Eligibility Requirements
There are several requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for financial aid. For most students, these do not pose any difficulty.
To be considered for financial aid, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) in a degree or certificate program of study at least half-time (for undergraduates, that would be a minimum of six credits per term)
- Demonstrate financial need (not necessary for unsubsidized Direct Loans)
- Make satisfactory academic progress
- Not be in default on a federal student loan
- Not owe a refund on any federal financial aid grant
- Have a high school diploma, or a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or pass an approved Ability to Benefit (ATB) test
- Have a valid social security number
- Be registered with Selective Service (if required)*
- Have no history of certain drug convictions
* Men who are 18 to 25 years of age must register with Selective Service to be eligible for federal financial aid.
Match Requirements
When you apply for financial aid from federal student aid programs, some of your information is verified with certain federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (for verification of Social Security Numbers and U.S citizenship status). If the information does not match, the discrepancy must be resolved before you can receive federal student aid.
Information is also checked with the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) to verify that you are not in default on a federal student loan, have not received an overpayment on a federal grant, and have not borrowed more than the total limit allowed.
Maintaining Eligibility
If you receive federal, state or University financial aid, you must make satisfactory academic progress throughout your program in order to maintain your eligibility. Go to Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for a full explanation of these expectations.
Eligibility from Year to Year
After your initial application for Financial Aid, you will need to submit the Renewal FAFSA each year to continue to receive aid. If there is a change in your family's income, household size, and/or the number of family members in college, your financial aid eligibility will increase or decrease accordingly. (See Applying For Aid - Renewal FAFSA for more information.)
In addition, there are variations from year to year in the financial aid funds available from federal, state and/or University sources. These variations may require adjustments in aid awards.
