Notes & Important Terms

Academic Year: A period of time schools use to measure a quantity of study. For example, a school's academic year may consist of a fall and spring semester during which a student must complete 24 semester hours. Academic years vary from school to school and even from educational program to educational program at the same school.

Citizen/Eligible Noncitizen: You must be one of the following to receive federal student aid:

• U.S. citizen
• U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swain's Island)
• U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)If you're 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:
• "Refugee"
• "Asylum Granted"
• "Indefinite Parole" and/or "Humanitarian Parole"
• "Cuban-Haitian Entrant, Status Pending"
• "Conditional Entrant" (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)

If you have only a Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence (I-171 or I-464), you aren't eligible for federal student aid.
If you're in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa only, or on a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, you can't get federal student aid. Also, persons with G series visas (pertaining to international organizations) are not eligible for federal student aid.

NOTE: Citizens and eligible noncitizens may receive loans from the FFEL program at participating foreign schools.

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau are eligible only for Federal Pell Grants, FSEOGs, or Federal Work-Study. These applicants should check with their financial aid administrators for more information. Cost of Attendance (COA): The total amount it will cost a student to go to school-usually expressed as a yearly figure. It is determined using rules established by law. The COA includes tuition and fees; on-campus room and board (or a housing and food allowance for off-campus students); and allowances for books, supplies, transportation, loan fees, and, if applicable, dependent care, costs related to a disability, and miscellaneous expenses, including an allowance for the rental or purchase of a personal computer.

Also included are reasonable costs for eligible study-abroad programs. For students attending less than half time,* the COA includes only tuition and fees and an allowance for books, supplies, transportation, and dependent-care expenses. Talk to the financial aid administrator at the school you're planning to attend if you have any unusual expenses that might affect your cost of attendance.


Go on to Responsibilities Page 31 - Tracking Your Loan Page 33 - Important Terms Page 35