Eligibility

Your eligibility for aid will be assessed based on the information that you have provided on your CQUniversity Application for Financial Aid, and the US legislation which governs the Direct Loan program.

To be eligible for US Financial Aid at Central Queensland University, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be enrolled at least half time in an eligible program, i.e. a degree program or other recognised educational credential offered by Central Queensland University
• Agree to maintain satisfactory academic progress, whilst simultaneously adhering to CQU's statues and regulations regarding academic progress and to the relevant Australian Immigration/visa legislation
• Be a citizen, national permanent resident or eligible non-citizen of the United States
• Not be in default on a Stafford, PLUS, or any other student loan
• Not have been convicted of any offence under state or federal law involving the sale or possession of a controlled substance*
  
• Be in compliance with Selective Service registration requirements if you are male and between the ages of 18-25
• File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• For PLUS loans, your parents must pass a simple credit check
• Comply with requests for documentation if selected for verification by the US Department of Education, as indicated on your Student Aid Report
• Submit all documentation required by Central Queensland University to verify your eligibility and determine your financial need.
  

The amount you can borrow is determined based on a number of factors including:

• Whether you are a dependent or independent student
• What level or year you are studying
• Whether you have previous outstanding federal loans
• The cost of attendance
• Recent income (as assessed during the loan application process)
  

The US government specifies the maximum a student may be eligible to borrow under the Stafford loan program annually.

Amounts for Federal Stafford Loans (as at 1 July, 2008)

Total life time borrowing limit for Dependent Students: $31000

Total life time borrowing limit for Independent Students: $57500

Total life time borrowing limit for Graduate Students:  $138000

These amounts that you may be awarded could be lower, depending on the eligibility determined by the CQUniversity's FA office.  Students who receive unsubsidized loans may pay the interest while they are in university with principal deferred until after they cease to be enrolled at least half time or they can choose to have both the interest and principle deferred until after they cease to be enrolled at least half time.

Loan Interest Rates

Dependent vs Independent Student

A student's dependency status is determined from information provided on the FAFSA. It affects the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and types of aid that you may be eligible to receive.

For the purposes of Title IV aid, a student is considered independent if he or she meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The student is at least 24 years old by December 31 of the award year.
• The student is an orphan or ward/dependent of the court, or was a ward/dependent of the court until he or she reached age 18.
• The student is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• The student is working on a master's or doctorate program at the beginning of the award year for which the FAFSA is completed.
• The student is married as of the date the FAFSA is completed.
• The student has at least one child who receives more than half of his or her support from the student.
• The student has a dependent, other than a spouse or a child, who lives with the student and receives more than half of his or her support from the student at the time the FAFSA is completed and through June 30 of the award year.

The student is considered dependent if he or she does not meet any of the preceding criteria for an independent student unless the financial aid administrator determines that the student is independent on the basis of special circumstances and performs a dependency override.

CQUniversity Request for Dependency Override Form

* Drug Conviction

If you have lost federal student aid eligibility due to a drug conviction, you can regain eligibility if you pass two unannounced drug tests conducted by a drug rehabilitation program that complies with criteria established by the U.S. Department of Education.

If you regain eligibility during the award year, notify your financial aid administrator immediately. If you are convicted of a drug-related offense after you submit the FAFSA, you might lose eligibility for federal student aid, and you might be liable for returning any financial aid you received during a period of ineligibility.