Getting a student loan or pell grant or any of the other federal grants from a different state seem to be on the mind of a lot of students. We get many questions around this topic and thought we should make it clear. It is fantastics that you are considering an out of state college or simply trying to determine if there are any restrictions to loans or grants from a lending institution or body that is out of state.

Simple answer is no, there are no restrictions. Let’s dive in a little deeper. All federal aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins Loan, Stafford Loan or the Parent PLUS loans are aid programs run by the federal government and hence there are no restrictions on applying as long as you are a US Citizen.

Next, private student loans. Private student loans from financial institutions such as banks also do not have any in state requirements. While there are other eligibility criteria such as a good credit score, credit history and good credit worthiness and as long as you are an US citizen you should be eligible for a private student loan. If you do not meet the credit score requirements you can still manage to get student loan if you apply for a loan with a co-signer.

When it comes to certain category of scholarships the picture might be slightly different. While many scholarships do not restrict potential candidates based on state location, there are quite a few that do. For example, here are a list of Arizona scholarships.

We get many questions around this topic and I hope the above answered the question effectively. I’m listing a typical question around this subject below.

“I live in Missouri, and owe for a student loan already. I desperately want to return to school and need a loan to do that. I have several friends that are telling me they are going back to school, and owe for a past loan too. When I tried to apply, it asked me to pay money to show if I am even eligible. I have no problem paying that, but am just curious if it’s possible at all to get a student loan through another state.“

“I want to take the online classes … the course I really want to take is not offered online through the state of Missouri, so I have to choose something else, BUT, it is offered online through the state of Kansas… can I do the classes for Kansas instead or do I have to be a resident of that state, even for the student loan/pell grant?“

We get a lot of questions from readers that are not sure about what direction to take when it comes to continuing their education. Are you confused about taking online classes? Are you debating if online classes are the best fit for you? Are you debating the merits of an online degree vs traditional degree? Either way, the linked articles will help you understand the merits, advantages and disadvantages of an online degree and the more traditional campus based degree.

Here are some sample questions that we get asking us to recommend an online degree or if an online degree was a better choice over a more traditional campus based degree.

• I want to go back to school and start taking a networking course. The classes are online and seem like a good fit for me. I’m very interested in computer networking but have been unable to commit to a campus school for many reasons. Do you think I should go for an online class? Previously transportation was an issue and had to use public transportation to go to school.
• I’ve never taken any online classes before and so am completely in the dark about what to expect. Can someone point out the  pros & cons to taking online classes? I’m very concerned about the practical portion of my degree and how this will work in an online degree school. Any feedback around this will be greatly appreciated
• I find myself constantly thinking about going back to school. I have a bachelors degree and feel a masters degree will add weight to my resume. I’m exploring the online school option since I have a 9 to 5 job and quitting my job is not an option. Am I making the right choice?

We get tons of related questions as above and therefore have written extensively about the subject. Take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of an online education and also the comparison between an online education vs a traditional education. I’m positive these should help you come to a fair understanding on what direction you would want to go.

As you start your online class/course degree you will soon find that sitting in front of a computer the whole time is very difficult unless you have the willpower and dedication to soldier on. The main issue is that of attention span and is a key question that a prospective student has to consider when he or she was considering taking up an online class and had to evaluate if an online class was harder or easier when compared to a campus degree.

Now that you’ve decided and enrolled in an online degree course there cannot be any looking back. It is important to make the best of the situation. Since most online classes or courses are conducted and accessed via your home computer, the first thing to do is to invest in a screen capture software. My personal recommendation is to use Camtasia. It comes with a 30 day free trial and one worth investing in. It comes with a windows and a mac version as well.

Set up your screen capture software to record your entire class as and when it plays online and you can then watch it and follow the class or lecture at your leisure. This way you can manage all the distractions that crop up especially if you have work or personal things to take care of. You will also have to luxury of going through your class lecture repeatedly and will make you a better student.

So there you go, yes there are options to record your online class. The sooner you get to it the better it is.

Below are a few typical question about recording your online course.

• I am looking at taking a online course, no direct instructor involvement, is there a way to record or output the session to record on dvd? there will be no direct instructor involvement, just distance computer based training and a server based emulator system.
• I’m having trouble following my class online and need someway to record the class. Is this possible?
• I’m a stay at home mom and have recently signed up for an online degree. My courses are completely online and require very little interaction. I’m unable to follow my class while it is going on since my son takes up all my attention. Is there a way to record my class course online so that I can then watch it when I have the time?

So there you go, record your online class and then write it onto a dvd and you soon you will have your own collection that you can revisit anytime you choose to.

We get many questions around this topic on games, especially on games that are not blocked on a school computer. Schools and school administrators block games frequently to ensure that students are using their computer facilities optimally and for educational purposes only. That said, almost all schools have access to the internet and once you have an open internet, you will have students using them to play games. To combat this, schools have turned to blocking sites that run games. They do this by individually blocking each website on their internal firewall or they set up a filter that looks for certain keywords that indicate that the website is a game site.

Some schools are taking this to the next level by blocking access to frequently used and popular social networking sites since social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace allow you to play games within the website itself. Finding games that are not blocked on a school’s computer becomes a cat and mouse game between the students and the administrators as new sites keep cropping up and once they do, the schools network administrator will go through their monthly logs and add those sites that are suspected as gaming sites to the network filter thereby blocking access to the site.

That said, there are certain games that are very educational in purpose. More and more games are being created each day that focuses on education and help to improve certain skills of a student, be it Math or English. Sites such as coolmath.com and many Disney sites are left unblocked simply because they have games that educators recognize as games that improve the education of a student.

In the end it is a fine line, educators are coming down on games and game sites that are deemed to not add value and students are always on the lookout for new destinations and websites where they can play fun games, games that are most definitely blocked on most school computers once it comes to the school’s attention.

Are online classes hard? I heard that online courses are easy? Is that really the cases? Are online classes easy and will they help me get a job?

A very subjective set of questions if there ever was one. All the above questions around online classes are basically the same thing and really depends on many factors. What subject are we talking about? Are you comfortable in a group? Do you have issues communicating during group discussions? Are there other factors like commute distance, college reputation to be considered? Is tuition expenses a factor is your decision?

Yes certain subjects are easier online but each person’s situation is different. The best way to answer this would be to examine your situation and answer the above questions. Once you have done that, take a look at the advantages of online education and also read about the disadvantages of online education. By now you should have a fairly balanced opinion about which direction you want to go

In the end, there is no straight yes or no answer to this question. You know your situation better, think it through, the advantages and disadvantages explained here along with the questions should help you decide how you want to proceed. It’s not a question of “Are online classes easy?” or “Are online courses hard?” but rather “Are online classes the right choice for me?”

Below is an example of the numerous questions around the subject we get.

I’m recently moved out of town for a few months and with the new semester starting, I was thinking about taking online classes so I can save on gas and still work an everything. I was wondering if the classes were easier or harder than regular classes on campus.

Obviously an MBA is not something you want to take online but what about something like Journalism?

Student loan money is usually credited to your bank account. The grant money can be credited to your account or a check is sent to your college. After, all your college expenses have been paid for through the student loan and/or grant, and if there is any balance left then that money will remain in your account or your college will transfer the balance to your account.

A grant is free money and does not have to be repaid. A student loan, on the other hand, has to be repaid and it has an interest charge. However, what you have been granted, whether loan or grant, that entire amount will belong to you. Once your tuition and college expenses have been paid off, the balance can be utilized by you for paying other education related expenses and bills.

Typically in any school, after tuition and miscellaneous fees are deducted from the financial aid award for the semester (which includes Pell Grant, scholarships, and extra grants from the gov’t), the leftover is deposited into the student’s bank account (it may also be mailed out as a check, depending on student preference). The student is then free to do whatever he or she want with the money provided the money is used for educational related expenses (travel expenses to and from college,  extra books or clothes for school).

Financial aid is meant to pay for your schooling *and* your cost of living while in school. If your cost of living includes car payments and rent, then you should be able to use the money accordingly. This is why on the fafsa, you are asked questions concerning your living conditions, i.e will you be living on campus or off-campus; with or without parents, etc. This is so that your financial need, including living expenses, can be most accurately calculated.

The question really has a number of nuances to it. Let us break it up as much as we can. Firstly, let us look into consolidation. Can you consolidate your loans? Ofcourse you can, just be smart about the timing on your consolidation. Look carefully into the reasons for consolidating, weigh the effects of your loan consolidation on your credit score and decide if loan consolidation makes sense.

As far as deferment is concerned, yes both subsidized loans and unsubsidized loans can be deferred. Subsidized loans such as Stafford loan or Perkins loan can be deferred with the government bearing the interest payments during the deferment period. In the case of unsubsidized loans such as the PLUS loans and private student loans from banks and other financial institutions, the interest on the loan is accrued and will add to your student loan amount.

Deferment of loans again is on a case by case basis. Can I defer my loans if I go back to school? Yes, you can but they are certain restrictions. You can defer your loans only if you decide to go back to school on a more than half time basis. Once your loans are deferred then your payments stop for the period of deferment. Do ensure you maintain your school status. You cannot be taking a break from school or skipping a semester or your loan deferment will end.

So if you are considering consolidating your loans and then deferring them while you go back to school, do ensure that you firstly shop around for the best loan consolidating option and ensure you understand and meet any restrictions or clauses there might be to defer your loan.

I’m listing some of the questions we get on this subject below. All personal information has been removed.

• “Can I consolidate my loans and defer them if I enroll in a part time course?”
• “I am thinking of going back to school but I need to stop my loan payments while I’m at school. Is deferment an option for me?”
• “Can I consolidate my stafford loan if I go back to school?”
• “Can my stop payments on my federal loan when I’m back in school?”
• “I want to consolidate my loans with Sallie Mae or another private direct loans to lower my payments. Do I still have the option for deferment for lack of income or going back to school?”

One big concern of many students planning on attending college is if their student loans, scholarships or federal loans such as Stafford loan or Pell Grant or PLUS loans or Perkins loans will be enough to live on during college or if they will need to look at other sources of income while studying.

As far as federal aid is concerned, it really depends on the EFC that you enter in your FAFSA application. If your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) is really low then your student loan should be enough. If not, then you have to wait and see. Plan your student expenses wisely. Your room and boarding will be your biggest expense. If you can manage to do this wisely then your student loan or aid should be enough. Your other expenses such as commute and education related expenses will generally be taken care of by your student loan since they are all educational related expenses.

That said, some students do plan on working part time to cover any shortfall. Your city of education will determine a lot of your living expenses. Studying in a more economically suited state might work for some. Always remember that apart from your scholarships or grants of federal aid, there will be programs at your university that are specifically created to help out students facing a shortfall of income. Do explore these options once you enroll.

Below are some of the questions we get around this subject

• “Can I live on my student loan while I’m studying in college?“
• “Will my student loan be enough to see me through college financially“
• “Should I take an additional loan apart from my Pell Grant to cover my education costs“
• “Will my Stafford Loan cover all my expenses when I’m studying in school?“
• “I’m a really good student and plan on going to college but my family cannot afford it. My goal is to do my Masters degree at the very minimum and so I’m looking at many years of college. Will my student loan or financial aid be enough to get me through to my degree? Will I have enough to hold me and sustain me or not?”

Often students face the problem of raising additional funds to meet their student expenses since their current student loan, scholarship or grant falls short sometimes woefully. In these situations it is important to understand what you can and cannot do. You can apply for additional student loans both federal and private to help you meet the shortfall. Do remember though that the loan amount will be determined by taking all the financial aid you are currently getting and working out the difference amount you need to cover the shortfall. An example would be a student that already has a subsidized Stafford loan can look into applying for an unsubsidized Stafford loan to meet his or her additional funding requirements.

Applying for scholarships  and grants should not be an issue even if you currently owe money on an existing loan. Infact private or public scholarships or grants should be your first port of call when you start your college funding exercise.

I owe money to another school

If you owe money to another school and are planning to attend a different school then you will have problems. The school that you owe money will not release any of your school transcripts unless you pay all the money you currently owe to the school. This is done and rightly so to discourage students from attending one school for a term and then transferring to a different school and not paying their tuition and other dues at the first school.

Can I apply for federal aid if I am in default?

No you cannot, one of the eligibility conditions for applying for any type of federal aid is that the applicant must not be in any kind of loan default. If you find yourself in this situation, then look at loan consolidation and start repaying your current student loans to get out of the default status before you can explore federal funding again.

Can I apply for a private student loan if I owe money?

If you are looking to supplement your current student loan with another loan then yes you can apply for additional private loans. If you are in default then the chances of you getting another loan is pretty slim. Private banks and credit unions look into your credit score, credit history and your credit worthiness before approving you for a student loan and existing loan defaults on your accounts is not going to endear yourself to them in any manner.

We get a number of questions on this subject of additional student loans or taking out fresh financial aid. I’m listing a few below (personal details removed)

• “Can you go to college if you owe another college?”
• “Can i receive financial aid if i owe another college money?”
• “If I owe money to my college will I still be able to register in another college?”
• “I failed at one college can i get financial aid at another college?”
• “Can I take an additional student loan even if I owe money?”
• “Can I get a Pell Grant if I owe money on my student loan?”
• “Can I look at additional financial aid if I am in default?”
• “Can I apply for federal aid if I already have student loans?”

Having a child support lien does not bar you from being eligible for a grant or a student loan. The real question is if you can enforce your child support claim against the money that a person receives from a grant such as a pell grant or student loan.

By law, child support lien can be enforced against non exempt property that is owned by the obligatory. The next question obviously is what constitutes non exempt property? Non exempt property could be anything from bank accounts to cars, bikes, boats, real estate such as land that could be sold to pay for the debts owed.

Can Child Support Take My Student Loans

There are conflicting views on this and it’s best to consult legal help regarding this. However as one of our readers(Drew) just commentated, the money you receive from a student loan is not considered as income and therefore cannot be considered.