The way it was explained to me was that the Direct loans are not financial aid any more than PLUS. It’s the subsidized loans that are. Because just about anyone can get the Unsubsidized loans regardless of need. . Colleges also offer up their own loans at times and some states offer loans. I don’t know if those loans are considered financial aid by Common data.
I know federal work study is considered financial aid but not work study available to all students even though they can be the very same job. It’s the source of the funds and how they are treated.