Editing FAFSA (section)

==Eligibility==
[[File:FAFSA.gov screenshot 2016-01-04.png|thumb|right|The official FAFSA website is '''studentaid.gov'''.]]
{{Education in the U.S.}}

In order to receive federal student financial aid, students must meet the following criteria:
	
* have maintained a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP);<ref>{{cite web|title=Eligibility for Aid FAQ|url=http://finaid.utexas.edu/faqs/eligibility.html#Q2|access-date=2014-03-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/eligibility/staying-eligible|title=If you want to keep receiving your federal student aid, make sure you stay eligible|website=studentaid.ed.gov|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref>	
* be a U.S. citizen, a [[U.S. national]], or an eligible non-citizen;	
* have a valid [[Social Security number]];	
* have a high school diploma or [[GED]];	
* have signed the certification statement stating that: 1) they are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and 2) federal student aid will only be used for educational purposes;
* have not been found guilty of the sale or possession of illegal drugs while federal aid was being received.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/recovery/fafsa.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-06-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170123165201/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/ondcp/recovery/fafsa.pdf |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[Office of National Drug Control Policy]] |archive-date=2017-01-23 }}</ref> (This restriction was removed with the 2024 FAFSA.<ref name=Newform>{{cite news
|title=The new FAFSA form for college aid is out. Five things to know
|first=Danielle
|last=Douglas-Gabriel
|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]
|date=December 31, 2023
|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/fafsa-2024-25-application-release-details/}}</ref>)

Male students between the ages of 18 and 25 were generally required be registered with the [[Selective Service System]] (for [[Conscription in the United States]]), but the FAFSA Simplification Act removed this requirement starting with the 2021–2022 school year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Selective Service {{!}} 2021-2022 Federal Student Aid Handbook |url=https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2021-2022/vol1/ch5-selective-service |access-date=2023-01-19 |website=fsapartners.ed.gov}}</ref> The FAFSA Simplification Act was a part of the [[Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021]].

Students who are military veterans and active duty service members may apply for financial aid by filing a FAFSA even if they also apply for education and housing benefits offered by the [[Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008|Post-9/11 G.I. Bill]] and its accompanying Yellow Ribbon program. The amount of military aid a student receives for a college education does not defer eligibility or reduce the amount of student aid that student could receive from the four federal grant programs – [[Pell Grant|Pell]], SMART, [[FSEOG]], and TEACH – and many of the state student aid programs.

[[Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act]] (SAFRA) of 2010 changed the criteria for suspension of eligibility for drug-related offenses. Previously, students could lose eligibility for either the possession or sale of a controlled substance during the period of enrollment. SAFRA dropped the penalties for possession of a controlled substance but retained the penalties for sale of a controlled substance. SAFRA increases the suspension to two years for a first offense and indefinite for a second offense.

Most students who are eligible to receive federal aid and complete the FAFSA will receive some form of financial aid regardless of their financial need.<ref>
{{cite web | url=https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types | publisher=US Department of Education | title=Types of Financial Aid | access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref>