Financial Aid: General Eligibility

The U.S. Department of Education has established certain basic eligibility requirements for all federal financial aid. Individual Scholarship, Grant, Work Study, and Loan programs may have additional eligibility requirements.

To qualify for most types of aid, you must:

• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate.
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a student pursuing a degree or certificate.
• Be enrolled for six or more credit hours per quarter, for most types of aid.
• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an eligible noncitizen.
  • An eligible noncitizen is defined as a U.S. permanent resident who has an Alien Registration Card (I-151, I-551, or I-551C). If you have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing "Refugee," "Asylum Granted," "Indefinite Parole," "Humanitarian Parole," "Cuban-Haitian Entrant," "Status Pending," or "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980), you are also eligible for aid.
  • If you hold only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), you are not eligible for federal aid.
  • If you are in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa or a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa, you are also not eligible for federal aid.
  • While students who are not U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or eligible noncitizens are not eligible for federal financial aid, they may be eligible for certain private loans with a U.S. citizen as a cosigner.
• Have a valid Social Security Number.
• Make satisfactory academic progress, as defined by Midwestern University, towards the completion of your degree or certificate.
• Sign a statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) certifying that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.
• Register with selective service, if required.
  • The requirement to register applies to males who were born on or after January 1, 1960, are at least 18 years old, are citizens or eligible noncitizens, and are not currently on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
  • Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, or Palau are exempt from registering.
• Not be in default on a federal student loan and not owe money back on a federal student grant.
• Not have your Title IV eligibility suspended due to a federal or state drug conviction.