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Who
can get federal student aid?
Eligibility for our programs is based on financial
need and on several other factors. Your eligibility
is determined by the information you provide on the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)—see
next page
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Here are some of the basic requirements you must meet:
- Demonstrate financial need (except for certain loans—see
below).
- Demonstrate by one of the following means that you’re
qualified to enroll in postsecondary education:
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Have a high school diploma
or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate;
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Pass an approved ability-to-benefit
(ATB) test (if you don't have a diploma or
GED, a school can administer a test to determine
whether you can benefit from the education
offered at that school);
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Meet other standards your
state establishes that we have approved; or
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Complete a high school education
in a home school setting approved under state
law.
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- Be working toward a degree or certificate in an
eligible program.
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (such as
a permanent resident).
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress once in
school.
You might not be able to receive federal student aid if
you've been convicted under federal or state law of selling
or possessing illegal drugs. If you have a conviction
for these offenses, contact the Federal
Student Aid Information Center to find out your status.
Even if you're ineligible for federal aid, you should
still complete the federal student aid application (the
FAFSA): Many schools and states use the FAFSA to determine
eligibility for aid they offer.
If you have a question about your citizenship status,
contact the financial aid office at the college or career
school you plan to attend.
What
about the financial need requirement?
Aid from most of our programs is awarded based on financial
need (except for unsubsidized
Stafford Loans and PLUS
Loans).
Your financial need is calculated according to a formula
established by law. We use an Expected Family Contribution
(EFC) number when we determine your need. The EFC is
a measure of your family's financial strength and is
calculated from the information you report on our Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) . Your EFC
will appear on your Student Aid Report (SAR) you receive.
To be eligible for a Federal Pell Grant (see here), your EFC must
be below a certain number, which can vary from year to year.
For the 2005-2006 award year, eligibility
for a Pell Grant required an EFC of under 3850.
To determine your financial need for our other federal
student aid programs (unless you receive an unsubsidized
Stafford Loan, your school will subtract from your cost
of attendance the following: the EFC, any Federal Pell
Grant amount you're eligible for, and other financial
aid you'll receive. If anything is left over, you're
considered to have financial need for additional federal
student aid.
So, how do I know how much
aid I can get?
Because the Expected Family Contribution formula must
be applied to each family's financial information, we
can't tell you here whether you'll be eligible for federal
student aid or estimate how much aid you might get.
That's why you need to apply—to find out! For more
information about your eligibility status after you
get your application results, contact the financial
aid office(s) at the school(s) you're considering.
I think I have some special circumstances
in my family. Are those considered in determining my
financial need?
In some cases, a school's financial aid administrator
might adjust your cost of attendance or the information
used to calculate your EFC to take into account special
circumstances you might have. These circumstances could
include your family's unusual medical expenses, tuition
expenses, or unemployment. The aid administrator decides
whether to make an adjustment, however; his or her decision is
final and cannot be appealed to us.
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