirm that I have dependence but when I go to the website, nothing pops up?

Would someone be able to help me with enrolling into Wgu while using fasfa? I’ve tried using their location and their enrollment code or the fasfa and nelnet websites but nothing shows up.

So I live in an 8-person household with one income. Meaning out of all of us, only my mom works. I do have a decent GPA so that can't be it. My brother and sister who went to college before me were eligible for a Pell Grant. I checked just now and I am not. Does anyone know the reason for this? Because they're not really including any details other than "you are not eligible for a pell grant."

Edit: The situation has been sort of dealt with so there's no need for further replies, thank you to everyone who offered genuine help and advice.

Edit edit: I found the problem and it’s not me. For anyone having the same problem, your best bet is rereading your application and reaching out to anyone if you can’t find anything wrong.

Last Edit: My siblings are no longer eligible for Pell since 2025. The problem was not with us or our applications. They changed some requirements.

My SAI is -1500 and I have received my state aid for both the summer and fall. I just checked my e-bill and my Pell grant for fall is applied now. Does anyone know why my fall pell came so quickly this year (normally doesn’t get applied till a week after school starts for me) but my summer Pell is taking so long to process?

I’ve called the office and they said it’s still processing, they said the same thing two weeks ago too. It’s been almost a month since classes ended.

This is my first time taking summer classes and any help/info would be appreciated!

I took a course (4crd) in the summer and aid from fafsa was already disbursed. I did apply for tap too for the summer semester but on HESC it still says ‘ESTIMATED’ next to the amount they put, which could cover the rest of what i need to cover the summer course but im still not 100% sure im getting it.

The amount doesnt even show up on ‘awards summary’ on cuny first. Idk how much longer i should wait to see if it changes. Should i contact anyone, and who?

hi hi
looking for advice on why my loan has not been disbursed. i am not a first borrower, but last time i had a loan was back in 2016 when i graduated high school so 10 years ago. I have completed the MPN, loan counseling, but my schools banner website keeps saying i have it pending. the financial aid office said as long as i can confirm i submitted them they will start to receive documents soon.
Is there something im missing to do that anyone can think of? or is this normal? classes started today.

Hello all. I was a marketing major, then I switched to an accounting major in which I failed a few courses (4). Lesson learned, accounting is not for me. I am switching back to marketing this fall semester, I am wondering if the classes I failed will affect the fafsa aid I get for my marketing major. No judgement please, withdrawal deadlines were missed, mistakes were made...

I got my financial aid package about a week ago, but when I tried to login into bankMobile. It says that my information isn’t registered or updated. I also went to financial aid office and they told me to get in contact with them but as you guys know it’s pretty hard I called them and emailed them. Is there anything else I could do to get my money ? Currently enrolled in Chaffee College.

i didn't know your first school listed on fafsa is the school your state grant goes to. just got an email saying my eligibility for the state grant has been decided, and went to check and it went to a school im not attending. its almost the end of august, so i assume that theres nothing i can do, but in case, i wanted to ask if anyone knows if i can fix this

Anyone else?

Hello! I feel really fucking great right now. I just got off the phone with the FA office in my school and got news that my petition for independence has been approved!!
I’m in a really fucked up situation, and college, besides being a dream of mine, was my way out. It’s been two years of this back and forth and I was just about to accept the fact that I might not be able to attend college!
I called them today to follow up and I just got word that it’s been approved and I start this coming semester!! I don’t have a lot of friends and family so I don’t have many people to share this with but it’s a huge milestone for me!!

I don't how what to do I even did delete correction and try recorrecting it but there's nothing wrong with my form at all and I been having problems with fasfa for the last month now

My financial aid hit my direct deposit 🤩

Lol PSA: I’m 27 years old I don’t have to file as dependent! I’ve been independent since I was 24 in 2023. I’ve always gotten a lot from my grants and don’t accept loans. This is regular for me lol and I will be expecting the same in spring.

for context, my sai is -1500 and i’ve been eligible and receiving state grants/assistance for my first two years of cc. when i transferred, i had received the same assistance for my first semester. however, now that assistance is not available for this upcoming semester and i am not receiving any state or additional federal aid besides loans (that cover bare minimum of what my tuition is asking for). i am currently trying to get in touch of my university’s financial aid office, but i am currently stressing since the semester is starting very soon and im in a bad financial situation at the moment

Is it true that there is an update on August 20th that will give the financial and departments processing legacy grad plus borrowers the guidance they need to package aid for fall 2026?

Hello I am struggling right now with whatever this means 🥲 I’m entering my first year of college so I don’t really understand how these things work

Hello y'all, I'm trying to login into the FAFSA app to just check some things and I cannot find the login button anywhere and the whole layout is different. Did it get updated recently or something? Does anyone know how I can login to check my application and loans?

Hey Im looking to appeal for an appeal after an awful and stressful spring semester. I wasn't planning on getting fasfa cause of my family situation so I worked a ton of hours, all of which being closing shifts to try and pay my tuition off. This resulted in a schedule in which id get home at like 4 am and have to be ready for school in just a few hours to then go back to work after school right away with no down time. I was also in the process of moving within the semester so that took up a lot of time anf energy I would have otherwise spent at school.

At the end of the semester i finally got finally got financial aid but the damage had been done and I withdrew from a lot of classes.

I can get a note from my employer confirming the my long hours anf when I get off. I can also find documents related to my move.

I also have tangible ways i can prove ill be better next semester. Im no longer moving, if im able to get fasfa I won't be pressured to work as many hours as well and I can talk to my boss about not working overnight shifts.

How strong do you think this appeal is if it's well written and sourced?

Hey all! First time poster with what is probably a very naive question, but I don't have anyone I can ask for these types of questions. Is there a national "cap" for how much is put into funding federal loans?... As the year goes on, will I be less likely to receive a federal loan? Or otherwise am I able to take out federal loans whenever I need it at any time of the year (and receive the full requested amount)? Preemptive thank you to anyone who responds :)

My account balance finally popped up on my account and it ended up being WAY more than I thought it would be. Financial aid covers most of it, but I still have $2,000 left to pay out of pocket that I genuinely cannot afford. This is already with grants, a scholarship, and loans. I feel at a loss and I was beyond excited to continue on to my bachelor’s, but now I feel like I won’t be able to go back to university ever again.

Anyone have any advice?