Can I get federal student aid while I’m incarcerated?

It depends on what institution you are in, and what it offers,[2909] so keep reading this section to better understand your eligibility for federal grants and federal loans. Most of the educational programs available to you while you are incarcerated are either free or do not qualify for financial aid in the first place. But remember, while you cannot receive most financial aid while you are incarcerated, you can still apply for financial aid so that the money is waiting for you when you get out.[2910]

  1. 2909

    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.

  2. 2910

    See 20 U.S.C. § 1070a(b)(6); 20 U.S.C. § 1091(r). See also Federal Student Aid; Students With Criminal Convictions, U.S. Dep’t of Educ., www.studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility/criminal-convictions.