In order to receive financial aid, a student must have the equivalent of a U. S. high school diploma. The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges that receive federal funds to adopt procedures to determine the validity of a student’s high school completion status when the student applies for Federal Student Aid (FSA).

Students who possess a high school diploma that is determined to be invalid are ineligible to receive financial aid. A diploma will be considered invalid if there is reason to believe that limited coursework was required to receive the diploma and/or a fee was charged by the agency that issued the diploma.

Requirements considered to be the equivalent of a high school diploma changed 7-1-2012. Students who wish to receive financial aid may establish eligibility by completing one of the following requirements if they do not have a valid high school diploma and did not complete a homeschool curriculum recognized by the state in which they lived at the time. [Enrollment means actively registered and attending classes.]:
First enrolled in an eligible program prior to July 1, 2012 –
1. Completed GED
2. Passed an approved Ability to Benefit Test and earned the minimum required score
3. Enrolled in and passed a minimum of six curriculum credit hours
4. Transferred six credit hours from a previous institution

First enrolled in an eligible program after July 1, 2012 –
1. Completed GED

Students meeting other admission requirements will not be denied admission to NOVA but will not be eligible to receive financial aid until high school completion requirements are met. As of the 2013-2014 award year, high school completion is a verification requirement for selected students. If asked to submit this information, please do so promptly for your application to be processed. Contact your campus financial aid representative if you have questions regarding this requirement.

The Department of Education implemented changes to make the FAFSA application process easier and more efficient, thus allowing for earlier availability of important financial eligibility information.

TWO IMPORTANT CHANGES GO INTO EFFECT WITH THE 2017-2018 FAFSA:

• Submit a FAFSA earlier: Students will be able to file a 2017-18 FAFSA beginning October 1, 2016 (rather than beginning on January 1, 2017). The earlier filing date will be a permanent change, thus allowing students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as October 1 every year.
• Use earlier income information: Beginning with the 2017-18 FAFSA, students will report income information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2017-18 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2015 income information (rather than their 2016 income information).

The following table provides a summary of key dates as we transition to using the early FAFSA submission timeframe and earlier tax information.

For more information on Early FAFSA filing, visit: nvcc.edu/financialaid