Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid

Policy Statement

This policy defines the specific requirements for students to be eligible for federal financial aid funds.

Reason for Policy

U.S. Department of Education regulations require the disclosure of general information to help students and families make better-informed decisions about higher education.

Who Is Governed by this Policy

Students

Policy

To be considered for federal financial aid, you must either be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen admitted as at least a half-time student to a degree program. You must also have a high school diploma or GED (general education diploma) certificate, passed an independently administered test approved by the U. S. Department of Education, or meet other standards your state establishes that are approved by the U. S Department of Education. Federal Pell grant eligibility extends to students at less than half -time status. If you are taking courses but are not yet admitted into a degree program, then you do not qualify for federal/financial aid. It is your responsibility to supply accurate and complete information on the FAFSA and to notify your financial aid office immediately of any changes in your enrollment plans, housing status, or financial situation, including information about any institutional or outside scholarships you will be receiving. Determination of your financial need may be based upon the number of courses for which you register. If you enroll in fewer courses than you initially reported, your financial aid may be reduced or eliminated. University-administered federal awards are not automatically renewed each year. Continuing students must submit a Renewal FAFSA each year by their financial aid office’s deadline. Renewal depends on the annual re-evaluation of your need, the availability of funds, and satisfactory progress toward the completion of your degree requirements.

Full Conditions for Federal Aid Eligibility

Below are the full eligibility conditions required for federal aid.

Citizenship

In order to be eligible for federal student aid the student must be a U.S. citizen or national or one of the following eligible non-citizens:

• Lawful permanent residents
• Conditional resident aliens
• Conditional entrants
• Refugees
• Persons granted asylum
• Persons paroled into the U.S. for at least one year
• Ukrainian citizens and nationals
• Afghan citizens and nationals paroled into the U.S. between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023
• Cuban-Haitian Entrants
• Victims of human trafficking
• Battered immigrants-qualified aliens
• Jay Treaty students

The student is ineligible for federal student aid if they:

• Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (Form I-171 or Form I-464)
• Employment authorization (Form I-766, EAD)
• Ineligible nonimmigrant visa categories include (but are not limited to) the
  • F-1, F-2, or M-1 Student Visas;
  • NATO Visas (NATO);
  • A2 and A3 Visas (foreign official, including attendants);
  • B-1 or B-2 Visitor Visas;
  • J-1 or J-2 Exchange Visitors Visas;
  • H series or L series Visas (which allow temporary employment in the U.S.);
    or
  • G series Visas (pertaining to international organizations).
• Form I-817, Application or approval for Family Unity Benefits
• Approval notice or EAD forms stamped with “Temporary Protected Status”
• Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status
• U nonimmigrants or U-Visa holders
• An Advance Parole Document

Acceptable documentation to verify the student’s citizenship is as follows:

• A copy of the student’s birth certificate showing that the student was born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swain’s Island, or the Northern Mariana Islands
• U.S. passport current or expired or U.S Passport CardA certificate of citizenship from INS (N-560 or N-561) which has the certificate number and date of issue
• Permanent Resident Card (I-551)
• Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (MRIV) if the passport is unexpired and endorsed with an admission stamp and the statement, “Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year,”
• I-571 Refugee Travel document
•  Re-entry Permit (I-327)
• A certificate of Naturalization form INS (N-550 or N-570) which must indicate date and certification number
• The following State Department documents:
  • FS-240 Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the U.S.
  • FS-545 Certificate of Birth-Foreign Service
  • DS-1350 Certificate of Birth

Valid Social Security Number

In order to be eligible for federal aid, the student must provide a valid Social Security Number (SSN).

The federal processor of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verifies that the submitted student’s SSN is correct and that it corresponds to the given student’s name and birth date. If the SSN does not match with the Social Security Administration, (i.e., the number is not found in their database) this FAFSA will require resolution.

• When the SSN has been reported incorrectly on the FAFSA, the student must submit a copy of his or her Social Security card to  his or her financial aid office
•  If the student’s name and SSN match but the date of birth differs, the student must make a correction to their FAFSA. If the SSN exists in the database but there is a discrepancy regarding the student’s name, the student must make a correction on their FAFSA.

Default Status

With the exception of the Fresh Start initiative and Fresh Start period (see below), a student in default on an FFEL Loan, any type of Direct Loan, a PLUS Loan, a Stafford Loan, or a Perkins Loan can’t receive further Title IV funds until they resolve the default, which they can do in a few ways:

• Repayment in full (including consolidation)
• Satisfactory repayment arrangements

Loan rehabilitation

Normally, one of the main ways to get out of default is by rehabilitating your loans. To rehabilitate your loans, you, the student, is required to make a number of on-time consecutive payments. Once the payments have been made the loan is considered rehabilitated-in other words, it will not be in default anymore, and the student will have all the normal loan benefits, such as deferments. As of now, loan rehabilitation has been replaced by the temporary Fresh Start program. The Fresh Start program is scheduled to end on 9/30/2024, after which point loan rehabilitation will be an option again.

For further details, contact your loan servicer.

If the defaulted loan is paid in full, bring in a letter from the Default Resolution Group documenting that the loan has been paid to the One-Stop Student Services Center.

Fresh Start

Fresh Start is a temporary program from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that offers special benefits for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans. Fresh Start automatically gives you some benefits, such as restoring access to federal student aid (loans and grants). If you want to use Fresh Start to get out of default, you must contact your loan holder. To apply online you may go to the  U.S. Department Of Education Debt Resolution website and log in to your account. Fresh Start ends Sept. 30, 2024.

For further details, contact your loan servicer.

If the defaulted loan is paid in full, bring in a letter from the Default Resolution Group documenting that the loan has been paid to the One-Stop Student Services Center.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations (CFR 668.34) require Adelphi University to establish, publish, and apply standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Federal Title IV financial aid eligibility. The purpose of measuring and enforcing these standards is to ensure financial aid recipients’ progress towards degree completion using both qualitative and quantitative methods in accordance with federal regulations. To be eligible for financial aid (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct/PLUS loan), students must meet or exceed these standards. For more information, please see the SAP policy which is included with your award letter.

Definitions

Glossary of terms

Procedures

Information on various programs/requirements can be found on the Financial Aid website.

Forms

Financial Aid Guides

Related Information

Financial Aid Resources

Document History

• Policy Origination Date: September 28, 2017
• Last Reviewed Date: June 12, 2024
• Last Approved Date: June 12, 2024 by PRT

Who Approved This Policy

Executive Leadership