14. Citizenship status. You can receive federal student financial aid only if you are a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen. If you have changed from a noncitizen to a citizen and have not informed the SSA, contact the SSA to update your status. Otherwise, the SSA may report that you are not a citizen, and you will have to provide citizenship documentation before receiving aid.

For financial aid purposes, an eligible noncitizen is one of the following:

• A U.S. permanent resident who has a Permanent Resident Card (I-551 or I-151)
• A conditional permanent resident (I-551C)
• A noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (specifically, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) showing any one of the following designations: "Refugee," "Asylum Granted," "Parole" (the I-94 must confirm 'paroled for a minimum of 1-year status' has not expired), or "Cuban-Haitian Entrant"

If you are neither a citizen nor an eligible noncitizen, you are not eligible for federal student aid; for example, you are not eligible if you are in the U.S. on one of the following:

• An F-1, F-2, or M-1 student visa
• A J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor visa
• A B-1 or B-2 visitor visa
• A G series visa (pertaining to international organizations)
• An H series or L series visa (allowing temporary employment in the U.S.)
• A "Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence" (I-171 or I-464)
• An I-94 stamped "Temporary Protected Status"

However, you may be eligible for state or institutional aid and may therefore wish to complete the FAFSA to apply for that aid. If you are completing a paper FAFSA, fill in oval C. On FAFSA on the Web, indicate that you are not a citizen by using the drop down menu. Please note, however, that if you do not have a Social Security number, the processor will not process your FAFSA. If you are in this situation, you should contact your school for information on how to proceed.

15. Alien Registration Number (A-Number). If you are an eligible noncitizen, enter your eight- or nine-digit A-Number. Leave the first space blank if you have an eight-digit A-Number.

If you answer "yes" to the question asking whether you are a U.S. citizen, do not provide an A-Number in this question. If an A-Number is present, the Department will check with the DHS to confirm your status.

16. Marital status. Your marital status directly affects how your income and assets are treated in the EFC calculation. You must report your marital status as of the date the application is submitted. An applicant cannot update FAFSA information for changes in marital status after the application is filed.

17. Date of marital status. You should enter the date (the month and the year) you married, divorced, separated, or were widowed. If you never married, leave this question blank.

18. State of legal residence. The Department will disclose your FAFSA information to state agencies in your state of legal residence, to each school listed on the FAFSA, and to state agencies in the state in which each school is located. State and institutional programs may use the information provided on the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for state and institutional aid.

Your state of legal residence is also used in the EFC calculation to determine the appropriate allowance for state and other taxes paid by that state's residents.

Your residence is your true, fixed, and permanent home. If you are a dependent student, the state of legal residence is usually the state in which your parents live. If you moved from your family's state of residence into a state for the sole purpose of attending a college, do not count the state to which you moved as your legal residence. Use the State Abbreviations list to provide the abbreviation for your state.

19. Legal resident before 2001. States have varying criteria for determining whether you are a resident for purposes of state financial aid. However, if you established a true, fixed, and permanent home in any state more than four years ago, you will meet its residency criteria. Select "Yes" if you became a resident of your state before January 1, 2001 or "No" if you became a resident of your state on or after January 1, 2001.

20. Date (month and year) of legal residence. Your state will use this information to determine whether you meet its specific residency criteria for state aid. If you answered "No" to the question asking if you became a legal resident of your state before January 1, 2001, provide the month and year you became a legal resident of your state.

21. Are you male? To receive federal student financial aid, male students who are 18 through 25 years old and born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with Selective Service. Indicate whether you are male.

22. Selective Service registration. If you are male, 18 through 25 years of age, and have not registered with Selective Service, you can enter "Yes" and Selective Service will register you. You can also register on the Web at www.sss.gov.

If you believe that you are not required to register, call the Selective Service office at
1-847-688-6888 for information regarding exemptions. Female students should leave Question 22 blank.