This volume of the Federal Student Aid Handbook discusses the eligibility requirements for student and parent borrowers and your responsibilities to ensure that recipients qualify for their aid awards.

There are many factors you must consider when reviewing an application for aid from the FSA programs, such as whether the student is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, whether the applicant is making satisfactory academic progress, and whether they have a defaulted FSA loan. To answer these questions, you will receive information about the student from different sources, including the Department of Education’s Central Processing System (CPS) for financial aid applications and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). Throughout the year, the Department of Education (The Department) provides updates for schools in the form of Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs). These and other releases, such as Federal Register notices and electronic announcements, contain system updates and technical guidance, and are available on the FSA Partner Connect website (fsapartners.ed.gov). The FSA Handbook does not cover the operation of software. For schools using software provided by the Department, there are technical references on FSA Partner Connect that explain how the software operates. Schools using third-party software should consult the vendor’s reference materials for technical guidance.

The Department of Education recognizes that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created many unique challenges for postsecondary institutions. The Department has provided a variety of special guidance and regulatory flexibilities due to the President’s declaration of the COVID-19 national emergency on March 13, 2020. In addition, Congress has passed legislation offering relief from certain statutory requirements related to the Title IV, HEA programs. Generally speaking, the COVID-19 flexibilities and waivers remain in effect until the COVID-19 national emergency is declared over. As of the date of publication of this Volume of the FSA Handbook, the COVID-19 national emergency is still in place. For more details, see the Electronic Announcement of January 15, 2021, and the websites listed below. For COVID-19 related guidance, including waivers and exemptions of normally applicable Title IV rules, please see the following webpages:

Throughout Volume 1, there are cross-references to several new Volumes of the FSA Handbook which have been added in 2023-24, including Volume 7, The Federal Pell Grant Program; Volume 8, The Direct Loan Program; and Volume 9, The TEACH Grant Program. Throughout the volume, we have added and updated many hyperlinks, which you can click on for easy access to regulations and other supporting guidance. Here are some of the other significant changes to Volume 1 for 2023-2024: