Student says he had trouble getting financial aid refund after short break from school

CHARLOTTE — A college student says he dropped out of school for a few months and was supposed to get a refund, but it was easier said than done.

Matthew Loftin is drawn to computers. “This is something I’ve always loved since being young” he told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.

He signed up at ECPI University to study Information Technology. He says he needed and received financial aid. “Everything started out fine and well,” he said.

But then he had some personal issues, mainly how to get to class and back. “I was trying to take a break and regroup. Try to figure out my transportation situation and make it work a little better,” he said.

He dropped out and told Stoogenke that he was supposed to get some money back.

It wasn’t clear how much he was supposed to be refunded, but Loftin says he didn’t get it. He also realized these things can take time.

“It’s an obstacle that I know can be handled. I just want make sure I go about it, doing it in the right way,” he said.

Intent on his education, Loftin went back to school but says he couldn’t get the money figured out so he had to withdraw again.

“I feel a little upset about the situation. Frustrated because it’s holding me up, keeping me from being able to move forward,” he said.

Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke emailed the school and after a few weeks, it reimbursed his entire semester: a total of more than $6,000. It’s not clear what the problem was or how it got sorted out. ECPI wouldn’t discuss the details of his case for privacy reasons, but emailed Stoogenke, “Federal Student Aid can be quite detailed and complicated ... If you don’t understand something, ask the institution’s financial aid officer to assist you.”

Loftin believes he’s still entitled to more money than that, but it appears the school doesn’t think so. But maybe with the $6,000, he can get back to pursuing his passion.

The bottom line is, that if you have a financial aid issue, start with the school, not the federal financial aid representatives. If you do need federal financial aid representatives, click here for more information.

If that doesn’t work, contact Action 9 here.

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