1. To receive aid from most federal and state student aid programs, you must have financial need. Exceptions are unsubsidized loans, parent loans, and some scholarship programs.
2. You must have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate to receive aid at USI.
3. You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program. (You may not receive aid for correspondence or telecommunications courses unless they are part of an associate, bachelor's, or graduate degree program.)
4. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
5. You must have a valid Social Security Number and your name as used on financial aid applications must match exactly the name on your Social Security card.
6. You must make satisfactory academic progress (also known as reasonable academic progress).
7. You must sign a statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) certifying that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.
8. You must sign a statement on the FAFSA certifying that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money back on a federal student grant.
9. You must register with the Selective Service, if required. If you are a male 18 through 25 years of age and you have not yet registered with Selective Service, you can give Selective Service permission to register you by checking a box on the FAFSA. You can also register at www.sss.gov.
10. When you apply for aid from the SFA Programs, the U.S. Department of Education verifies some of your information with the following federal agencies:

• Social Security Administration (for verification of Social Security Numbers and U.S. citizenship status),
• Selective Service System (for verification of Selective Service registration status, if applicable),
• Immigration and Naturalization Service (for verification of eligible non-citizenship status, if applicable),
• Department of Justice (for verification that a student has not been denied Federal student aid by the courts as the result of a drug-related conviction),
• Veterans Administration (for verification of veterans status, if applicable, for dependency status purposes).