Eligibility

To receive federal student aid, you must meet certain requirements. You must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
  • Have a valid social security number (unless you're from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia or the Republic of Palau).
  • Have a high school diploma, General Education Development (GED) Certificate or pass an exam approved by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree* in an eligible program at a school participating in the federal student aid program.
  • Make satisfactory academic progress toward a degree.
  • You must not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal student loan.
  • You must demonstrate financial need (except for unsubsidized direct loans).

* Eligible programs: bachelor, second bachelor, teacher certification, graduate, specialist or doctoral. Ineligible programs: graduate certificate (some exceptions**), self improvement, guest and non-matriculated

** Eligible graduate certificate programs (College of Business): business administration, computer information systems, e-business, entrepreneurship, finance, human resource management, international business, marketing management, organizational development and supply chain management

Unusual Enrollment History

The U. S. Department of Education reviews enrollment history for all students filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Any student having attended multiple colleges/universities in recent years and who received a federal Pell Grant will be flagged for a special review called, "unusual enrollment history" (UEH). This means EMU is required to review the flagged student's enrollment history and whether they earned passing grades at the previous schools. You may be required to provide official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended during the review period to determine if you're eligible to continue receiving aid. If you're denied, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Office of Financial Aid.

If you are flagged for review, you'll be notified on your FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) or FAFSA Submission Summary. We'll also send notification via EMU email if official transcripts are required.

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