Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements

If you want to go to college, you have to be prepared to pay for it. And if you’re like many of the soon-to-be college students out there, you will need college student financial aid. In order to get all the financial aid that you need, you first need to find out if you are eligible for financial aid.

Here is a list of college financial aid eligibility requirements you must pass before you fill out the FAFSA financial aid form:

You must be enrolled and admitted to a degree program

If you’re just entering college or you’re in your 15th quarter you will be eligible for all financial funding. If you’re in your 16th through 18th quarter, you will be eligible for limited funding. If you’re past your 19th quarter, you won’t eligible for funding. If you’re a part-time student, you will be eligible for limited funded.

You must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen

Eligible non-citizens include:

* U.S. national
* U.S. permanent resident who has an alien registration receipt card
* Refugee students
* Students with asylum granted
* Students with indefinite parole or humanitarian parole

You will not be eligible for financial aid if you’re only in the U.S. with an international student visa, an exchange visitor visa, or a G-series visa.

You must have a valid social security number

If you’re not a U.S. citizen and you need to apply for a social security card, you must:

* Complete the Social Security application
* Show original documents or copies of documents that prove your U.S. citizenship/immigrant status, age, and identity.

You must not miss any federal education payments or owe any federal grant money

If you have failed to make any payments on time or you have an outstanding fee with your federal student loans, you will be reported to a credit bureau. This can result in you receiving a bad credit score on your annual credit report or losing all of your financial aid.

You must register with the Selective Service if you are male

If you are between the ages of 18 and 26, you have to register with the selective service. You can either do this online or get an application from your high school or the local post office.

You have to be enrolled in the required amount of units for the aid you are receiving

You have to be enrolled in the required amount of units for the aid you are receiving

Most types of aid require you to be enrolled in at least 6 units (2 classes) before you can receive any more aid. If you aren’t enrolled in the required units, some funds will be cut back or taken away completely.

Applying for financial aid is an easy process if you are prepared for it ahead of time. As long as you maintain your college financial aid eligibility requirements, you will be well on your way towards an exciting and educational college experience.

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Student Financial Aid Frequently Asked Questions

There are many questions which you might have in regard to the financial aid. Here are a few unconventional, yet very frequently asked questions regarding the aid which might help you better understand how the system works.

Q. What are my chances of receiving aid if I apply for an early decision?

A. Early decision for colleges and financial aid do not complement each other, in fact it works totally the opposite. When you apply for an early decision, you are showing how desperate you are to enter the college you have applied to. And the financial aid office of that college exploits your enthusiasm for that college because they know that it would take anything for you to join that specific institution. So your chance of getting financial aid is reduced from slim to none. So what should you do? Unless your parents have shining bank accounts, apply for the regular decision because then your probability of getting the aid is drastically improved, especially if you have been a good student in the past.

Q. If I have received scholarships/grants in the past will that improve my chances of getting aid for college?

A. No. Sadly, it works in the total other way. If you were a smart student and received various forms of financial assistance from different organizations for your high school, that allowed your parents to make more savings towards your college education. So you better have an answer when the financial aid committee asks you where the money went, otherwise receiving financial aid might is not as easy as you thought it would be.

Q. I have received partial aid. How can I get more?

A. First of all, you should be thankful for whatever you have received as you are still one out of the hundreds. Moreover, do not think that if you try to intimidate the financial aid office you might be able to improve upon your financial aid, it might just work against you. If you really are not satisfied with what you have received, and are not just being greedy, then try to politely make the officer aware of the scenario and the see how things go. Be sure to also check what education grants may be available to you as these may change from time to time.

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