Federal Aid Eligibility for Noncitizen and DACA Students

Who counts as a US citizen or eligible noncitizen

Federal student aid, including Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and Federal Work-Study, goes only to students who meet a citizenship test. You qualify if you are a US citizen, a US national, or a citizen of the Freely Associated States (Palau, the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia). Lawful permanent residents who hold a green card also qualify. Beyond these groups, the government defines a specific list of eligible noncitizen categories .

Eligible noncitizen categories

Your immigration status qualifies you for federal aid if it falls into one of these groups:

• Refugee or person granted asylum

• Parolee, paroled into the United States for at least one year

• Cuban-Haitian entrant

• Victim of human trafficking holding a T-1 visa, or the spouse, child, or parent of a T-1 holder on a T-2 through T-6 visa

• Battered immigrant qualified under the Violence Against Women Act

Enter your Alien Registration Number from your green card, or the number on your Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94), on the FAFSA. The Department of Education matches this number against Department of Homeland Security records automatically, and a mismatch delays your aid, so copy the number exactly as it appears on your document.

Citizenship categories at a glance

Why DACA recipients do not qualify

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals gives you protection from deportation and a work permit, but it does not appear on the list of eligible noncitizen categories above. DACA recipients remain ineligible for Title IV federal student aid programs, the same rule that applies to students with no immigration status at all, according to Federal Student Aid's guidance for undocumented students . This holds even though DACA recipients pay taxes, hold Social Security numbers, and work legally.

The 2025 federal loan overhaul changed borrowing caps, ended Grad PLUS Loans for new borrowers, and replaced the SAVE repayment plan with the Repayment Assistance Plan. None of these changes touched citizenship eligibility rules. Who qualifies for federal aid stayed the same through the overhaul.

How to answer the FAFSA citizenship question

Select "Neither US citizen nor eligible noncitizen" on the FAFSA if you have DACA status. Submit the form anyway. States and colleges often use FAFSA data, or a separate state application, to award state grants and institutional aid, so filing keeps those doors open even without a federal aid offer.

Aid you still qualify for

DACA and undocumented students find funding outside the federal system through:

• 💵 State financial aid, in states that extend eligibility to undocumented residents, often tied to in-state tuition rules

• 🎓 Institutional grants and scholarships that colleges fund from their own budgets

• Private scholarships from foundations, community organizations, and employers that do not require citizenship

Contact your school's financial aid office and ask what you qualify for as a non-federal-aid student. Bring your DACA approval notice and any state-specific documentation the office requests.

Steps to take now

1. Confirm which citizenship category applies to you before you start the FAFSA.

2. File the FAFSA even if you expect no federal aid, since some states require it for state aid.

3. Ask your financial aid office about state, institutional, and private scholarship options for your status.

4. Check your state's higher education agency website for programs open to DACA and undocumented students.