Financial Aid General Eligibility Requirements The Solution Center Financial Aid General Eligibility Requirements

Objective What you will learn? Basic eligibility requirements for Federal, State and Institutional aid programs Review a student’s application for aid Determine additional information a student needs to complete the financial aid file

General Eligibility Requirements Degree Program or Eligible Certificate Program Students must be enrolled in a degree or eligible certificate program. Refer to http://continuinged.uml.edu/certificates/ for list of eligible certificate programs. High School Diploma Students must have a high school diploma, GED, or have been home-schooled. Students with a foreign HS diploma need to have their diploma evaluated by an accredited evaluation organization to verify the foreign HS diploma is equivalent to a U.S. HS diploma.  (note: A popular agency is CED in Boston.  CED provides evaluation reports which are produced in conformity with the standards recommended by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials.  The evaluation organization will provide a letter explaining how they determined the foreign diploma is equivalent to a U.S. diploma.  The student must pay for the evaluation.  There are other agencies besides CED, CED is just an example, CED is not a requirement.) Enrollment Status Students must be enrolled in at least six (6) credits per semester for most aid programs. Undergraduate students enrolled less than half time may qualify for Federal Pell grant in limited cases.

General Eligibility Requirements (cont.) Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress may not receive federal, state or institutional aid. (reference: FA_20_SAP_Policy)   Citizenship Status Students must be U.S. citizens or registered permanent residents in order to be eligible for federal and state aid. Valid Social Security Number Students must have a valid Social Security number to receive financial aid. Exceptions to this rule are students from the republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau. Selective Service Male students between the ages of 18 and 25 must be registered with Selective Service to be eligible for financial aid.

General Eligibility Requirements (cont.) Default or Owe Refund Students must not be in default on a federal Perkins Loan, Direct Student Loan, nor owe any refund on a federal student grant.   Drug Conviction A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student for FSA funds. The student self-certifies in applying for aid that s/he is eligible. Incarcerated Students Incarcerated students are not eligible for FSA loans but are eligible for FSEOGs and FWS. They are also eligible for Pell grants if not incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution. A student is considered to be incarcerated if she is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution (whether it is operated by the government or a contractor). A student is not considered to be incarcerated if she is in a half-way house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. UML does not enroll incarcerated students.