Who Gets Federal Aid?
The most basic eligibility requirements are that you must:
- Demonstrate financial need (for most programs).
- Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen.
- Have a valid Social Security Number.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school.
- Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree
or certificate program.
- Show you’re qualified to obtain a postsecondary education by
- Having a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED®) certificate,
now known as a State of Illinois High School Diploma.
- Completing a high school education in a home school setting approved under state law.
Review the complete list of federal student aid eligibility requirements.
Generate an early estimate of how much federal student aid you might be able to get
using the Federal Student Aid Estimator.
