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Federal Financial Aid Eligibility - Current Students

Students must be accepted into a degree program before eligibility is determined. Non-matriculated students are not eligible for financial aid.

To receive federal student aid offered through Springfield College, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Demonstrate financial need, except for some loan programs.
• Be accepted by admissions, enrolled, and working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
• Have a valid Social Security Number.
• Meet satisfactory academic progress.
• Certify that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.
• Certify that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money on a federal student grant.
• Comply with the Selective Service registration, if required.

Criminal Record and Ineligibility

The law suspends aid eligibility for students convicted under federal or state law of sale or possession of illegal drugs while they are receiving federal student aid. The period of ineligibility varies and depends on whether the conviction was for sale or possession, and whether the student had previous offenses. The student regains eligibility when the period of suspension ends, or in some cases, only when the student completes an acceptable drug rehabilitation program.

If you have a conviction or convictions for these offenses, call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) to find out how, or if, this law applies to you. Even if you're ineligible for federal aid, you should complete the FAFSA and answer Question 31 because schools use this information in awarding non-federal aid. If you leave Question 31 of the FAFSA blank, you will automatically become ineligible for federal student aid. Incarcerated persons have limited eligibility for federal student aid. An incarcerated person is eligible for a Pell Grant only if he or she is incarcerated in a non-federal or non-state penal institution, such as a local or county jail.

When you apply for federal student aid, the U. S. Department of Education verifies some of your information with the following federal agencies:

• Social Security Administration —for verification of Social Security Numbers and U.S. citizenship status
• Selective Service System —for verification of Selective Service registration status, if applicable
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services —for verification of eligible non-citizen status, if applicable (formerly known as U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, INS)
• U.S. Department of Justice —for verification that an applicant has not been denied federal student aid by the courts as the result of a drug-related conviction
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs —for verification of veteran status, if applicable