School Eligibility

• Not all schools participate in federal financial aid programs. For example, schools that are not accredited cannot offer federal financial aid to their students. In this case, students will need to pay for their tuition and other education costs out-of-pocket or get a student loan from a source other than the federal government. Find out whether your school can provide federal financial aid by contacting the administrative office or looking at its website to see whether it tells certificate students to fill out the FAFSA.
  
  

Program Eligibility

• Within an eligible school, the student must be enrolled in an eligible certificate program. Some types of certificates are too short to qualify for financial aid. For example, a certificate that only has two classes is probably not eligible. The exact number of courses varies from one school to another, but the minimum is usually around 16 credit hours. In some cases, you can get Stafford loans to help with up to 12 months of mandatory coursework that is a pre-requisite for entering your actual program. Financial aid is also available to help with mandatory courses for teacher certification in your state. Ask your academic advisor or administrative office at your school if the program you are interested in qualifies for federal financial aid.
  
  

Personal Eligibility

• The same personal eligibility requirements that apply to financial aid for degrees apply to certificates as well. For example, students must be U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens, must have a Social Security number and must have a high school diploma or equivalent. In addition, if you have gotten financial aid in the past and are now in default on a federal student loan or owe grant money due to mid-semester withdrawal, you need to get your loan out of default or repay your grant before obtaining more financial aid.
  
  

Progress Toward Certificate

• After a student has qualified for federal financial aid for a certificate program, he must keep making progress toward that certificate to retain his financial aid in future semesters. Each school sets its own limits on how many credits a student can get financial aid for in each certificate program. If you switch your certificate and many of the credits you have earned do not count toward your new certificate, this might cause your financial aid eligibility to expire before you finish your new certificate. Some schools allow you to submit an academic progress petition to re-establish eligibility.