student12345 Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 (edited) Hello! I was hoping to get your opinion/experience in regard to financial aid. Does financial aid (direct PLUS loan and FAFSA) usually cover all the costs of PA school (tuition, rent, utilities, etc.) I'm still waiting to receive my financial aid package award so I'm super nervous about whether I'll have enough aid, specifically for the cost of living. I've talked to a few PA students who mentioned that their financial aid covered all their costs. I'd appreciate any information or input! Edited July 2, 2019 by student12345 grammar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyNichiavelli Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Yup, it should! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastudentw Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 You should be able to look at the programs cost of attendance. This number sets the cap for what you can take out in federal loans. This will give you an idea of what your aid package will look like. You will likely utilize the stafford unsubsidized loan and then the grad Plus loan on top of that to cover what you need. You have to do a little extra paperwork on the studentloans.gov site for the Plus loan on top of the fasfa. Make sure you do this or you will be wondering why your aid package is so low. https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action. Then click on graduate/professional students, " apply for a PLUS loan. Make sure you work with the finaid dept at the school. They can walk you through everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 You can borrow up to the total amount of cost of attendance - which is determined by each program. This includes tuition, fees, estimated cost of living, etc. They base this on a single student and averages (room and board, travel, etc). If you're a family of 5 needing to rent a house and pay for child care, those types of things aren't factored in and you likely wouldn't be able to borrow enough for that. But a single student who knows how to budget appropriately, yes you should be able to get funding. As an aside, PLUS loans do factor in your credit score if I remember correctly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laferri2 Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Depending on the school, it is also possible to have them adjust your cost of attendance, and this can also increase your aid amount. Cost of attendance should account for everything you and your dependents need to stay alive while you are a full-time student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD2012 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) Most students in my program who rented an apartment had to do FAFSA and Grads PLUS to cover their tuition, rent, and misc expenses. But yes both will cover most everything and then some. Edited August 19, 2019 by JD2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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