Eligibility

For student financial aid eligibility, you must:

• Have financial need, except for some loan programs.
• Have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.
• 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.
• Meet the academic standards set by the college or university 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.

When you apply for federal student financial aid the U. S. Department of Education verifies some of your information with the following federal agencies:

• Social Security Administration - for verification of social security numbers and United States citizenship status
• Selective Service System - for verification of selective service registration
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - for verification of eligible non-citizen status
• Department of Justice - for verification that an applicant has not been denied federal student aid by the courts as a result of a drug-related conviction
• Department of Veterans Affairs - for verification of veteran status