Am I eligible for federal student loans while I am incarcerated?
It depends where you are incarcerated. Anyone who is considered “incarcerated” in a federal or state facility cannot receive federal student loans.[2915]
Unfortunately, here, you are considered “incarcerated” if you are serving a sentence in a penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution, whether it is operated by the government or a private contractor. You are also considered to be incarcerated if you have been committed to a juvenile detention facility.
You are NOT considered incarcerated if you are in a halfway house, on home detention, sentenced to serve only on weekends, or if you are confined while your case is still pending (such as while you are awaiting trial).
The following chart summarizes whether or not you can receive federal student grants and/or federal student loans while you are incarcerated.
IF YOU ARE IN A FEDERAL OR STATE INSTITUTION: |
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IF YOU ARE IN AN INSTITUTION OTHER THAN A FEDERAL OR STATE ONE: |
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Once you’re released, most eligibility limitations will be removed. In fact, you may apply for aid before you’re released so your aid is processed in time for you to start school. However, if your incarceration was for a drug-related offense or if you are subject to an involuntary civil commitment for a sexual offense, your eligibility may be limited.
REMEMBER: Even though you are not eligible to receive federal student loans while you are incarcerated, you can still apply for them so that your application can be processed and they will be available in time for you to start school once you are released.[2918] (For information on applying for federal student aid, see PG. 885. The application process is the same whether you are incarcerated or not.)
IMPORTANT: If you’re incarcerated, you should not fill out the FAFSA unless you know you are going to be released in time to attend school that year. FAFSA information is only good for one year. Everyone who applies for federal student aid must complete a new FAFSA every year. This means that if you were receiving federal financial aid before you were incarcerated, you will likely need to reapply, unless you will be released before that school year ends.
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- 2915
- 2916
U.S. Dep’t of Educ. Fed. Student Aid Office, Federal Student Aid Eligibility for Students Confined in Adult Correctional and Juvenile Justice Facilities (Dec. 2014), https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/aid-info-for-incarcerated-individuals.pdf. ↑
- 2917
The Pell Grants can only be used to pay for tuition, fees, books and supplies required by education program. Incarcerated individuals will not be eligible to receive other types of Federal student aid under this pilot program. See U.S. Department of Education, “U.S. Department of Education Launches Second Chance Pell Pilot Program for Incarcerated Individuals,” (Jul. 31. 2015), http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-launches-second-chance-pell-pilot-program-incarcerated-individuals. ↑
- 2918
U.S. Dep’t of Educ. Fed. Student Aid Office, Federal Student Aid Eligibility for Students Confined in Adult Correctional and Juvenile Justice Facilities (Dec. 2014), https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/aid-info-for-incarcerated-individuals.pdf. ↑