Securing Financial Aid for Distance Learning

Few college students can afford to pay for school without some financial assistance, and those students attending the virtual classrooms of distance learning experience the same tug on their wallets.

Fortunately, securing financial aid for online classes is easier than ever. Recognizing the increasing popularity and acceptance of distance learning, the U.S. Department of Education has opened up its federal aid programs to include qualified online education programs.

Finding an Eligible Online Education Program

In most cases, determining whether or not a school is eligible to receive federal funds is as simple as doing little surfing on the school's web site. Most eligible online education programs will provide information on their sites, letting visitors know federal financial aid is available to their students.

In the past, however, determining whether or not a school was eligible to receive federal funds could be challenging. The U.S. Department of Education incorporated what was known as the "50-percent rule," in which at least 50 percent of an institution's courses had to be campus-based versus online in order for that institution to be eligible to receive financial assistance from the government. As a result, a large number of institutions that offered most, of not all, of their courses online were ineligible.

Fortunately, the federal government passed the Higher Education Reconciliation Act in 2005, which in essence voided the "50-percent rule," opening up federal student aid, or FSA, to numerous online-only institutions.

After the revocation of the "50-percent rule," an institution offering online courses now must be accredited by a qualified accrediting agency in order to be FSA-eligible. Qualified accrediting agencies are those organizations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education specifically for the accreditation of distance education.

To assist you in finding an online education program, just take a moment to complete our online form and you will receive information on numerous schools offering distance learning courses. You then will be able to determine whether those schools in which you are interested are FSA-eligible by visiting their web sites or calling the school directly.

Determining if You are FSA-Eligible

Just as you would for any online education programs you are considering, it is important to determine whether or not you are eligible to receive financial aid.

Prospective students must meeting six requirements in order to qualify for receiving financial aid from the federal government. The prospective student must:

• Demonstrate and prove a financial need.
• Be a United States citizen or an eligible noncitizen with a valid Social Security number.
• Work toward a certificate or degree in an eligible program of study.
• Show that he or she is qualified to receive a postsecondary education by passing an approved ability-to-benefit test, having earned a high school diploma for a GED certificate, or fulfilling the requirements of a high school education in a home-school setting approved under state law.
• Register with Selective Service (for male students between the ages of 18 and 25 years).
• Maintain a minimum level of academic progress once he or she has enrolled in school.

For additional details pertaining to FSA-eligibility, the U.S. Department of Education's web site offers information on student and institution eligibility as well as several tools to assist prospective students in paying for college.