Citizenship Status and Financial Aid Eligibility

U.S. Citizenship - All students who complete the FAFSA and who indicate they are U.S. citizens will have their citizenship status undergo a “match” with the Social Security Administration. Students who do not pass this match will be notified on their Student Aid Report (SAR). Financial Aid will inform students via their PROWL account that they are required to bring the original documentation that verifies their status to Financial Aid to be examined and copied. Students will not be eligible for federal, state, and most forms of institutional aid if Financial Aid is unable to confirm their citizenship status.

Eligible Non-Citizens - Those students who indicate on the FAFSA they are eligible non-citizens will undergo a match with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCSIS) in the Department of Homeland Security. Those students who do not pass the match will be notified on their Student Aid Report (SAR). Financial Aid will inform students via their PROWL account that they are required to bring the original documentation that verifies their status to Financial Aid to be examined and copied. If documentation confirms eligible non-citizenship status, these documents will be sent to the Department of Homeland Security for secondary confirmation. The DHS will respond within 15 days confirming or not that the documents submitted confirm that you are an eligible non-citizen. Students will not be eligible for federal, state, and most forms of institutional aid if Financial Aid is unable to confirm their eligible non-citizenship status.

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the republics of Palau and Marshall Islands

Citizens of Palau are eligible only for the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant or Federal Work-Study (FWS). Citizens of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands are only eligible for the Federal Pell Grant. None of these students are eligible for Federal Direct Student Loans.

 

Citizenship and Eligible Non-Citizen Documentation

 

 ELIGIBLE CATEGORIES

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

U. S. Citizen or National
U.S. Birth Certificate, U.S. Passport, current or expired (except limited passports); or Certificate of Naturalization (form N-550 or N-570); or Certificate of Citizenship (form N-560 or N-561); or Documentation of Birth of Citizen Abroad (form FS-240, FS-545 or DS-1350). Note: If you do not have the above documentation because you recently were naturalized, or you became a U.S. citizen as a minor, and you have not yet received a Certificate of Naturalization or U.S. Passport, submit an explanation. 

U. S. Permanent Resident
Form I-551; or Resident Alien Card (form I-551); or Departure Record (form I-94A) or Arrival Departure Record (form I-94) with the endorsement: "Processed for I-551", "Temporary I-551" or "Processed for I-551." Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence Valid Until Employment Authorized" or other documentation of permanent resident status.

Conditional Resident Aliens
Valid I-551C, I-94, I-94A, or a passport with an MRIV bearing the statement "Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551C evidencing permanent residence for 1 year." Valid if documentation has not expired.

Refugee
Form I-94A or I-94A annotated with a stamp showing admission under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) or the newer U.S. Travel Document annotated with "Refugee Travel Document Form I-571 (Rev. 9-2-03)."

Person Granted Asylum
Form I-94 or I-94A with a stamp showing admission under Section 208 of the INA or documentation as provided to refugees above.

Person Paroled into the U.S. for at Least One Year
Evidence (such as having filed a valid permanent resident application) from the DHS that you are in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose and intend to become a citizen or permanent resident. The documentation must have a stamp indicating that you have paroled into the United States for at least one year, with a date that has not expired. 

Cuban-Haitian Entrants
I-94 with stamp indicating "Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending). Reviewable January 15, 1981. Employment authorized until January 15, 1981 or "Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)" stamp, showing class of admission and date admitted on their passport.

Conditional Entrant  

I-94 with a stamp displaying "Section 203(a)(7)" and indicating that the person was admitted to the United States as a conditional entrant dated prior to March 31, 1980.


Victim of Human Trafficking or Spouse, Child or Parent of Victim

Victim must submit certification or eligibility letter from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Spouse, child or parent of victim may submit a copy of the victim's certification letter and a copy of their I-94 with a T1, T2, T3 or T COA code.

Battered immigrants-Qualified Aliens

I-797 form or a court order from an immigration judge confirming your status.