To be eligible to receive federal student aid, students must meet certain requirements which include, but are not limited to the following:
Be enrolled or accepted as a regular degree-seeking student in an eligible program
Be enrolled at least half-time if seeking federal student loans
U.S. Citizen or Eligible Non-citizen
Have a valid social security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
Must not be in default or overpayment on federal student aid
Must maintain satisfactory academic progress
Qualify to study at the postsecondary level by having either a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.
Be admitted and remain enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program.
Must not have a drug abuse hold as defined by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988.
Sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form stating that:
The enrollment status of a student may affect eligibility for financial aid, health insurance, housing, loan deferment or other official certifications. The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education defines the enrollment status for graduate and professional students by the below Institutional Enrollment Classification Chart.
| Enrollment Classification | Less than 1/2 Time | 1/2 Time | 3/4 Time | Full-Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Spring Credit Hours per Semester | 1-4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | ≥9 |
| Summer Credit Hours per Semester | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | ≥5 |
Students who are considering withdrawing or falling below full-time enrollment status should consult the appropriate offices to find out how an enrollment status change could affect eligibility.
A student is considered to be incarcerated if she/he is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution (whether it is operated by the government or a contractor). A student is not considered to be incarcerated if she/he is in a halfway house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. A criminal background check is conducted for all students who are offered admission to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education and admissions is contingent upon a satisfactory result as determined by each program. Students who are confined or incarcerated are ineligible for Direct Loans during their period of incarceration.
There is a list of required documentation provided to the student from the school via electronic format through handbooks, catalogs and clinical training manuals at achehealth.edu/student-handbooks/.
Every year a number of students who are eligible for financial aid are randomly selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education by the FAFSA Central Processing System (CPS). If a student is selected for federal verification, they will be required to complete the verification process for the verification tracking group (V1-V6) they were placed in. Students will be notified by e-mail of required documentation and any other documentation requested to resolve conflicting information. Students/Spouses will be required to submit the documentation that may be required such as: IRS Tax Return Transcript, W-2’s, Statement of Educational Purpose, High School Completion Status, Household Resources, an any other documents requested to resolve conflicting information. After documentation is reviewed, the student will be notified by e-mail if their financial aid award is changed.
Verification exclusions may be exercised at the discretion by the Director of Financial Aid that will documented due to: death of the student, student is not an aid recipient, student is only eligible for unsubsidized student financial assistance, applicant was verified by another school, or student was selected for verification after ceasing to be enrolled at ACHE and all (including late) disbursements were made. The Director of Financial Aid reserves the right to select a student for verification if discrepancies seem to exist.
Documentation may not be required if information reported on FAFSA is believed to be accurate for the spouse of an independent student in certain circumstances. These circumstances for the spouse would be: death, mentally incapacitated, resides in a country other than the United States and can’t be contacted by normal means or can’t be located because the student doesn’t have and is unable to receive their spouse’s contact information.
Students who are required to complete verification or have conflicting information must submit all requested documentation to the ACHE Office of Financial Aid within 30 days prior to the end of the payment period. The Director of Financial Aid may elect to extend this date if a student will still be eligible for aid. Students who are found to be eligible for aid will be provided an Estimated Financial Aid Offer. Students who are found to be ineligible for aid will be notified accordingly.
Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain situations including for non-U.S. citizens, students with criminal convictions and students with intellectual disabilities which can be found at studentaid.gov.
