Financial Aid for Students with Eligible Program Exception Status

To receive financial aid, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and you must be a regular student in an eligible program at Wayne State University. Answer "yes" to Question 27 on the FAFSA, which asks, "In addition to grants, are you interested in student loans (which you must pay back)?"

A regular student is one who is enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the University for the purpose of obtaining a degree or certificate. An eligible program leads to a degree or a certificate. There are two exceptions to the “eligible program” requirement: (1) prerequisite course work and (2) teacher certification. Students who are completing prerequisite coursework or teacher certification are enrolled at the post-bachelor’s level.

1. Prerequisite Course Work: If you are enrolled at the post-bachelor’s level on at least a half time basis in courses required for your enrollment in a program that leads to a degree or certificate, you may apply for a Federal Stafford Loan. Enrollment for six to 11 credit hours at the post-bachelor’s level is considered half time. The courses must be part of an eligible program offered by Wayne State University and must be prerequisite for admission. Example: You already have received a bachelor’s degree, but you need an additional 12 hours of specialized undergraduate coursework to enroll in a graduate program. Courses taken for the sole purpose of raising your grade point average for admission do not qualify for a loan. Other non-required courses that you elect to take do not qualify for a loan.

If you are enrolled in prerequisite course work, you may apply for a Federal Stafford Loan for one consecutive 12-month period beginning the first day of the loan period in which you enroll half time. NOTICE: The 12-month period begins the first day of the term in which you first enroll on at least a half time basis. If you decrease your enrollment to less than half time after the first day of that term, the 12-month clock continues to run.

Federal regulations stipulate that the level of the program for which you are preparing to enroll determines whether first-year or fifth-year undergraduate loan limits apply.

• If you enroll in preparatory coursework necessary for admission to a graduate or professional degree or certificate program, fifth-year undergraduate loan limits apply. The Federal Stafford Loan annual limit is $12,500, no more than $5,500 of which may be in a subsidized loan. Note: You cannot borrow more than your financial need or the cost of attendance (your budget) at WSU.
  
  
• If you enroll in preparatory coursework necessary for admission to an undergraduate degree or certificate program, first-year undergraduate loan limits apply. The Federal Stafford Loan annual limit is $6,625, no more than $2,625 of which may be in a subsidized loan. Note: You cannot borrow more than your financial need or the cost of attendance (your budget) at WSU.

2. Teacher Certification: If you are enrolled on at least a half time basis in courses required for elementary or secondary Michigan teacher certification or re-certification, you may apply for a Federal Stafford Loan. Enrollment for six to 11 credit hours at the post-bachelor’s level is considered half time. Eligibility for loans is not limited to 12 consecutive months. Optional courses that you elect to take for professional recognition or advancement, or that Wayne State University recommends, do not qualify for a loan.

Students enrolled in teacher certification programs are considered fifth-year undergraduates. The $12,500 Federal Stafford Loan annual limit applies, no more than $5,500 of which may be in a subsidized loan. Note: You cannot borrow more than your financial need or the cost of attendance (your budget) at WSU.

Required Documentation: Federal financial aid regulations require students who borrow under the two eligible program exceptions to provide the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) with documentation of their “eligible program exception” status. Federal Stafford Loan applicants who are enrolled either in prerequisite coursework or in teacher certification coursework must provide OSFA with documentation of their enrollment status by submitting the Eligible Program Exceptions Status Form after the appropriate college or department completes the Department/College Sections.