I usually don't post a ton on here, but I'm really stressed. My household income is way under 30k, and I live with a single parent. For the last fall and spring semesters, I didn't have to pay anything due to a one-time, outside scholarship I had through this foundation. I wasn't aware of this, and I recently found out since financial aid got back to me super late (though I understand since it's busy during this time).

I recently emailed the financial aid department and they said I'll have to pay a certain amount for both the fall and spring semesters. I'm going to be a sophomore for fall 2026 and the next semester. I repeatedly told them that the cost is way above what I can pay due to being low-income and all, and I can't submit an appeal because my financial situation hasn't changed since last year.

I honestly don't know what to do, since I really need to continue pursuing an education here. I don't want to take a leave of absence and graduate a year late, and I also don't think applying to private scholarships can help me at this point, since the payment deadline for continuing students is in August (I think).

To make matters worse, I don't qualify for student loans due to my financial situation. I'm worried because students in my situation usually can't be successful without college, and even if I could be, I don't have the means right now. My whole family is struggling, so any tips or advice would be super helpful.

Hi, Everyone,

I'm an incoming first year at BU, so please excuse me if the things that I'm about to ask seem a bit obvious.

I'm trying to figure out how to pay for BU right now, and under the "Accept/Decline Awards" section on the BU dashboard, it doesn't say anything about unsubsidized or subsidized loans. When I completed my FAFSA, it said that I was qualified for federal direct loans up to $5,500. Since federal loans aren't stated in my financial aid package, does this mean that I'm not able to borrow federal loans to pay for BU? I'm asking this because I saw somewhere that financial aid packages typically state or include federal loans.

Also, (this is probably not the right subreddit to ask this, apologies but I'm desperate) if unsubsidized/subsidized loans aren't enough to cover the cost of BU, the next step would be to take out parent plus loans, right? Then, if the parent plus loans still aren't enough, I would move on to BU's monthly payment plan to cover the rest?

Finally, I'm nervous about the upcoming fall bill. If I'm able to get in contact with BU's student financial office, would I be able to waive the late fee in case my bill is late?