Eligibility Requirements
There are a number of requirements that must be met before a student is considered eligible for financial aid, and eligibilty criteria may vary from one aid program to another.
Generally, a student must:
- Be enrolled in an eligible academic program of study
- Have financial need
- Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- California residents may be eligible for state financial aid if AB540-eligible*
- Not be in default on a federal student loan (e.g. Perkins Loan, Direct Loan, etc.)
- Not owe an overpayment to a Federal Student Aid program (e.g. Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), etc.)
- Meet Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (see the Financial Aid Guide for details, or visit here for details.)
- Agree to use any Federal Student Aid received solely for educational purposes
- Have not completed a BA/BS degree
- Have a high school diploma, GED/proficiency certificate, or eligible equivalent (see the Financial Aid Office for details**
*AB540-eligible: California Nonresident Tuition Exemption commonly known as AB 540, exempts certain students from paying nonresident tuition (higher than resident tuition) and/or allows them to apply and receive state aid at certain California public and private colleges. For more information about AB540 eligibility criteria and determination, see the California Student Aid Commission’s site here.
**Each college’s Vice President of Student Services or designee shall be responsible for evaluating the validity of a student’s high school completion if the college or the United States Department of Education has reason to believe that the high school diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education.