I came into a school this spring semester (last week) for the first time. I'm in a situation where my job didn't transfer states and I am the head of household for a family of four so we're homeless now. Can I package the loan to cover just the spring semester or is it like the pell grants where if you are only going for one semester than you only get half of the pell grant. I NEED more than the minimal stipend check I'll getting after the bogus fees they added on as it doesn't even fully cover books. Basically the school is a money scam. If I'm full-time for the jan- june semester(12 credits) can I still take the full $9,500 out loan wise ? I know it's not smart, but I don't even have money for paper right now and don't want to start out my GPA on the wrong note.

Two years ago, I was enrolled at a different institution and did not receive any form of financial assistance, although I was enrolled as a full-time student. Once I decided to return to a school I had previously attended instead of completely transferring altogether, I received the full amount of Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for which I was eligible. I was also a Pell Grant recipient, but only received the grant funding during my second semester that year. You should contact your school's financial aid office to find out if they distribute the financial aid in a similar manner to the way mine did. Sometimes it is variable by school or even by state. You'll also want to submit the FAFSA for this year, if you haven't already, to determine eligibility for the aid mentioned above or anything else. You can do that at our partner site, http://www.FafsaOnline.com/.
Best wishes!