Student Help, Financial Aid Reduced without notice beforehand!

[Turkeysammich]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Alabama

Basics: Back in 2000 I started college, over the course of 4 years, on and off part-time to full-time, I attempted a Math class, which I failed and or couldn't attend due to work related issues. Because of that I lost my Financial Aid. I paid for it myself untill the college stated that I needed a class, but they kept canceling it, so I took a break from college to work more.

I recently came back, I paid paid for classes one by one untill I got everything back up to where I could get my financial aid back, I worked hard for it. I went through thier process of "getting a second chance" as they called it.

In April half my town was destroyed in a tornado, my home was deemed unlivable by F.E.M.A., my car totaled and I'm only recieving a minimal amount, and everything I cared about was looted from my house, including my passport, 2 awards I had won from this college, and a warranty to a computer monitor I saved up 6 months for.....and they also took my monitor lol. They took more, the most important things they took, to me were the things I worked hard to get.

Anyway, I had nothing left, until the school awarded me my financial aid, enough for 2 classes. The financial aid adviser set up a plan of action that I should take, which was to retake my math class to get it out of the way. I used my grant and I purchased the class along with another, and was told by the cashier that I had almost $400 left on my financial aid for books and transpertation. I have been going for a month now.

Main: 2 days ago I recieved a letter from the school stating that after I had already used my grant to pay for the classes, they reduced it due to me having to have taken the math class more than 3 times, and that I now owe them $500 or they will drop me from all of my classes.

I don't know what to do, I can't afford to pay them $500, as I am living in an appartment that F.E.M.A. is paying for at the moment. If I drop the classes, any class, I will lose my financial aid forever.

Can they do this? Can they give someone financial aid and then take it away after they use it and then go "HAHAHA you owe us money now?" Should they not have at least told me before hand so I would not have taken this class? They are the ones who told me to take it in the first place, they never once said that financial aid won't cover it, they forced me into oweing them money.

Thank you, for any help.

 

[Humusluvr]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Alabama

Basics: Back in 2000 I started college, over the course of 4 years, on and off part-time to full-time, I attempted a Math class, which I failed and or couldn't attend due to work related issues. Because of that I lost my Financial Aid. I paid for it myself untill the college stated that I needed a class, but they kept canceling it, so I took a break from college to work more.

I recently came back, I paid paid for classes one by one untill I got everything back up to where I could get my financial aid back, I worked hard for it. I went through thier process of "getting a second chance" as they called it.

In April half my town was destroyed in a tornado, my home was deemed unlivable by F.E.M.A., my car totaled and I'm only recieving a minimal amount, and everything I cared about was looted from my house, including my passport, 2 awards I had won from this college, and a warranty to a computer monitor I saved up 6 months for.....and they also took my monitor lol. They took more, the most important things they took, to me were the things I worked hard to get.

Anyway, I had nothing left, until the school awarded me my financial aid, enough for 2 classes. The financial aid adviser set up a plan of action that I should take, which was to retake my math class to get it out of the way. I used my grant and I purchased the class along with another, and was told by the cashier that I had almost $400 left on my financial aid for books and transpertation. I have been going for a month now.

Main: 2 days ago I recieved a letter from the school stating that after I had already used my grant to pay for the classes, they reduced it due to me having to have taken the math class more than 3 times, and that I now owe them $500 or they will drop me from all of my classes.

I don't know what to do, I can't afford to pay them $500, as I am living in an appartment that F.E.M.A. is paying for at the moment. If I drop the classes, any class, I will lose my financial aid forever.

Can they do this? Can they give someone financial aid and then take it away after they use it and then go "HAHAHA you owe us money now?" Should they not have at least told me before hand so I would not have taken this class? They are the ones who told me to take it in the first place, they never once said that financial aid won't cover it, they forced me into oweing them money.

Thank you, for any help.

Somewhere in the fine print, it likely says that federal grant money, or whatever financial aid you received, could not be used to retake classes you had previously failed. If you used your financial aid improperly, then they would take that aid away. I'm sure the school did have a math class on your program list, but failing it three times would most likely mean you don't qualify for aid for that class. Enroll in a different math course.