The most common category of eligible noncitizen is that of permanent resident (someone with a “green card”), but there are other categories as well.
I am a non-U.S. citizen. Can I get federal student aid?
What if the expiration date on my documents has passed?
What if I have documentation that isn’t listed above?
So if I’m not an eligible noncitizen, can I get any type of financial aid to study in the U.S.?
I am a non-U.S. citizen. Can I get federal student aid?
If you fall in one of the categories below, you are considered an “eligible noncitizen.”
1. You are a
- U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island) or
- U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C (Permanent Resident Card, Resident Alien Card, or Alien Registration Receipt Card), also known as a green card.
2. You have an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) showing
- “Refugee,”
- “Asylum Granted,”
- “Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending),”
- “Conditional Entrant” (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980), or
- “Parolee” (you must be paroled for at least one year, and you must be able to provide evidence from the USCIS that you are not in the United States for a temporary purpose and that you intend to become a U.S. citizen or permanent resident).
3. You hold a T-visa (for victims of human trafficking) or your parent holds a T-1 visa. Your college or career school’s financial aid office will ask to see your visa and/or certification letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
4. You are a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.
5. You are a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. If this is the case, you are eligible only for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, or Federal Work-Study. Check with your college or career school financial aid office for more information.
What if the expiration date on my documents has passed?
- If your green card has expired, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your status as a legal permanent resident has expired. You might just need to renew the card. Be sure to do so promptly!
- If your permanent residence status has in fact expired, you are no longer eligible for federal student aid.
- If your documentation shows that you are a Cuban-Haitian entrant, you are still an eligible noncitizen even if the expiration date has passed.
- For all other documents listed in 1–3 above, if the expiration date has passed, you are not an eligible noncitizen and cannot receive federal student aid.
For more information about eligible noncitizen status, contact a college financial aid office.
What if I have documentation that isn’t listed above?
You are NOT an eligible noncitizen and cannot receive federal student aid if
- you have only a “Notice of Approval to Apply for Permanent Residence” (I-171 or I-464),
- you are in the U.S. on an F-1 or F-2 student visa, or on a J-1 or J-2 Exchange Visitor Visa, or
- you hold a G series visa (pertaining to international organizations).
So if I’m not an eligible noncitizen, can I get any type of financial aid to study in the U.S.?
Yes, there may be some scholarships and other aid you can get.
- Check with your country’s embassy or a consulate here in the U.S. or with the appropriate government office back in your country to see what they offer.
- Try the U.S. Department of Labor’s free online scholarship search.
- Ask the college or career school you plan to attend whether they offer any aid for students like you.
- Check out the Education USA website.
