Federal Student Aid Eligibility for
Students Confined in Adult Correctional
or Juvenile Justice Facilities
Below you’ll find answers to questions you may have about how being incarcerated in an
adult correctional facility or committed to a juvenile justice facility affects your eligibility for
federal student aid for college or career school.
1. Am I eligible for federal student aid
while I’m confined in a correctional or
juvenile justice facility?
If you are confined in a correctional or
juvenile justice facility, there are limits on
your eligibility for federal student aid based
on where you are confined.
Note that most of these limitations apply
only while you are confined. Upon your
release, these limitations will be removed
unless the circumstances discussed in
question 6 of this document apply. You may
apply for financial aid while you are
confined in anticipation of being released so
that your application may be processed in
time for you to start school following your
release.
Important note: Even if you are not eligible
for federal student aid, you may still be
eligible for aid from your state or school.

2. Am I eligible for federal student loans
while I’m confined in a correctional or
juvenile justice facility?
No. Any individual who is considered
incarcerated may not receive federal
student loans. For purposes of loan
eligibility, you are considered incarcerated

if you are serving a criminal sentence in a
penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work
farm, or similar correctional institution,
whether it is operated by a government
agency or by a contractor to a government
entity. You are also considered to be
incarcerated if you have been delinquent
and are committed to a juvenile justice
facility. You are not considered to be
incarcerated if you are in a halfway house
or in home detention or are sentenced to
serve only on weekends, or if you are
confined in a correctional or juvenile justice
facility prior to the imposition of a criminal
sentence, such as while you are awaiting
trial.

3. Am I eligible for Federal Pell Grants
while I’m confined in a correctional or
juvenile justice facility?
It depends on where you are confined.
Individuals incarcerated in federal or state
penal institutions may not receive Federal
Pell Grants. However, if you are
incarcerated in a local, municipal, or county
correctional facility and you otherwise meet
eligibility criteria, you are eligible for a
Federal Pell Grant. If you are committed to
a juvenile justice facility and you otherwise

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meet eligibility criteria, you are eligible to
receive a Federal Pell Grant, regardless of
whether the juvenile justice facility is
administered by a federal, state, or local
government or agency.

4. Am I eligible to receive Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study
(FWS) funds while I’m confined in a
correctional or juvenile justice facility?
Although incarcerated individuals may be
technically eligible to receive an FSEOG
and FWS, you are unlikely to receive either
type of funds due to the limited amount of
those funds available to the school and
because of the logistical difficulties of a
student performing an FWS job while
confined in a correctional or juvenile justice
facility.

5. Am I eligible for federal student aid if I
am released on probation or on parole?
As noted in question 1, the restrictions that
apply while you are confined in a secure
facility are removed when you’re released,
even if you are released on probation or
parole, unless any of the circumstances in
question 6 apply to you.

6. What types of convictions will continue
to affect my eligibility for federal student
aid after my release?
If you were convicted as an adult for the
possession or sale of illegal drugs, your
federal student aid eligibility may be
suspended if the offense occurred while you
were receiving federal student aid. When
you complete the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), as

discussed in question 7 below, you’ll be
asked whether you had a drug conviction for
an offense that occurred while you were
receiving federal aid. If your answer is yes,
you’ll be provided with a worksheet to help
determine whether the conviction affects your
eligibility for federal student aid.
If you have been convicted of a forcible or
nonforcible sexual offense and you are
subject to an involuntary civil commitment
upon completion of a period of incarceration
for that offense, you are ineligible to receive
a Federal Pell Grant.

7. How do I apply for federal student aid?
To apply for federal student aid, and for
most state and institutional aid, you must
complete the FAFSA, either online at
www.fafsa.gov or on paper. You do not
have to pay to apply for federal student aid.
Contact the education coordinator at your
correctional or juvenile justice facility or the
financial aid office at the school you plan to
attend for more information and help
accessing the FAFSA. Remember that even
if you’re not eligible for federal student aid,
you may still be eligible for aid from your
state or school.

8. What address do I provide when
applying for federal student aid?
When applying for federal student aid while
confined, use the mailing address of your
current correctional or juvenile justice facility.
Once released, you must update your mailing
address, which you can do at
www.fafsa.gov or by calling 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243).

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9. How can I get help applying for federal
student aid?
If you have questions about federal student
aid, including the application process,
contact the education coordinator at your
correctional or juvenile justice facility, the
school you plan to attend, or the e-mail or
toll-free number provided on page 4 of this
document.

10. How do I make sure that any federal
student loans that I have do not go
delinquent or default?
You may be eligible for a deferment or
forbearance of your federal student loans if
you are unable to make payments on those
loans while you are confined. During a
period of deferment or forbearance, you
would not be required to make payments,
but interest may continue to accrue. It is
important to make sure that you do not go
into default on those loans, as doing so
could have serious repercussions after your
release and will affect your eligibility for Pell
Grants or future loans.

12. Am I eligible for loan consolidation
while I am confined in a correctional or
juvenile justice facility?
No. Individuals who are confined in
correctional or juvenile justice facilities may
not consolidate their federal student loans
into a federal consolidation loan while they
are confined.

13. How can I receive publications about
federal student aid?
To receive a FAFSA or any other Federal
Student Aid publications, all of which are
free, contact your correctional institution’s
education coordinator; call or e-mail the
Federal Student Aid Information Center
(see page 4 of this document); order online
at www.edpubs.gov; or download them at
StudentAid.gov/resources.

For information about deferments and
forbearances, visit
StudentAid.gov/deferment-forbearance,
contact your loan servicer, or call or e-mail
the Federal Student Aid Information Center
using the contact information on page 4 of
this document. You also may visit
www.nslds.ed.gov.

11. What do I do if I have defaulted
federal student loans?
Work with your loan servicer to resolve the
default. Options for getting out of default
include full repayment of the loan, loan
rehabilitation, and loan consolidation upon
release. Learn more about getting out of
default at StudentAid.gov/end-default.
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Get More Information About Federal Student Aid
Student Website
Visit StudentAid.gov for information about types of aid, student eligibility, how to apply, and
repaying loans.

Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC)
Get answers to your questions.
Toll free: 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)
Toll: 319-337-5665
TTY for the hearing impaired: 1-800-730-8913
E-mail: studentaid@ed.gov

December 2014

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