Columbia Finaid 2010 Forum

[Dtackpat75]

Still wondering about this whole loan process. Is columbia going to be a direct lender only for Perkins/Stafford loans or for Grad Plus loans as well? If anybody can shed some light it would be appreciated. If not, it may be time to give the financial aid office a call.

It will be direct lender for all federal student loans including the GradPlus loans. You will still be able to get private loans, but they will not be federally backed.

Thanks for the info. Do you know when we are supposed to be filling out paperwork and the such for all of this stuff?

[swc65]

Still wondering about this whole loan process. Is columbia going to be a direct lender only for Perkins/Stafford loans or for Grad Plus loans as well? If anybody can shed some light it would be appreciated. If not, it may be time to give the financial aid office a call.

It will be direct lender for all federal student loans including the GradPlus loans. You will still be able to get private loans, but they will not be federally backed.

Thanks for the info. Do you know when we are supposed to be filling out paperwork and the such for all of this stuff?

They said they would send us an email. I don't think they have made the transition to the federal direct program yet- be prepared for a possibly messy first semester!!

[2down1]

I applied 3/1 to CLS. Accepted last week.

Waiting for aid package. GPA: 3.7; LSAT 178.
I do qual for finaid (GULC just offered $54 over 3 years, but wants seat deposit of $400 by 5/3.)

Any idea if CLS will match GULC offer? Or even do better?

[Dtackpat75]

I applied 3/1 to CLS. Accepted last week.

Waiting for aid package. GPA: 3.7; LSAT 178.
I do qual for finaid (GULC just offered $54 over 3 years, but wants seat deposit of $400 by 5/3.)

Any idea if CLS will match GULC offer? Or even do better?

Yea, I don't see that happening. I sent them several scholarship offers and they gave me some money but didn't match any of them. They included 90K an UVA and 97.5K at GULC. They are more likely to match something from NYU and UChi. columbia's offer was close to what I got from those two but still less.

edit. Although it cannot hurt to try.

[2down1]

Thanks, Dtack.

Update: GULC upped their scholarship offer to 32.5/yr (or 97.5 K for 3 years). (Sounds like your offer.) Not sure why 2 different offers sent out, but it is encouraging.

Turned in some more financial info to CLS. Hoping to hear something soon.

Have you made a decision yet? (Sorry if you already covered this!)

[Dtackpat75]

Thanks, Dtack.

Update: GULC upped their scholarship offer to 32.5/yr (or 97.5 K for 3 years). (Sounds like your offer.) Not sure why 2 different offers sent out, but it is encouraging.

Turned in some more financial info to CLS. Hoping to hear something soon.

Have you made a decision yet? (Sorry if you already covered this!)

Yea, I am going to Columbia unless I get off the Harvard waitlist (and even then I think it will be a tough decision since all of my friends and family are in Jersey.

[NYC2013]

deleted

[NYC2013]

UPDATE
The deadline's being extended to somewhere around June 1 because they're late on this.
It will be done electronically through studentloans.gov
Hopefully the email will come out soon

[Dtackpat75]

UPDATE
The deadline's being extended to somewhere around June 1 because they're late on this.
It will be done electronically through studentloans.gov
Hopefully the email will come out soon

thanks for the update, much appreciated.

[swc65]

UPDATE
The deadline's being extended to somewhere around June 1 because they're late on this.
It will be done electronically through studentloans.gov
Hopefully the email will come out soon

Good the know, thank you!!

[Foozle]

Anybody receive any more information about applying for loans?

[justbluemyself]

Anybody receive any more information about applying for loans?

I called today, and this is what they told me: Columbia is in the process of setting up direct lending, so we can't apply for GradPLUS loans at this time. They will send us all an email when it's up and running. In the meantime, you can go to studentloans.gov and do the Entrance Counseling and the MPNs for both subsidized/unsubsidized and GradPLUS. Completing the MPN is sufficient for Stafford loans, but we can't complete the PLUS request process until CLS gets in touch with us.

HTH

[babaghanouj]

Anybody receive any more information about applying for loans?

I called today, and this is what they told me: Columbia is in the process of setting up direct lending, so we can't apply for GradPLUS loans at this time. They will send us all an email when it's up and running. In the meantime, you can go to studentloans.gov and do the Entrance Counseling and the MPNs for both subsidized/unsubsidized and GradPLUS. Completing the MPN is sufficient for Stafford loans, but we can't complete the PLUS request process until CLS gets in touch with us.

HTH

thanks!

[Hattori Hanzo]

Any fin aid news? Has anyone received the email instructions to apply for loans?

[NYC2013]

Called today because I really want to apply so I can travel abroad and not worry about filling out financial aid applications in a foreign internet cafe.

Anyway, they say the application is not ready yet and they have no idea when they'll be ready but we can fill out MPNs online at studentloans.gov
Very frustrating.
Does anyone know what to select for school on studentloans.gov? All I see is Columbia University in the City of New York, but is there supposed to be a law-school-only option? or is that all I need?

[lemonpie]

Does anyone know what May 15 deadline for loan application means?

[examplepdf]

Does anyone know what May 15 deadline for loan application means?

Um, what? Crap, I guess I should go back through the financial aid section of that big binder they sent us when they first got in... I've just been lazily waiting for them to email me something telling me what to do about loans. Probably not the smartest approach.

[lemonpie]

Does anyone know what May 15 deadline for loan application means?

Um, what? Crap, I guess I should go back through the financial aid section of that big binder they sent us when they first got in... I've just been lazily waiting for them to email me something telling me what to do about loans. Probably not the smartest approach.

It's on the yellow sheet in the binder. :S
I haven't applied for a loan yet. Was I supposed to send in an approved loan application to them before the deadline?

[andreea7]

Does anyone know what May 15 deadline for loan application means?

Um, what? Crap, I guess I should go back through the financial aid section of that big binder they sent us when they first got in... I've just been lazily waiting for them to email me something telling me what to do about loans. Probably not the smartest approach.

It's on the yellow sheet in the binder. :S
I haven't applied for a loan yet. Was I supposed to send in an approved loan application to them before the deadline?

Check the Web site -- yellow note there says instructions are forthcoming

[protokurios]

Maybe this is a good time to get all of us to the Columbia 2013 thread?

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 25&t=97796

[swc65]

So I called for some other things last week and they sent me to https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action to fill out the applications for the student loans. It seems everything will be done through this site now. It was quick and painless and took all of five minutes.

[andreea7]

So I called for some other things last week and they sent me to https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action to fill out the applications for the student loans. It seems everything will be done through this site now. It was quick and painless and took all of five minutes.

So now we can also do the Plus loans?

[swc65]

So I called for some other things last week and they sent me to https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action to fill out the applications for the student loans. It seems everything will be done through this site now. It was quick and painless and took all of five minutes.

So now we can also do the Plus loans?

I was able to fill out the MPN for GradPlus and Stafford on that site.

[andreea7]

So I called for some other things last week and they sent me to https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action to fill out the applications for the student loans. It seems everything will be done through this site now. It was quick and painless and took all of five minutes.

So now we can also do the Plus loans?

I was able to fill out the MPN for GradPlus and Stafford on that site.

Great! thanks alot. I guess so much for the promised email from CLS to let us know they are ready

[andreea7]

I called the financial aid office today and asked about the PLUS application because on their web site it says not to apply until June 15 as the credit check approval is only good for 90 days. When I called today they told me to just wait for their email regarding this.