In general, to receive aid from the federal student aid programs, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.



• Have a high school diploma, General Educational Development (GED) certificate, pass an approved "ability to benefit" test, or have completed a high school education in a home school setting that is recognized as a home school or private school under state law.



• Enroll in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate.



• Be registered with Selective Service if required (in general, if you are a male age 18 through 25).



• Meet satisfactory academic progress standards set by your school.



• Certify that you are not in default on a federal loan or owe money on a federal grant.



• Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.

And, only if you have previously received federal student aid:

• Certify that you were not convicted for a drug offense that occurred while you were enrolled in school and receiving federal student aid.

If you have previously received federal student aid, you may not be eligible to receive additional federal aid if while you were enrolled in school and receiving federal student aid you had a drug offense for selling or possessing illegal drugs and that offense led to a conviction under federal or state law.

If you have previously received federal student aid and have concerns about your eligibility for 2009-10 because of a drug offense, you may call our Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) for assistance or go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and select "Before Beginning a FAFSA" on the left-hand side of the page. Once at that site, scroll down and select the "Drug Conviction Worksheet." The Worksheet will help you determine your eligibility status.