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 period of ineligibility for FSA funds:
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. (2017-18, Volume 1, Chapter 1, pp. 1-21 to 1-22)
