Hey Sue -

I'm a FiLife intern and I've done some research on your question and found some options. First of all, from experience, if you apply for all the federal loans and it ends up being more than the amount of your tuition, you will get a refund check back from your school. That check can be used just like any other check and you can deposit it into an account or cash it.

There are options that I found online of private loans in which the loan money directly goes to you rather than going to your school - exactly what you were looking for. One such bank that offers this is Wells Fargo (http://www.filife.com/reviews/wells-fargo-education-connection-loan), where they send you the money in a lump sum and you can use it for tuition or any other college related expenses. The NextStudent Private Loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/private-loans/private-loans.asp) also directly funds you the money from your loan mailed to you in the form of a check made payable to you and your co-signer.

- Jenn