What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Pennsylvania.
This is my fourth year in college, and I've always had access to Pell Grants, an institutional scholarship, and PHEAA (the state grant for Pennsylvania). My parents are separated, and my Financial Aid office never doubted this...until now. They requested a packet of verification paperwork at the tail end of August, which I promptly submitted to prove their separate residences (lease/mortgage documents, utility bills, photocopies of drivers' licenses, a narrative description of circumstances, and an attorney letter). I was just informed three days ago that there are additional documentation requirements which were never communicated to me; I have a written record of all documentation that my Financial Aid Office requested, and they never stated that we needed this particular form to be completed. I got this to FA the following day, and contacted the director to expedite the processing of my paperwork. He never responded. As of now, I have lost 3/4 of my funding. If the grants are not restored, I will get saddled with a gigantic bill that I cannot afford, even with Stafford loans. I need to know by tomorrow (Monday), if my documentation has been approved. This is the last day to add/drop classes, and there are no tuition refunds after this point. I am going to try emailing, calling, and stopping by, but what do I do if Financial Aid remains unresponsive to my request? If my funding will permanently be revoked, I need to know this immediately; I'll have no choice but to take college one class at a time. In the event my school doesn't communicate the outcome to me promptly, my registration will most likely be put on hold for spring semester since I don't have the savings or the credit to cover remaining costs. I do not know why the heck my school waited until the semester started to require documentation of the separation. I wish they would have notified me earlier so this could have been sorted out during the summer.
At what point, if any, do I have grounds for legal action? Any advice on how to resolve this situation? My mother makes $11,000 and receives no alimony, so obviously I don't have lots of money to toss around.
This is my fourth year in college, and I've always had access to Pell Grants, an institutional scholarship, and PHEAA (the state grant for Pennsylvania). My parents are separated, and my Financial Aid office never doubted this...until now. They requested a packet of verification paperwork at the tail end of August, which I promptly submitted to prove their separate residences (lease/mortgage documents, utility bills, photocopies of drivers' licenses, a narrative description of circumstances, and an attorney letter). I was just informed three days ago that there are additional documentation requirements which were never communicated to me; I have a written record of all documentation that my Financial Aid Office requested, and they never stated that we needed this particular form to be completed. I got this to FA the following day, and contacted the director to expedite the processing of my paperwork. He never responded. As of now, I have lost 3/4 of my funding. If the grants are not restored, I will get saddled with a gigantic bill that I cannot afford, even with Stafford loans. I need to know by tomorrow (Monday), if my documentation has been approved. This is the last day to add/drop classes, and there are no tuition refunds after this point. I am going to try emailing, calling, and stopping by, but what do I do if Financial Aid remains unresponsive to my request? If my funding will permanently be revoked, I need to know this immediately; I'll have no choice but to take college one class at a time. In the event my school doesn't communicate the outcome to me promptly, my registration will most likely be put on hold for spring semester since I don't have the savings or the credit to cover remaining costs. I do not know why the heck my school waited until the semester started to require documentation of the separation. I wish they would have notified me earlier so this could have been sorted out during the summer.
At what point, if any, do I have grounds for legal action? Any advice on how to resolve this situation? My mother makes $11,000 and receives no alimony, so obviously I don't have lots of money to toss around.
