Federal Aid Basic Eligibility Criteria

Basic eligibility requirements are that you must:

• demonstrate financial need for need-based federal student aid programs;
• be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
• have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 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;
• maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
• provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly into your 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form, if you’re applying for aid for July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025;
• sign the certification statement on the FAFSA form stating that you’re not in default on a federal student loan, you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and you’ll only use federal student aid for educational purposes; and
• show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education.

You can show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by

• having a high school diploma or a state-recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
• completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
• enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the “ability-to-benefit” alternatives.

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