ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID:

You must meet certain requirements to qualify for federal student aid (grants, work study and loans).

Basic Eligibility Criteria

Our basic eligibility requirements are that you must:

  • demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
  • be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
  • have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau)
  • be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
  • be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
  • maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
  • sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form stating that
  • you are not in default on a federal student loan,
  • you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and
  • you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
  • show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
  • having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
  • completing a high school education in a home school setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a home school setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
  • enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the "ability-to-benefit" alternatives described below.

Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain situations including for non-U.S. citizens, students with criminal convictions, and students with intellectual disabilities.

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