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Almost all students are eligible for some type of financial aid. If your family can’t afford your school’s cost out of pocket, you can probably qualify for need-based aid. And if you have good grades or a special talent — say you’re a star athlete or play the violin — you might qualify for merit-based aid. Almost all students can qualify for a private student loan — if you have a cosigner.
Federal student aid comes with a few requirements based on factors like your legal status and academics. You can qualify if you meet the following criteria:
If you’re not a US citizen, you can still qualify if you fall into one of the following categories:
You must have a Social Security number unless you’re from one of the following US territories:
Male citizens and permanent residents must register with Selective Service if they’re between the ages of 18 and 25. This means your name will be included in the draft lottery if the US has a military draft again. You’re legally required to register with Selective Service within 30 days of your 18th birthday, though it’s still possible to register up until you turn 26.
A regular student means you’re on track to receive a degree or certificate at the end of the program. Federal aid is available at Title IV schools and programs only — in other words, an institution that processes federal loans.
To be eligible for a Direct Loan, you must be enrolled at least half time — as defined by your school. Federal student loans aren’t available at some community colleges and for-profit institutions.
You must meet your school’s requirements for satisfactory academic progress. Most often, this means you must maintain a 2.0 GPA or C average, pass at least 67% of the credits you attempt and graduate within 150% of the normal timeframe for your program.
If you already have a federal student loan, you can’t be behind on your payments to qualify for more funds. You also can’t owe money on federal student grants.
You must prove you’re qualified to go to college or a career school with either:
While meeting the basic federal requirements can get you a federal loan, federal grants are often only available to specific groups of students. Here are the requirements for popular federal grant programs in addition to the general federal aid requirements:
You typically need to demonstrate financial need to qualify for need-based aid. Schools usually calculate this by subtracting the amount they expect your family to contribute — called your expected family contribution (EFC) — from your school’s total cost of attendance (COA) for that academic year.
The result is the amount of need-based aid you can qualify for. Schools often rely on the FAFSA or CSS Profile to come up with the EFC, which is why it’s important to fill out both.
Merit-based aid generally varies depending on the program. Programs based on academic merit typically have a minimum SAT, ACT or GPA cutoff. Athletic programs usually require a recommendation from a high school coach. And talent-based programs might require an audition. You also might have to participate in community service, school events or take specific classes to qualify.
If a program’s requirements aren’t clear, reach out to a program administrator and ask.
It depends on the scholarship or grant program. While most grants are based on need, you might find some that come with merit requirements as well. Scholarships often have both need- and merit-based criteria you need to meet, though it varies by program.
If you’ve run out of federal, need-based and merit-based aid — or you can’t qualify — you still might be able to get a private student loan. You generally need to meet the following types of requirements or apply with a cosigner who does:
Yes, though your options are limited. International students aren’t eligible for federal aid, and many private scholarships, grants and loans also come with citizenship requirements. Your best bet is to look for scholarship programs that specialize in international student aid and private student loans specifically designed for nonresidents.
Here are a few pointers to get your hands on the most aid — and reduce the amount of student debt you graduate with:
Even if you can’t qualify for federal student aid, there are likely other options out there with requirements you can meet. Ask your school’s financial aid office if you aren’t sure where to get started. Or check out our guide to student loans to learn more about how to pay for school.
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