Aide fédérale aux étudiants (2024)

FAQs

What loans are federal student loans? ›

Most international students must have a US co-signer in order to apply for a student loan. Although there are no co-signer loan programs at select schools in the USA and Canada, almost all international students will require a co-signer. A co-signer is legally obligated to repay the loan if the borrower fails to pay.

Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA form using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool) Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable) Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

Many students ask "can I get financial aid to study in Canada?" and the answer is yes in many cases. The Canadian government offers a few financial aid options for international students including Government of Canada International Scholarships and the Canada Student Loan program.

In general, federal financial aid includes the following: Grants. Federal student loans. Federal work-study.

Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized Loans (also known as Stafford Loans) are the most common type of federal student loans for undergrad and graduate students. Direct PLUS Loans (also known as Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS) have higher interest rates and disbursem*nt fees than Stafford Loans.

Unfortunately, eligibility for federal student loans is difficult for non-U.S. citizens. To be eligible, you'll need to: Be a U.S. national or U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C.

Our general eligibility requirements include that you have financial need, are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at your college or career school. There are more eligibility requirements you must meet to qualify for federal student aid.

In general, lenders want you to have a green card or a valid visa to secure a personal loan. Here are some common visas and situations that could make you eligible for a personal loan as a non-U.S. citizen: DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Asylum seekers.

Incarceration, misdemeanors, arrests, and more serious crimes can all affect a student's aid. Smaller offenses won't necessarily cut off a student from all aid, but it will limit the programs they qualify for as well as the amount of aid they could receive. Larger offenses can disqualify a student entirely.

How much money is too much to qualify for FAFSA? ›

There is no set income limit for eligibility to qualify for financial aid through. You'll need to fill out the FAFSA every year to see what you qualify for at your college. It's important to make sure you fill out the FAFSA as quickly as possible once it opens on October 1st for the following school year.

If you submitted your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form online, we'll process your form within three to five days. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, your form will be processed within 7 to 10 days.

You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (meaning you have a Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C, also known as a “green card.”) And a valid Social Security number is necessary to fill out the FAFSA. International students and undocumented students without Social Security numbers cannot complete the FAFSA.

Thus financial aid options for international students are more limited across the board. This is on top of how difficult admissions is for international students generally. Where aid does exist for international students, it is often very competitive, since you are compared with the best students from around the globe.

While international students can't receive U.S. federal student aid like federal loans or work-study, there are still options available to help pay for higher education. You might be eligible for financial aid allocated for international students, as well as scholarships, grants, and even private student loans.

You can contact 1-800-4-FED-AID, the federal student aid helpline, to determine if your loan is managed by any of them. If so, the helpline can connect you to your servicer for more information about your loan. Most borrowers with private loans won't be able to reach their servicer by calling the student aid helpline.

Check the Federal Student Aid site, studentaid.gov

Any loan listed on that website would be a federal student loan — even if a bank made it. If you have a student loan listed on your credit report that doesn't show up on studentaid.gov, it is likely a private student loan. You can access the site using your FSA ID.

Federal student loans are issued by the federal government and offer benefits such as fixed interest rates and income-driven and flexible payment plans. There are four types of federal student loans: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans.