Citizen or Eligible Non-Citizen?
To receive federal student aid you must have a valid Social Security Number and be a:
- U.S. citizen; or
- U.S. national from Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or Swain’s Island;
- national from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau (the Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, and Federal Workstudy only);
- U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151 or I-551 or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)
If you are not in one of these categories, you must have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) showing one of the following designations in order to be eligible to receive Federal Title IV Aid :
- Refugee
- Asylum Granted
- Indefinite Parole and/or Humanitarian Parole
- Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending
- Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980).
You are NOT eligible for federal student aid if:
- you’re in the U.S. on an F-1, F-2 or M-1 student visa;
- you’re in the U.S. on a J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor visa;
- you’re in the U.S. on a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa;
- you have a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations);
- you have an H series or L series visa (allowing temporary employment in the U.S.);
- you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464),
- You have an I-94 stamped “Temporary Protected Status”.
For more information on finances for F-1 International Students, please visit the International Student Services web page.
You can also view our Outside Scholarships, Private Alternative Loan*, and Nomad Credit (a financial marketplace catering to F1, J1, L1, and H-1B visa holders) links for information on other sources of financial aid. *PNC Bank, SunTrust, and Thrivent do not currently offer loans to International students.
If we have requested additional documentation regarding your citizenship status, below is a list of Acceptable Documents:
Here are some examples (please note that we must witness the original document and only one document is required):
- A copy of the student’s birth certificate showing that he/she was born in the United States
- A U.S. passport (current or expired)
- A Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
- A Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
- A copy of Form FS-240 (Consular Report of Birth Abroad), FS-545 (Certificate of birth issued by a foreign service post), or DS-1350 (Certification of Report of Birth)