My School Does Not Offer Financial Aid

Q: I am applying for a school that doesn’t offer financial aid. The course is a six week, certificate-type program which I am unable to pay for out-of-pocket. Is there any way to get financial aid for these types of programs, even if the student does not have good credit? I have qualified for FAFSA in the past, and used it when I was going to school for my Associate of Applied Science, but the school where I am taking my upcoming program does not offer financial aid and I don’t know how to pay for it?

A: There are some schools or certification programs that do not offer financial aid and/or are not accredited. If this is the case, here are a few things you can do:

First, check to see if the school or college may offer a deferred payment plan where you can pay tuition in installments. If this is available, it allows the student to make small payments, instead of having to come up with one large lump sum of money.

Second, check with your employer (and some branches of the military, is this applies to you) to see if they offer tuition assistance. If the program is needed for work, or could benefit your employer, they may be willing to sponsor you for the program, or they may already have a tuition reimbursement program in place.

Without knowing the specific school it is difficult to know if federal student loans or private student loans would be an option. In this situation, students should start by contacting the school and speaking with the admissions department. They should be able to address your financial aid question, or direct you to the person who can.