You must satisfy the federal student aid eligibility requirements in order to become eligible for the financial aid that is provided by the federal government. There aren’t too many of these that you must pay attention to, but it is still important that you survey this list before you go ahead and actually fill out the FAFSA in order to avoid any unforeseen surprises.
The following is a listing of the major eligibility requirements for federal student aid.
- You must have a valid social security number
- You must be a United States citizen, or eligible non-citizen.
- You must be enrolled in a degree-oriented program at a postsecondary institution that participates in the federal student aid program.
- You must show proof that you will be able to “benefit” from your postsecondary education. This means that you will have to show evidence of a high school diploma, General Education Developmental Certificate (GED), or some other form of credential that is on par with either of these. Other credentials that may suffice include being able to pass what is known as an “ability to benefit” test, completing a minimum set of coursework at an accredited postsecondary institution, or being able to complete a state-approved home-schooling curriculum.
- If you are a male that is between the ages of 18 and 25 you must be enrolled with the Selective Service.
- If you were convicted of selling illegal drugs while you were receiving federal student aid you may not be able to qualify for future federal aid. You will have to complete a separate worksheet in order to determine whether or not this conviction will prevent you from receiving aid for that particular award year.
- You will have to sign a statement that will certify that you will only utilize your aid towards education-related expenses, and that you are not currently in default on any federal student loans, or owe money on any federal education grants.
These have been the major federal student aid eligibility requirements that you must satisfy in order to become eligible for federal student aid.
Remember that just because you were able to satisfy the aforementioned list doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get any federal aid for that school year, as each type of aid has its own requirements that may be based on either need, credit, or other miscellaneous factors.
