Who is eligible for FAFSA? 

Eligibility Requirements

General eligibility requirements include that you have financial need for need-based aid, are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at an eligible college or career/trade school. 

Eligible Noncitizen 

1. You are a U.S. national or permanent resident.

• U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) or

• U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551 or I-151 (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a “green card.”

2. You have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing one of the following status categories:*

• Refugee

• Asylum Granted

• Conditional Permanent Resident

• Cuban-Haitian Entrant

• Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)

• Parolee (you must be paroled for at least one year, and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident)

• Modified parole requirements for

• • Ukrainian citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2024

  • Afghan citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2023

3. You hold a T nonimmigrant status (“T-visa”) (for victims of human trafficking) or your parent holds a T-1 nonimmigrant status. Your college or career school’s financial aid office will ask to see your visa (and/or certification letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if you have a T-1 visa).*

4. You are a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.*

5. You are a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. If this is the case, you may be eligible for only certain types of federal student aid:

• Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study.

*To qualify for federal student aid, certain eligible noncitizens must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that they are in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of becoming a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Undocumented Students and Eligibility for Aid

Undocumented students, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, are not eligible for federal student aid but may still be eligible for other types of student financial aid (state aid, school aid, or private scholarships). Check with your college’s or career school’s financial aid office for more information.

DREAM ACT