23. Degree or certificate. Indicate the one-digit code for the expected degree or certificate you will be working on during the 2008-09 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 educational 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 (non-degree program)
8	Graduate or professional degree
9	Other/undecided

24. Grade level during 2008-09 school year. Choose from the following:

Grade level does not mean the number of years you have attended college. It means 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. Expected enrollment status at start of 2008-2009. Choose from the following:

Enter:	For:
1	Full time
2	Three-quarter time
3	Half time
4	Less-than-half time
5	Don't know

You should enter your expected enrollment status at the start of the 2008-09 school year. If applying to more than one school, you should provide the enrollment status and school terms that apply to the school you are most likely to attend.

For undergraduates, "full time" generally means taking at least 12 credit hours in a term or 24 clock hours per week. "Three-quarter time" generally means taking at least 9 credit hours in a term or 18 clock hours per week. "Half time" generally means taking at least 6 credit hours in a term or 12 clock hours per week. Enter the correct number in the box on the paper FAFSA or select your status from the pull-down menu on FAFSA on the Web.

26. Types of aid that interest you. Choose from the following:

Enter:	For:
1	Work-study (student aid that you earn through work
2	Student loans (which you must pay back)
3	Both work-study and student loans
4	Neither
5	Don't know

Federal, state and institutional programs all may use the information from this question to determine what types of aid to award. If you are not sure, you should answer "3." 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 "2" for "student loans."

27. High school diploma/GED/Home Schooled/Other. Students who have completed high school or its equivalent before beginning the 2008-2009 award year should choose from the following:

Enter:	For:
1	High school diploma
2	General Educational Development (GED) certificate
3	Home schooled
4	Other

28. 1st bachelor's degree. This question has a direct bearing on your eligibility for Federal Pell Grants, Academic Competitiveness Grants, National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grants (National SMART 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 Federal Pell Grant.) You must answer "Yes" to this question if you have (or will have by July 1, 2008) 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.

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 and 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 form and elsewhere on this site (see Questions 56-89).

31. Illegal drug offenses. Question 31 asks whether you have been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (such as grants, loans and work-study). If you have been convicted, you are not necessarily ineligible for aid. If you complete a paper form and answer "Yes" to this question, you will receive a Drug Conviction Worksheet in the mail with your SAR. You can use this worksheet to determine whether the conviction affects your eligibility for federal student aid. If you file on the Web and answer "Yes" to this question, you will automatically be presented with an online Drug Conviction Worksheet to complete. Once you complete the worksheet, you will receive the results of your current eligibility status immediately. The information you provide on the Web-based worksheet will pre-populate the answer to Question 31 on the FAFSA on the Web application, and the data on the worksheet is not retained in our system.

If you have a conviction for a drug offense (you were found guilty), 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), which is found in the upper right-hand corner of 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.