Aid Eligibility

To receive aid from any of the federal student aid programs, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Have financial need, except for some loan programs.
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, pass a test approved by the U.S. Department of Education, meet other standards your state establishes that are approved by the U.S. Department of Education, or complete a high school education in a home school setting that is treated as a home school or private school under state law. See your financial aid administrator for more information.
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program. (You may not receive aid for correspondence or telecommunications courses unless they are part of an associate, bachelor's, or graduate degree program.)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Have a valid Social Security Number. If you don't have a Social Security Number, you can find out more about applying for one through the Internet.
• Meet satisfactory academic progress standards set by the postsecondary school you are or will be attending.
• Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.
• Certify that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money on a federal student grant.
• Register with the Selective Service, if required.

For more information check Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid, a comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education. Grants, loans, and work-study are the three major forms of aid available through the Department's Federal Student Aid office. Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid tells you about the programs and how to apply for them.

The requirement that students are most commonly affected by is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students not meeting the GPA, credit, or time requirements are encouraged to contact the Student Advising and Learning Center (SALC) for tutoring and academic advising.