General Financial Aid Eligibility

To receive federal, state and most institutional aid administered through LMU Financial Aid, you must:

  • Be admitted to a degree-seeking program at Loyola Marymount University. Students working towards a second Bachelor’s degree are only eligible for the Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loan programs. Federal rules permit students to receive financial aid from only one school at a time.
  • Have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent to receive federal student aid. More information on other documents equivalent to high school completion is available at https://financialaid.lmu.edu/financialaidpolicies/generalfederalaideligibility/verificationofhighschoolcompletion/.
  • Be a citizen, permanent resident of the United States or other eligible non-citizen as detailed in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) instructions for federal state and university-funded financial aid programs. If you have been instructed to submit documentation of your citizenship status, you are required to bring the original documentation that verifies your status to LMU Financial Aid. Documentation of eligible non-citizens must not have an expiration date prior to the start of the academic year. LMU Financial Aid will submit copies of the documentation for eligible non-citizens to the Department of Homeland Security for confirmation. Detailed information on eligible categories and required documentation are available at https://financialaid.lmu.edu/financialaidpolicies/generalfederalaideligibility/citizenshipstatusandfinancialaideligibility/.
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to SAP policy for financial aid recipients.
  • Not be enrolled beyond eight semesters. Students who require enrollment to complete a Bachelor’s degree beyond eight semesters (4 years) are only eligible for the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Student and Parent Loans. Students must appeal to be considered for other types of aid beyond 8 semesters. The maximum semesters for transfer students will be based on the number of units accepted for transfer. For example, a transfer student for whom 60 units (junior grade level) are accepted will be considered to have completed 4 semesters and will have 4 remaining semesters of eligibility.
  • Be enrolled full-time at Loyola Marymount University for most forms of university-funded financial aid or at least half-time for federal and state-funded financial aid programs.  Students who enroll less than half-time are only eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. Enrollment in a course previously passed for a second time will not count towards enrollment for federal aid programs. Review detailed information on enrollment requirements at https://financialaid.lmu.edu/financialaidpolicies/generalfederalaideligibility/enrollmentrequirements/.
  • Not owe a refund to any federal grant or loan or be in default on any federal loan.
  • Not be incarcerated, excluding the exceptions listed. Incarcerated students are not eligible for Federal Direct loans, but may be eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study (if eligible to perform an FWS job while incarcerated).