Section 5: Financial Aid:

Student Eligibility Requirements

To receive aid from any of the federal student aid programs administered by Walden University’s Office of Financial Aid, a student must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen;
• Have a high-school diploma or a recognized equivalent, such as a General Education Development (GED) certificate, or have a high school education in an approved homeschool setting;
• Enroll in an eligible program as a regular student seeking a degree or certificate;
• Enroll at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan program funds;
• Be registered with Selective Service, if required (prior to 2021–2022 award year);
• 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);
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards;
• Not be in default on a federal student loan and not owe money (overpayment) on a federal student grant; and
• Not exceed the lifetime aggregates or annual loan limits without documentation that the debt has been reaffirmed.

Be advised that a federal or state conviction for any offense involving the possession or sale of illegal drugs, during a period of enrollment for which a student is receiving Title IV financial aid, will affect the eligibility for federal financial aid. This applies to any students receiving federal financial aid prior to the 2021–2022 award year.

Misrepresentation for Purposes of Title IV Aid

Statements made and documents supplied by Walden applicants and students for purposes of obtaining federal financial aid must be complete and accurate. The university will not tolerate any misrepresentation by a student or applicant at any point in the financial aid process. If unexplained discrepancies appear between statements or documents provided to Walden or information obtained otherwise, applicants may be rejected for admission and enrolled students may be dismissed. Verification of confirmed fraud or misrepresentation at any point in the financial aid process will result in permanent dismissal from the university and additional notification of fraud findings may also be provided to the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Inspector General.