Citizenship Requirements

Federal Aid Citizenship Requirements

As explained in Eligibility Requirements, to apply for federal aid programs and TU's need-based “Institutional Grant,” you must meet these federal aid citizenship requirements.  (Undocumented and DACA students do not meet these federal requirements, but are eligible for other aid programs.) To meet the federal aid requirements, you must be in one of the following categories:

  1. U.S. citizen or naturalized U.S. citizen
  2. U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa or Swains Island)
  3. U.S. permanent resident with one of the following forms of documentation:

    Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551, I-151, or I-551C)

    An Arrival/Departure Record (CBP Form I-94) or Departure Record (Form I-94A, with the endorsement “Processed for I-551. Temporary Evidence of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence. Valid until….Employment Authorized.”

    A United States Travel Document annotated with “Permit to Reenter Form I-327 (Rev. 9-2-03).”

    Some applicants from Afghanistan may be eligible as Afghan Special Immigrant Conditional Permanent Residents (SI CPRs). These applicants may have a foreign passport with MRIVs and a DHS, CBP stamp admitting them with a CQ1, CQ2, or CQ3 Class of Admission (COA).

    Some applicants from Afghanistan may be eligible as Afghan Special Immigrant Lawful Permanent Residents (SI LPRs). These applicants may have Machine Readable Immigrant Visas (MRIVs) and/or foreign passports with a DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stamp admitting them with an SQ1, SQ2, or SQ3 Class of Admission (COA).
  4. Other eligible non-citizen with one of the following designations and documentation:

    Refugee — with Form I-94 or I-94A with a stamp showing admission under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), or U.S. Travel Document annotated with “Refugee Travel Document Form I-571 (Rev. 9-2-03).”

    Asylum granted — with an I-94 or I-94A with a stamp showing admission under Section 208 of the INA.

    Persons paroled into the U.S. for at least one year — with an I-94 with an appropriate stamp that has not expired.

    Ukrainian parolees ----Ukrainian citizens and nationals paroled into the United States between February 24, 2022 and September 30, 2023 have eligibility for the term of parole.   In addition, Ukrainian citizens and nationals paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023, if they are the spouse or child of a Ukrainian paroled between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023, or the parent or legal guardian of an unaccompanied noncitizen child who was paroled between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023. The eligibility is for the term of parole granted, unless the parole has been terminated by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Note that this additional eligibility for spouses and children begins after the end of the 2022-23 award year.

    Afghan parolees ----Afghan citizens and nationals paroled into the U.S. between July 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022 may be eligible as Afghan Special Immigrant Parolees. Other applicants from Afghanistan may be eligible as Non-Special Immigrant Afghan Parolees. Afghan Parolees are not required to have been paroled into the U.S. for at least one year, nor are they required to have additional documentation in order to show that they are in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose with intent to become a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident. This only applies to Afghans paroled between July 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022. This flexibility lasts until March 31, 2023, or the term of parole granted, whichever is later, unless the parole is terminated by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

    Cuban-Haitian entrants — I-94 or I-94A with stamp “Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending).”

    Conditional entrants — I-94 or I-94A with an appropriate stamp (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980).

    Conditional resident aliens ---are eligible for aid if their documentation has not expired. They may have a valid I-551, I-94, I-94A, or a passport with an MRIV bearing the statement, “Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551 evidencing permanent residence for 1 year.

    Victims of human trafficking — certification or eligibility letter from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or a T-Visa (e.g., T-2 or T-3) for a spouse, child, or parent of a trafficking victim.
  5. You are a “battered immigrant-qualified alien” who is a victim of abuse by your citizen or permanent resident spouse, or you are the child of a person designated as such under the Violence Against Women Act.
  6. You are a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. Citizens of the Republic of Palau are eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study. Citizens of the Federal States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are only eligible for Federal Pell Grants.

Documenting Your Citizenship Status

If you meet these requirements, when you file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the FAFSA processor will attempt to confirm your citizenship status from federal databases. If they are unable to verify your status, they will ask us to collect citizenship documentation. Please note: the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allow students to photocopy citizenship documents for the financial aid process.

In addition, for eligible students who are not U.S. citizens, we must confirm your status with USCIS or DHS before we can offer you financial aid. This process can delay the processing of your aid application by up to 30 days.

Ineligible Citizenship Categories

You do not meet the federal aid citizenship requirements, if you have undocumented or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or if you are an international student in the United States on an F1 or F2 student visa, a J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa only, or G Series visas (pertaining to international organizations).  For more information, see the aid options for International Students and Undocumented/DACA Students.