u/CartographerNo1737

TL;DR:

Transferred to CSULA but got almost no financial aid and now owe $3.6k. Took a semester off. Considering either going back (now that I qualify for full aid) and overloading credits, or switching to an online school to finish faster. Not sure which is the better/cheaper option. Looking for advice

——

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice on what my next steps should be to finish my bachelor’s.

My college path has been kind of all over the place due to financial issues and timing problems. I transferred from community college to a CSU (Fall 2025) after finishing my AA and came in with junior standing. But my FAFSA situation got messed up, and I was only offered about $300 in aid as an in-state student. Tuition ended up being way more than I could afford, so I didn’t take out loans or pay it. Now I owe about $3.6k to the school.

So far I’ve completed:

AA degree (3.9 GPA, over 60 credits)

1 semester at CSULA (12 credits, straight As)

I took Spring 2026 off because of all this.

I’ve been considering switching to an online school (like SNHU) and just paying out of pocket to finish as quickly as possible. But I’m worried my credits won’t transfer fully, and I won’t actually be able to finish within a year like I was hoping and I’d be in way more debt.

I recently filed FAFSA for Fall 2026 and my SAI is 0, so I’m expecting to receive full aid this time. Now I’m wondering if it makes more sense to:

Go back to my current CSU and try to overload credits to catch up

Or switch to an online program that might be more flexible but potentially slower/less predictable with transfer credits

I’m also planning to meet with an advisor, but I wanted to hear from people who’ve been in similar situations.

Main goals:

Finish as fast as reasonably possible

Minimize debt

Avoid wasting credits/time

What would you do in my position?

TL;DR:

Transferred to CSULA but got almost no financial aid and now owe $3.6k. Took a semester off. Considering either going back (now that I qualify for full aid) and overloading credits, or switching to an online school to finish faster. Not sure which is the better/cheaper option. Looking for advice

——

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice on what my next steps should be to finish my bachelor’s.

My college path has been kind of all over the place due to financial issues and timing problems. I transferred from community college to a CSU (Fall 2025) after finishing my AA and came in with junior standing. But my FAFSA situation got messed up, and I was only offered about $300 in aid as an in-state student. Tuition ended up being way more than I could afford, so I didn’t take out loans or pay it. Now I owe about $3.6k to the school.

So far I’ve completed:

AA degree (3.9 GPA, over 60 credits)

1 semester at CSULA (12 credits, straight As)

I took Spring 2026 off because of all this.

I’ve been considering switching to an online school (like SNHU) and just paying out of pocket to finish as quickly as possible. But I’m worried my credits won’t transfer fully, and I won’t actually be able to finish within a year like I was hoping and I’d be in way more debt.

I recently filed FAFSA for Fall 2026 and my SAI is 0, so I’m expecting to receive full aid this time. Now I’m wondering if it makes more sense to:

Go back to my current CSU and try to overload credits to catch up

Or switch to an online program that might be more flexible but potentially slower/less predictable with transfer credits

I’m also planning to meet with an advisor, but I wanted to hear from people who’ve been in similar situations.

Main goals:

Finish as fast as reasonably possible

Minimize debt

Avoid wasting credits/time

What would you do in my position?