Private College Student Loan

How come my Community College won't let me use Stafford Loans for Living Expenses?

Okay, for the last 2 years I've made around $4,000 each year. I filled out FASFA and talked to the College I want to attend and they said I will get about $6,000 for tutition and books etc. with my Pell and FASFA. I asked about Stafford loans as I am an 25 year old Independent Student with no money to pay for an apartment. The school is 3 hours away, I live in the middle of nowhere (northern Michigan) and I picked this College because of the Top of the line Cisco Program they have (CCNA). The School will not allow me to take our more than $1,7500 per semester and I can only use it for gas money and tuition!!!!! How is this possible since the Stafford loans are Government Funding? So basically I can not start in January now because I don't have ~$1,000 for a down payment for an apartment. School doesn't have dorms, and my credit is not good enough, nor do I have a co-signer for a loan. I just can't believe that college is not obtainable for me in this day and age. The CCNA program is a great program and MCC is the only Community college in the state of Michigan that has it. I just feel like that since I am the one borrowing the money and the goverment pays the interenst until I am done with school that I should be able to use the money for living expenses and even a new computer since I will be taking a very in-depth computer networking course. How can they get away with this?? If people can't get the education they want, how will this economy in Michigan and the USA ever improve. Oh, this is the funniest part of the whole deal with this college!!!! They state this as their reason for there Cap limits and restrictions.... "MACOMB COMMUNITY COLLEGE LOAN POLICY 2008-09 Macomb Community College is concerned about the high debt level of our students. To minimize student debt, Federal Direct Stafford Loans can only be used to pay for direct educational expenses such as tuition, fees, books and transportation. Loan funds cannot be used to pay credit card bills for personal purchases, child support payments, car payments or other non-educational costs. We will also not approve loans for room and board expenses. There are, however, alternative loans from private lenders to assist with room and board expenses."" ahahaha, yeah lets borrow from banks instead that charge higher interest rates and the loans everyone is having problems with!! Does anybody have an advice?? Does anybody know if I can use Student Loans to pay for class and books and use the FASFA and Pell Grant for living expenses? Would this be a way around that?

Public Comments

1. Being a independent student making $4,000 per year with no other income and being a full time student, you are entitled to your full Pell grant award (around $2300/semester) and a Stafford loan no interest while in school of $1750 semester. That is the federal max for whatever school you go to, even if you stayed on campus at harvard. It goes up to $2750/semester once you get tyo be a Junior. What you can do is tell your counselor that you need as unsub loan (the interest accumulates while your in school, but you don't have to make payments until you're out). The federal max for that is $2,000/semester. By law, they have to give you that , before they let you take out a regular bank loan. Good Luck!
2. Get a job... ..
3. This is very strange to me. It is not up to your school what you use the money for. All financial aid (Pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans) goes to your school first, and after they take out whatever you owe them for tuition, fees, and books, they are SUPPOSED to send you a check for the remaining balance. I've never heard of a school telling you what you can use it for. I would contact the Direct Loan Servicing Center (check the web for their info) and ask them. Otherwise I would look into other schools.