Federal Policy Regarding Federal Student Aid and Drug Law Convictions
Students convicted of possession or sale of drugs
A student convicted of a federal or state drug offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV (federal) financial aid is ineligible for federal student aid (FSA).*
The chart below illustrates the period of ineligibility for FSA funds, depending on whether the conviction was for sale or possession and whether a student had previous offenses. (A conviction for sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs.)
| Possession of illegal drugs | Sale of illegal drugs | |
| 1st offense | 1 year from date of conviction | 2 years from date of conviction |
| 2nd offense | 2 years from date of conviction | Indefinite period |
| 3rd offense and beyond | Indefinite period | Indefinite period |
* Exceptions include any conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from a student’s record, a conviction received as a juvenile (unless the student was tried as an adult), and any conviction for an offense that did not occur when a student was receiving Title IV aid.
Reference: U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Handbook. (2010-11, Volume 1, Chapter 1, pp. 1-14 to 1-16)
