General Federal 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 here
  • 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 must 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 here.
  • 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 may receive federal and state aid, who are otherwise eligible, for enrollment via a consortium agreement that has been approved for LMU transfer credit. 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 here.
  • Not owe a refund to any federal grant or loan or be in default on any federal loan.
  • Not be incarcerated. Incarcerated students are not eligible for FSA loans, but are eligible for FSEOGs and FWS. They are also eligible for Pell Grants if they are not incarcerated in a federal or state penal institution. A student is considered to be incarcerated if he or she is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution (whether it is operated by the government or a contractor). A student is not considered to be incarcerated if he or she is in a half-way house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. Students who are currently incarcerated or who might be incarcerated during their current term of attendance must identify themselves to the financial aid office to determine their financial aid eligibility.
    • Confined or Incarcerated Individuals: A confined or incarcerated individual is a person serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, juvenile justice facility, or similar correctional institution (operated by either the government or a contractor). A juvenile justice facility is a public or private residential facility that is operated primarily for the care and rehabilitation of youth who, under state juvenile justice laws, are accused of committing a delinquent act; have been adjudicated delinquent; or are determined to be in need of supervision. A student is not considered to be incarcerated if they are subject to or serving an involuntary civil commitment, in a half-way house or home detention, or are sentenced to serve only weekends.
    • Prison Education Program (PEP): Students who are incarcerated in federal or state correctional facilities are eligible for to Pell Grants when they enrolled in an eligible prison education program (PEP). Students who are confined or incarcerated remain ineligible for Direct Loans during the period of their incarceration. Although there are no statutory or regulatory limitations on eligibility for TEACH Grants, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), or Federal Work Study (FWS) for confined or incarcerated individuals, they may not qualify for these types of assistance due to other program eligibility requirements. Currently LMU does not provide a PEP program.