Department of Justice (DOJ)

If the student receives a Drug Abuse/Drug Conviction C-Code or reject code from CPS it may indicate that there is a problem with how the student answered the drug conviction question on the FAFSA. Student convicted of a federal or state offense of selling or possessing illegal drugs while receiving federal student aid may still be eligible for federal student aid, and if not, may still be eligible for state or institutional aid.

The question asks if the student has ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs while the student was receiving federal student aid.

If the student answers yes or leaves the question blank the student will be required to complete the Drug Abuse/Drug Conviction Worksheet to determine if there was a drug conviction and if it affects the student’s eligibility for aid.

Student denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain it only after successfully completing a qualified drug rehabilitation program or if a conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record so that fewer than two convictions for sale or three convictions for possession remain on the record. In such cases, the nature and dates of the remaining convictions will determine when the student regains eligibility. It is the student’s responsibility to certify to the Financial Aid Office that they have successfully completed the rehabilitation program; as with the conviction question on the FAFSA, the Financial Aid Office is not required to confirm the reported information unless there is conflicting information.