University trying to make me pay for Hope Scholarship

[mSanchez611]

That applies to grants as well and scholarships if the entity providing the funds puts such rules on their money, which they apparently did in this situation.


Seriously, don’t you have the maturity to take responsibility for knowing what money you are due and not enrolling in classes if you believe you don’t have the money available?

The scholarship program doesn’t have a right to say the student is or isn’t liable for a debt to the school. That is between you and the school.


And if you want to argue conract issues;

You registered for and attended classes. That makes you liable for payment for the classes. The school applied for, on your behalf, scholarship money. Since it was denied, that leaves you owing the money.

And I’m pretty confident in saying that yes, you did acknowledge financial liability for the classes. That is pretty standard language in a schools application.


And like I said; contact the school and ask if they will nullify the affected classes and rescind the degree in exchange for cancelling the debt. That will take care of the debt, if they accept the offer.

I suspect you want to be excused from the debt as well as retaining your degree. That would be inequitable.

I don't think you understand. I had already paid for my classes, but I guess saying that I had "paid for my meal" was too vague. I'm not trying to get freebie shit. I used the money I got from the scholarship to pay for housing (off campus, btw). I accepted the scholarship because I didn't want to take further loans out to do so. If I had known that that's how the scholarship was going to be treated, I would have taken the loans anyway, so at least I could have done it by my own terms.
Also, the school wasn't denied the money, (why would it give it to me if it was denied?) That's the whole point and problem. It was given the money it applied for, without my consent or notification, so then they had to pay it back. Now they want me to pay them back, even though I never asked for the scholarship. I accepted it because it was a scholarship, aka, I don't have to pay it back, and because nowhere in the application form I filled out to received the scholarship, nor in its regulations, did it ever say I had to pay it back. If that's a thing, then I believe it should be included in the form in the fine print. Without such warnings, it's basically a trap/disaster waiting to happen.
And are you that pampered and privileged that you think only those with money can attend college? America is up to its eyeballs in student loan debt because basically no one can afford college anymore. I did pay for my classes. I only got the Hope scholarship for one year out of the three that I went. So it's not like I was wringing the school out for as much free money as I could get. I paid out of pocket for the vast majority of it, and I did so by working various jobs the whole three years that I went.

But I get it. I'm ignorant about the law but feel I've been wronged, so I was looking for help, but this obviously not the place for it. Instead, without any empathy, you'd rather fight me about the issue instead of giving any sort of helpful insight into the law and make assumptions about my situation instead of asking questions for clarification. Don't bother replying; I won't be visiting this site again.

 

[justalayman]

Actually YOU DIDN’T pay for your classes. You thought you were going to receive money from somebody else that was going to pay for the classes.

If YOU had paid for your classes, you wouldn’t be here asking what you could do about a scholarship not giving you money.

 

[HRZ]

Lost in all this is clarity about somebody with authority or apparent authority advised you that your eligibility has been extended ....and can you prove it ?

If this extension took place up front and not after the fact , I can see the point that you acted in detrimental reliance as to having been given a scholarship...and that the institution needs to eat it if it was not funded by state.

 

[xylene]

Lost in all this is clarity about somebody with authority or apparent authority advised you that your eligibility has been extended ....and can you prove it ?

If this extension took place up front and not after the fact , I can see the point that you acted in detrimental reliance as to having been given a scholarship...and that the institution needs to eat it if it was not funded by state.

This is the perfect example of a situation where a university ombudmans (ombuds) should be involved to come up with a mutual resolution. Even one as simple as a partial forgiveness and/or allowing a reasonable period to repay without a transcript or graduation hold. That's not unreasonable in cases where anticipated scholarship funds are rescinded, whomever is 'at fault'.

 

[not2cleverRed]

This is the perfect example of a situation where a university ombudmans (ombuds) should be involved to come up with a mutual resolution. Even one as simple as a partial forgiveness and/or allowing a reasonable period to repay without a transcript or graduation hold. That's not unreasonable in cases where anticipated scholarship funds are rescinded, whomever is 'at fault'.

While your solution is a reasonable and logical one, the problem is that OP believes that the debt should be completely waived/nullified.

 

[xylene]

While your solution is a reasonable and logical one, the problem is that OP believes that the debt should be completely waived/nullified.

I'm not entirely convinced that the OP's perspective is unreasonable. My suggestion is for the OP to engage with the ombuds office. It's possible they will see it the OP's way. However being prepared to accept a compromise is something BOTH sides should consider, as the billing office's perspective is no less trenchant than the OP's.

 

[paddywakk]

They are free to collect from you and to hold your records until they do. Frankly, I used to work at at school that would attempt (and often successfully) to have your state and federal tax refunds garnished.

 

[justalayman]

I’ve read a bit about the hope scholarship. op stated they had gone beyond the time frame for eligibility. If one received the hope scholarship from 2012 and beyond there is an eligibility period of 7 years.

Effective Fall term 2015, students who did not receive a HOPE Scholarship payment prior to Summer term 2011 are eligible to receive the HOPE Scholarship until seven years after the date of their high school graduation, GED test date, home study completion date, or the date of his or her petition to receive a high school diploma in accordance with O.C.G.A. §20-2-281, whichever occurred first.

The expiration of eligibility date will be June 30 of the seventh academic year following the student's high school graduation, GED test date, home study completion date, or date of petition to receive a high school diploma.

From what I have found, prior to this period there was no time limit.

So, depending on when op graduated and first recieved their hope scholarship it could make a difference

I’ve found nothing regarding any extension.

I have no doubt op was given the eleigibility rules when applying for the scholarship. There is a lot to be said for self accountability.


Op also let this fester for over a year and only contacted the school or CA after the CA contacted her but she was told before graduating about the issue. She ignored it apparently after that. She said she wasn’t even told why there was a deficiency at the time. Again, self accountability seems to be lacking. I find it a bit lacking for a person to be told they owe $3k and didn’t even ask why.


Ultimately it is still the students responsibility to ensure their tuition is paid. I can’t think of too many ways in this situation the school would have to absorb this. I suspect it’s more likely the op’s transcripts will be withheld and possibly the degree be rescinded. I suggest op be much more proactive in dealing with this now rather than simply dropping the ball and letting it sit until dunned again for the debt