23. Degree or certificate. Indicate the one-digit code for the expected degree or certificate you will be working on during the 2005-06 school year, using the "Degree/Certificate Code List" below. If your degree or certificate does not fit any of these categories, or if you are undecided, enter "9."

Enter:	For:
1	1st bachelor's degree
2	2nd bachelor's degree
3	Associate degree (occupational or technical program)
4	Associate degree (general education or transfer program)
5	Certificate or diploma for completing an occupational, technical, or educational program of less than two years
6	Certificate or diploma for completing an occupational, technical, or educational program of at least two years
7	Teaching credential program (nondegree program)
8	Graduate or professional degree
9	Other/undecided

24. Grade level during 2005-06 school year. Choose from the following:

Grade level does not mean the number of years you have attended college, but grade level in regard to completing your degree/certificate. (For example, if you are enrolled less than full time, it will take longer for you to reach the same grade level than for a full-time student.)

25. High school diploma/GED. If you will receive your high school diploma or earn a General Education Development (GED) certificate or equivalent home school credential before you enroll in college for the 2005-06 school year, answer, "Yes" to this question. Otherwise, answer "No."

26. 1st bachelor's degree. This question has a direct bearing on your eligibility for Federal Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, which are restricted to students who have not yet received bachelor's degrees. (The only exception is that certain students who already have a bachelor's degree and are now taking courses for teacher certification may receive a Pell Grant.) You must answer "Yes" to this question if you have (or will have by July 1, 2005) a degree from a college in the U.S., or an equivalent degree from a college in another country. If you incorrectly answer, "Yes" to this question, you will be ineligible for a Federal Pell Grant unless a correction is made.

If you attend two different colleges during the same enrollment period, you must notify the financial aid administrators (FAAs) at both schools. If you are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, you may receive it for only one school for the same period of enrollment.

27-28. Types of aid. These questions ask you to indicate what types of aid, in addition to grants, you are interested in receiving. (Question 27 asks about loans and Question 28 asks about work-study.) Note: answering "Yes" or "No" to these questions will not affect your eligibility to receive a grant. The FAFSA automatically assumes that you are interested in grant aid regardless of your answers to questions 27 and 28.

Federal, state, and institutional programs all may use the information from these questions to determine what types of aid to award. If you are not sure, you should answer "Yes" to both of these questions; you will then be considered for all types of aid that are available. You can decline any aid that is later awarded. If your parents wish to take out loans for your education, answer "Yes" to "student loans."

29-30. Father's/mother's highest school level. These questions do not affect your eligibility for federal student aid. Some state and institutional programs use the information provided here to offer aid to first-generation college students.

Enter the highest grade level completed by your father and mother. "Father" and "mother" in these questions mean your birth parents or adoptive parents, but not stepparents or foster parents. If you don't know the answer, select or fill in "Other/unknown." Note that this definition of parents is unique to these two questions. All other questions use the definition given on page 7 of the paper FAFSA and elsewhere on this site (see questions 55-83).

31. Illegal drug offenses. Question 31 asks whether you have been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs. If you have been convicted, you are not necessarily ineligible for aid. If you complete a paper application and answer "Yes" to this question, you will receive a worksheet in the mail with your SAR. You can use this worksheet to determine whether the conviction affects the student's eligibility for federal student aid. If you file on the Web and answer "Yes" to this question, you will be prompted to complete a worksheet on the site so you can complete the entire process online. While the Web-based worksheet will pre-populate the answer to question 31 on the FAFSA on the Web application, the data on the worksheet is not retained in our system.

If you have a conviction, you should still complete and submit the FAFSA because even if you are ineligible for federal student aid, you might still be eligible for state or institutional aid. Many states and schools use the data supplied by the FAFSA to determine students' eligibility for aid from those non-federal entities.

Do not leave Question 31 blank. You will not be able to receive aid until you have provided an answer to this question electronically, on your SAR, or by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). Note that if you are calling the Center to make a correction, you will need to provide your Data Release Number (DRN) from your SAR. If you are not sure how to answer or correct an answer to this question, you can contact the Center for further assistance.