Getting Last Minute Student Loans

Is it too late to get a student loan? It may or may not be, so the first thing you need to do is some speedy research! Get in touch with your Financial Aid office right away and start looking online for opportunities that may still be available through sites such as the Student Loan Marketplace or Credit Union Student Loans. For federal aid, make sure your FAFSA is on file and that the completion is registered with your Financial Aid office as well.

Above all, and I tell you this from experience, your Financial Aid office can be your best friend or your worst enemy. They will be your best friend if you are just attentive and diligent, and here are two ways that I learned to be so.

1. Do your best to work with only ONE representative in your school's Financial Aid office so that one person is familiar with your specific needs and account. Some schools may assign someone automatically to deal with your progress but my university was small and did not. If this is the case for you, when you are calling up or stopping by to check on the progress of things, make sure to ask for your representative by name or set an appointment to work with them if they are unavailable at that time. This can save you a LOT of headaches.
2. Document every conversation you can with your officer either with copies of forms, a recording or hand-written notes with specific details. This may seem a bit pushy or over the top but confusion in communication have resulted in missed deadlines and a lot of money lost for a few folks that are close to me. Above all, your higher education is your responsibility so don't just sit back and trust that your school will just take care of everything. As you are looking for a few additional ways to close the gap on your funding, make sure you have your ducks in a row! 

For more reading check out: College Money Insider: Is It Too Late to Get a Student Loan?

Do you have any tips or tricks for getting last minute funding that have worked for you or someone you know?

Jenn