Arrested and rehab.

calmom
Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:31:18 +0000

The law has changed and the comments in this thread above this one are incorrect.

Under the current law, a drug conviction will disqualify a student from receiving financial aid only if the conviction for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid. Earlier convictions don’t count.

Juvenile convictions don’t count either.

Also, if the student is convicted of an offense while in college and then completes an acceptable drug rehabilitation program, the conviction will not prevent the student from receiving aid.

The instructions on the FAFSA form specifically state:

Count only federal or state convictions for the possession or sale of illegal drugs if the offense occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid (grants, loans, and/or work-study). Do not count convictions that have been removed from the student’s record. Do not count convictions that occurred before the student turned 18, unless he/she was tried as an adult.



Obviously, getting arrested for possession of drugs has many other serious consequences, including the possibility of a felony conviction and years of incarceration … but it no longer is generally a bar to receiving financial aid.