Basic Requirements for federal student aid programs

To receive aid from the federal student aid programsdiscussed in this guide, you must meet certain criteria:■ Financial NeedExcept for some loan programs, you must show youhave financial need, according to our requirements. See“Financial Need and Expected Family Contribution(EFC),” page 8.■ Educational Requirements1. You must demonstrate by one of the followingmeans that you are qualified to enroll inpostsecondary education:• Have a high school diploma or a GeneralEducation Development (GED) Certificate.*• Pass an approved ability-to-benefit (ATB) test(if you don’t have a diploma or GED, a schoolcan administer a test to determine whetheryou can benefit from the education offered atthat school).• Meet other standards your state establishesthat we have approved.• Complete a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law.2. You must be enrolled or accepted forenrollment as a regular student* workingtoward a degree or certificate in an eligibleprogram.* (You may not receive aid forcorrespondence or telecommunications coursesunless they are part of an associate, bachelors,or graduate degree program.)3. You must meet satisfactory academicprogress* standards set by the postsecondaryschool you are or will be attending.■ Legal and Other Requirements1. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligiblenoncitizen.http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/
attachments/siteresources/Stud_guide.pdf