I’m planning on trying to go back to school this fall to retake/take some classes to help my chances of getting to pharmacy school after having graduated this month. Financial aid says that I can’t get any kind of financial aid, including Stafford loans, unless I’m seeking a degree.
Now I know how college students can be total douchebags here, and I don’t really want to be one, but what would happen if I told them I was seeking a degree, and then a year later when I’m done with the few classes I want to take, just leave school? Am I responsible on-the-spot for those student loan funds?
Only anecdotal, but my sister’s roommate had problems with this. The “working towards a degree” aside, she was told they will flat refuse to pay for classes you’ve already taken once. So you may be out of luck here. Hopefully someone else can give a more definitive answer.
If you take the classes as a “post-baccalaureate program” instead of just taking them one by one, you might have better luck with financial aid. I’d try that before declaring a degree-seeking status and then dropping out – of all the people in the world I’d want to piss off, student loan collectors are near the very bottom of the list.