Distance learning funded by salliemae?

Hey guys,

Does anyone know if a student can take out federal/private loans through sallie mae to fund a distance learning course? I've literally got one more year to go but I'm so unhappy at my university I can't take it anymore. I've tried to work out issues even as far as going to the programme director but nothing has been done. So I want to leave but I don't want to quit my degree obviously.

So if anyone knows anything about this please do help me out here. Btw, the distance uni that I want to enroll with does have a fafsa code and sallie mae code if that makes a difference?

Thank you!

If anyone can please just point me in the right direction or give me a hint, pretty please? I feel so stuck at the moment.

Is the distance learning uni in the UK? And do they have an international office that you could contact? That might be a starting point. I can't say I really have any idea about this, but I'd recommend contacting someone at the university and hoping that if they can't help, they can point you in the direction of someone who can.

Good luck!

If it's a US university, you should have no problem getting financial aid.

If it's a UK university, you could possibly get Federal Direct Loans or private loans, though unless you absolutely must i would suggest staying away from private.  The interest rates are up above 10-15%, it really adds up fast.

Your first step would be to fill out a FAFSA using the school code you've got, then if it's a UK school you need to call the Department of Education and obtain your full 8-page Student Aid Report (SAR) because international schools can't receive them electronically and you can't get it online.  If it's a US school, they receive it electronically so you don't need to do anything.

Once you have that, contact the financial aid office at the university and find out what to do next.

Since you have nearly three years of residency, your least expensive option would be to pay home fees at a UK university and use US federal student loans to cover it.  If it's an undergraduate course, I believe you can also get UK loans and grants on top of that.

That won't be the case for the OP, as she spent part of that time here as a student, and that won't count for residency for home fees.

But she got married in 2009, so that means she'll be eligible sometime in 2012.

I'd wait.  Even 9000 GBP is less than most US schools charge for non-resident tuition.

But she got married in 2009, so that means she'll be eligible sometime in 2012.

I'd wait.  Even 9000 GBP is less than most US schools charge for non-resident tuition.

In order for her to be eligible in 2012, she would have to NOT have been here as a student for the 3 years prior.  Despite the fact that the OP was married in 2009, she was not here on a spousal visa for that time but rather a student visa.  So, she would have to wait longer than 2012 for home fees, unfortunately.

Thanks for eveyone's advice. I've contacted the departments (international, my particular degree, etc...) and they just keep passing me on. The uni that I'm trying for at the moment does have a fafsa code and sallie mae has them on their list. However, I don't know if I can even get a loan for distance learning.

I've applied to transfer to loads of places in London but I'm not hearing back from very many and when I do hear back it's usually a rejection. That's why I was looking into distance learning. I thought that I'd have a better chance. I only have one year left but I can't take it here anymore. My depression is so bad and I'm just dealing with too much while being here (in this city, this uni, etc..). My parents don't get it and they're like "well it's just one more year." But things are so bad that I was getting suicidal at one point. I just think my mental health is more important than continuing here.

Is this a regular uni that has a distance learning programme, or is it the OU? A quick google tells me that most unis are not eligible for US federal loans on their distance learning programmes, even if they are for campus students, and the OU doesn't seem to be eligible either, so I think you're out of luck there

Is this a regular uni that has a distance learning programme, or is it the OU? A quick google tells me that most unis are not eligible for US federal loans on their distance learning programmes, even if they are for campus students, and the OU doesn't seem to be eligible either, so I think you're out of luck there

It's a regular one, not OU. Thanks for letting me know.

I hope something works out for you!