What is financial aid?
Financial aid is money to help pay for college or career. Grants, work-study, loans and scholarships help make college or career school affordable.
Financial aid can come from federal, state, local and private sources to help pay for college or vocational school.
Who is eligible?
You must meet certain requirements to qualify for federal student aid (grants, work study and loans).
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Basic eligibility criteria
Our basic eligibility requirements are:
- demonstrate financial need (for most programs);
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen;
- have a valid social security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau);
- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
- be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
- maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or vocational school;
- sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form indicating that:
- you are not in default on a federal student loan,
- do not owe money on a federal student grant, and
- you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
- demonstrate that you are qualified to obtain a college or vocational school education by:
- having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
- complete a secondary education in a home school setting approved under state law (or, if state law does not require a home schooled student to obtain a completion credential, complete a secondary education in a home school setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
- enroll in an eligible career pathway program and meet one of the “ability to benefit” alternatives described below.
Additional eligibility requirements may apply in certain situations, including for non-U.S. citizens, students with criminal convictions, and students with intellectual disabilities.
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