School frauded my fasfa app when i didnt even need it...I HAD A TUITION WAIVER! The school closed down and im STUCK (SAT, community college)

[JayyZee]

In 2005 i had just aged out of foster care, was starting my life, started going to college, when i finished, i was not able to graduate cause i had no high school diploma!!! At that point i was told they will be in contact with me, cause they will be able to help me, 4 years later and a bunch of calls to them, i was never helped, so i found a program that helped adults and got it by myself...ANYWAY, here we are 10 years later, and that same college, is SHUT DOWN, and i Just find out i have 2 school loans in default and 2 pell grants, pulled, im like WHATTTT, cause i was in foster care i had a tuition waiver, i should of never had to fill out an application for financial aid..so i did my research and after 2 months, and about litteraly 1000+ phone calls and transfers, and voice mails, all i find out is the college LIED on my fasfa app and basically im SCREWED, everyone keeps directing me to a school that CLOSED cause Department of Education pulled the funding for misusing the financial aid and grant money and for frauding the student fasfa apps, which caused them to go file for bankruptcy...WELL NOW WHAT??? Im so lost

[ashbeeigh]

[Mod cut: moved]

It sounds like you went to a for profit school that benefits from pulling student loans out for people that don’t need it, like you. The department of education has fallen back on fixing these things because the head of the department of education is an idiot.

[TexasRedneck]

If you didn't sign the loans, then you are a victim of fraud. I'd start by talking with the police department, and talking to whoever holds the loans about filing a fraud report.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by JayyZee

... started going to college, when i finished, i was not able to graduate cause i had no high school diploma!!!

You don't need a high school diploma to go to college or to graduate from college.


What school was it?

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

You don't need a high school diploma to go to college or to graduate from college....

But tell the rest of the story. You may need a GED or you may need to take remedial classes at a community college.

[charmed hour]

[quote=phetaroi;53736336]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

You don't need a high school diploma to go to college or to graduate from college.


.../QUOTE]

But tell the rest of the story. You may need a GED or you may need to take remedial classes at a community college.

Not necessarily, many four year colleges in NY (including Columbia) offer programs where the person attends college classes and when they've achieved 24 credits they are granted a GED.

[Pupmom]

A few misconceptions here. Just because you were in foster care doesn't mean you get a tuition waiver. Even if it was a proprietary college, you MUST fill out a FAFSA in order to get federal financial aid.

I couldn't follow all of your post, but you stated you got a PELL grant, which you do not repay, so yes you did fill out the FAFSA or the school forged it. I am thinking you probably sat down with the fin aid dept and completed the FAFSA which you weren't aware you were doing. By filling out the FAFSA you were awarded the PELL grant and also were eligible for the student loan which you probably signed as well, although you didn't know what you were signing.

check out studentloans.gov- register online and you can pull up all your information about loans

I'm confused about the HS diploma. (did the college require a HS diploma or was there a special agreement). Why did you enroll if you didn't have a HS diploma?

Can you tell me state and city you live in- there are some agencies throughout the country that can possibly help you. I can see if one exists in your area.

[Pupmom]

JUst saw you are in San ANtonio

try and contact the following.

Project Stay, Inc

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Pupmom

A few misconceptions here. Just because you were in foster care doesn't mean you get a tuition waiver. Even if it was a proprietary college, you MUST fill out a FAFSA in order to get federal financial aid.

I couldn't follow all of your post, but you stated you got a PELL grant, which you do not repay, so yes you did fill out the FAFSA or the school forged it. I am thinking you probably sat down with the fin aid dept and completed the FAFSA which you weren't aware you were doing. By filling out the FAFSA you were awarded the PELL grant and also were eligible for the student loan which you probably signed as well, although you didn't know what you were signing.

check out studentloans.gov- register online and you can pull up all your information about loans

I'm confused about the HS diploma. (did the college require a HS diploma or was there a special agreement). Why did you enroll if you didn't have a HS diploma?

Can you tell me state and city you live in- there are some agencies throughout the country that can possibly help you. I can see if one exists in your area.

I didn't read the OP that way. I understood it as the school somehow arranged for loans and PELL grants both, unbeknownst to the OP. We need more clarification on this point.

But yes, OP, if you didn't sign for loans or grants, you were a victim of fraud. You could take the letters demanding repayment of loans to the police, and say you never signed for any loans, nor did you need any, nor did you ever see a dime from those loans. PELL grants are grants, not loans. You owe nothing on grants, but it's still fraud. The school was milking the PELL program in your name. Who is demanding repayment for grants, btw? Who's generating those letters, saying you owe for the grants?

You could also call a lawyer, to get an idea of how to go about addressing this. You can get some very basic advice over the phone at no charge, at least to the extent of whether this is something you can handle yourself, or would it require a lawyer's services. You can explain at some point during the conversation, that you'd be a pro bono case (unless you do have a job and can afford a couple hours of a lawyer's time).

So, did you never receive a degree? Did the school fold before you completed a program? How are you getting by, currently? How did you come to choose a for-profit school, rather than starting out at a community college?

You owe nothing, since it was fraud, btw, unless you somehow did sign loan agreements. You just have to figure out how to get out of this. And the fact that the school was shut down basically for fraud is in your favor.

[JayyZee]

Ok so the high school issue is for financial aid...u CANNOT RECEIVE FINIACIAL AID WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA...sry I been really busy with all this, and because I did not HV a high school diploma, I'm actually now in the process of getting my loan forgiven!! Under the ability to benefit forgiveness...