|  |     First step on financial aid is to fill out the family financial form,
    (the name changes more often then some of our product names.)
    
    This you have sent to the college and they determine financial needs,
    and will offer a package including how much of a student loan they
    figure your daughter will need.
    
    I think she can borrow up to 3000/year through the Stafford program
    with other programs available for parent loans, as well.  the (current
    and very subject to change) rules make it more advantageous for her to
    carry the loan, even if you help pay on it, because the student loan is
    interest deferred for x amount of time after she gets out of school.  
    
    Good Luck!
    
    Meg who is getting ready for the fourth year with her oldest through
    college.
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|  |     I believe it is 3K for the stafford max.  there are other student and
    parent loans that can also be received, but as far as I know they are
    not interest deferred.  
    
    Call the financial aid office.  These people are really good at helping
    you get all the grants, work study, loans, scholarships, etc that you
    can qualify for.  
    
    Lolita's stuff also requested that if we had a change of income over
    $2000 that we call them to update.
    
    the FFA, or whatever they will call it this year, helps figure what
    your daughter's contribution, and your contribution should be before
    aid.  the school has a certain amount of need, and no-need scholarships
    available, and the earlier you all get this stuff filed, the better off
    you  will be if the need determination is great.
    
    FWIW and YMMV, Lolita costs me about the same, whether she is in
    private or state-funded schools, based on what the FA's office has
    determined I should be inputting.  
    
    meg
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|  |     My last year of college I need an additional loan to finish paying for
    school.  The guaranteed student loan was not enough and your only
    allowed to borrow the $2,500/year (that may have changed since then). 
    So, I was able to get some kind of loan through the Bank of Boston (I
    forget the name of it), but it was student related.
    
    The payments were not deferred - I started paying while still in
    school, although the payments were set up like a credit card payment
    is.  You had to pay at least the minimum, but you could also pay more. 
    I ended up paying the loan off in 1.5 years instead of the 3 years that
    the loan was originally for.  The other drawback was the interest rate
    was not fixed and it had something to do with Wall Street.  Some
    months, I was paying like 19% -- but you do what you have to to put
    yourself through school.
    
    
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