Yet another gradplus question Forum

[adora]

...or a few...

-The school I'll be attending has posted financial aid offers. We can go in and accept/decline. The issue- scholarships haven't been applied yet. Someone on the school's thread said that they're often not applied until mid-August (?!). What I'm wondering- how do I go about figuring out how much I'll need for my grad plus loan? They're offering the full COA, but obviously that amount won't be available to me once my scholarship is applied. Should I just subtract the amount of my scholarship and accept/apply for that amount? Or apply for all they're offering and let them figure it out after my scholarship is applied?

-I had a few collections issues (around $100 worth). How long after paying those off should I wait to apply for gradplus? How long does it generally take for those to be reflected on a credit report?

-Would it make sense to send proof of payment for these collections issues along with my gradplus app (just in case they haven't made changes to my credit report yet)? Is that even possible? Or would it make more sense to wait and- if they reject me -send them proof then? Will they reconsider if they have proof that the accounts or settled, or is it a one-time deal?

-How long does it take for these to be processed? When do people generally apply? Would mid-July be too late?

Thanks!

[klt7560]

you'll probably have to contact your fin. aid office for definitive answers to these questions.

in undergrad I borrowed the coa in loans but was awarded a scholarship later in the semester. the fin aid office autmatically reduced my loan amount and applied the scholarship to previous tuition payments (in the middle of the semester). that may be what happens at your school too. contact them...

[scribelaw]

You should get your collection issues cleared up ASAP. It will likely take 2-3 weeks to clear it up. What you'll probably need to do is call the collection agency and pay it in full and then called the credit reporting agency and tell them you've paid it. They'll give you a dispute confirmation number or something like that and alert you when it's reflected on your report.

Shouldn't be an issue once it shows up as paid. You still have time.