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Am I Eligible?
To receive aid from the federal student aid programs discussed in this guide, you must meet certain criteria.
Except for some loan programs, you must show that you have financial need, according to our requirements. See "Financial Need and Expected Family Contribution* (EFC)".
- You must demonstrate by one of the following means that you are qualified to enroll in postsecondary education:
- Have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.*
- Pass an approved ability-to-benefit* (ATB) test. If you don't have a diploma or GED, you can take an approved ATB test to determine whether you can benefit from the education offered at that school.
- Meet other standards your state established and that we have approved.
- Complete a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law.
- You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student* working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.*
- You must meet satisfactory academic progress* standards set by the postsecondary school you are or will be attending.
You might be able to receive aid for correspondence or telecommunications courses as long as they are part of a recognized certificate or degree program.
- You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.*
- You must have a valid Social Security number (SSN) (unless you’re from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau). If you don’t have an SSN, you can find out more about applying for one at www.ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. TTY users can call 1-800-325-0778.
- When you apply for federal student aid you sign a statement that certifies that you will use federal student aid for educational purposes only. You also certify that you are not in default* on a federal student loan and do not owe a refund on a federal student grant (which could happen if you withdraw from school, for example).
- You must comply with Selective Service registration.* If you’re a male aged 18 through 25 and you have not registered you can, at the same time you complete your FAFSA, give the Selective Service System permission to register you by means of the FAFSA. You can also register online at www.ssa.gov or call 1-847-688-6888. TTY users can call 1-847-688-2567.
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Everyone must answer this question on the FAFSA. The question asks if 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).
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- Generally, if you have been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid, you will be ineligible for a period of time based on the type and number of convictions. If you answer “Yes” to this question, it is very important that you complete and submit the FAFSA to determine your eligibility. If you are submitting a paper FAFSA, you will be mailed a worksheet to assist you in determining whether your conviction affects your eligibility for federal student aid. If you are applying using FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov, you will be provided the electronic version of the same worksheet during your online session. If you need assistance or have any questions on how to answer this question, call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) for help from the Federal Student Aid Information Center. Even if you’re ineligible for federal student aid because of a drug conviction, you should still complete the FAFSA because most schools and states use FAFSA information to award nonfederal aid.
- You have limited eligibility for federal student aid while you’re incarcerated. Generally, you’re only eligible for a Pell Grant and then only if you’re NOT incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution. Check with the financial aid office at the school you plan on attending.
When you apply for federal student aid, we verify some of your information with certain federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (for verification of Social Security numbers and U.S. citizenship status) and the Department of Homeland Security (to verify Alien Registration numbers). If the information doesn’t match, the discrepancy must be resolved before you can receive federal student aid. We also check your information against our National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS),* to verify that you haven’t defaulted on your federal student loan, haven’t received an overpayment on a federal grant or a Federal Perkins Loan and haven’t borrowed more than the total limit allowed. We also check your information against Veterans Affairs if you answer that you are a veteran. Most males between the ages of 18 and 25 must register with Selective Service in order to be eligible for federal student aid, so we check with this agency as well.
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Federal Student Aid issued $83 billion in aid in 2007 (plus another $32 billion in consolidation loans). Ten million students in 6,200 postsecondary institutions received these loans.
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Aid for most of our programs is awarded based on financial need (except for unsubsidized Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans). See pages 19–20. The EFC is a measure of your family’s financial strength and resources (for dependent students) should be available to help pay for your education.
The EFC is calculated from the information you report on the FAFSA and according to a formula established by law. Your family’s income (taxable and untaxed) and assets are considered in determining your EFC. Your family size and the number of family members who will be attending a college or career school are also considered. Your EFC will appear on the Student Aid Report* (SAR) you receive after you file your FAFSA. To determine your financial need for federal student aid programs (except for an unsubsidized Stafford Loan), your school subtracts the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from your cost of attendance.*
The school uses federal grants and other financial aid to meet your financial need. Because the EFC formula must be applied to each family’s financial information, we cannot tell you here whether you will be eligible for federal student aid or estimate how much aid you might receive. If you’d like to get an estimate of you financial aid award use FAFSA4caster at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. The information you submit with FAFSA4caster can be used to populate some of your FAFSA on the Web when you’re ready to apply for aid (see page 10). But remember, to find out exactly what you will be eligible to receive, you must apply for financial aid. If you want to see how the EFC formula works, you can get detailed worksheets from our Web site at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/pubs. Click on the year under "The EFC Formula" or you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
After you receive your SAR,* you will also receive an award letter* from the school(s) listed on your FAFSA that offer you admission. Contact the financial aid office at the school(s) that sent you an award letter* if you have questions about your student financial aid award.
The EFC formula is basically the same for all applicants, but there is some flexibility. Your financial aid administrator* can adjust the cost of attendance* or the information used to calculate your EFC to take into account your unusual circumstances. These circumstances could include your family’s unusual medical expenses, tuition expenses or unemployment. The financial aid administrator* must have good reasons to use professional judgment to make adjustments because of unusual circumstances. You will have to provide enough documentation to support any adjustments. The financial aid administrator’s* decision as to whether to make changes is final and can’t be appealed to us.
The following are three examples of unusual circumstances that financial aid administrators may consider as factors in making an adjustment in the Expected Family Contribution* calculation or to the cost of attendance.* These examples are:
- An independent student loses a job.
- A family member becomes a dislocated worker.
- A change in the student’s housing status results in homelessness.
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