Federal Drug Conviction Provision

Federal Drug Conviction Provision

The FAFSA Simplification Act amended Section 484 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), making several important changes to student eligibility criteria. One of these is the elimination of the prohibition on receiving Title IV aid for students with most drug-related convictions. Having a drug conviction while receiving Title IV aid no longer impacts a student's Title IV aid eligibility, and a student who has a drug conviction may be eligible to receive Title IV aid if they meet all other eligibility criteria.

The Department removed the drug convictions questions from the FAFSA form. Students with drug convictions are eligible for Title IV aid if they meet all other eligibility requirements, unless they are subject to a federal drug abuse hold on receiving certain federal benefits. The eligibility criterion related to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act is unaffected by the removal of the drug conviction question from the FAFSA form.  The State of Iowa and Cornell College also have instituted policies that follow the same eligibility guidelines as the federal policy.

For more information about the Drug Conviction regulation, please contact the Financial Assistance Office at 319-895-4216.