I recently changed my major from Pre-pharmacy to Accounting, so it will take me 5 years to graduate instead of 4. I have 1 year left and financial aid usually covered most of my tuition, but since I've exhausted 8 semesters, my merit scholarship is going away and I'm expected to pay $23,750 per semester. I do still have grants and loans, which brings it down to around $12,000 per semester, but I still can't afford that even while working full time. I talked to financial aid and they told me to send in an appeal, which I plan to do, but what are my other options. I really don't want to take out a private loan. I already have $21,855.12 in federal loans.
Can't Afford College Anymore
byu/Active_Waltz_6728 inpersonalfinance
Posted by Active_Waltz_6728
9 Comments
If your college doesn’t have any programs, most likely a cheaper school in your best bet
Part of being an adult is sometimes doing things you don’t want to do. Not finishing your degree means you’ve wasted 4 years and a ton of money.
Go get a loan, finish your schooling, and get out into the workforce so you can pay it back.
Can you transfer to a cheaper in state school?
Should stick with the pre-pharm degree, that’s what I have. Never even tried the pharmd program, went straight into sales.
The world needs smart people
Graduating with $40ish K of debt for a marketable degree is far from the end of the world.
Explore student loan repayment programs and the USPHS.
As a person with a lot In private loans who hates them. Take out the loan. This is really your only option at this point and you’ll gain nothing from quitting. I am over 200k deep as an attorney- still pay on private loans from undergrad. the world is what it is and is only getting worse. It’ll work out I promise.
Give yourself a bit of perspective. You were headed for more schooling to become a pharmacist too, so you were already staring down substantial additional expense to do that. You’re just redirecting to that 5th BA year instead. I don’t know how your state does it, but a 5th year in undergrad is pretty common these days, so your chances of winning an appeal aren’t bad. In addition, I’d talk to the accounting department about departmental scholarships, and find out if the college offers a tuition discount or waiver for part time employees. If they do, apply for any clerical, janitorial, or groundskeeping job you can find – it can save you a ton of money even if it’s just a partial discount.
Can’t afford college? Can you afford future regret if you do not finish college?
While AI is automating the routine dispensing roles in retail pharmacy, it is simultaneously creating a massive demand for **’Hybrid Analysts.’** By combining a pre-pharmacy scientific foundation with an accounting degree, you are positioned to do what AI cannot: provide ethical oversight and strategic financial analysis for complex entities like PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers), biotech funds, and hospital systems where the ‘product’ is human health and the ‘language’ is finance