Serving Can You Lose Financial Aid or Scholarships if Charged with a Crime?
Whether you can lose your financial aid or scholarship offers if you’re charged with a crime depends on various factors, including the specific facts of your case, scholarship contract, and outcome of the criminal proceedings. Traditional criminal defense attorneys seldom consider the private impact of even minor criminal convictions on student aid.
At the Law Offices of Brad C. Richardson, LLC, our experienced Myrtle Beach student crimes defense lawyers understands the importance of achieving specific results during criminal proceedings to protect your financial aid and scholarships. Local and out-of-state college students should discuss any criminal charges with our Myrtle Beach legal team immediately by calling (843) 488-4321 or connecting with us online.
How S.C. Criminal Charges Impact Federal Financial Aid and Scholarship Contracts
Most college students require some level of financial aid, whether through FAFSA or their university’s scholarship programs. Whether you can lose this aid depends on the type of aid you have and the specific rules of your college and third-party organizations, such as the NCAA.
Rules for Federal Student Aid
Students should not automatically lose their federal financial aid if they’re charged with a crime like DUI or drug possession. Federal law generally requires conviction, but even students on probation or with certain prior convictions might obtain federal aid with legal help. The federal government has also removed the barriers to obtaining financial aid for minor drug convictions, and low-level, first-time offenders might still obtain grants, loans, and work-study funds if they work with legal counsel.
Scholarships and Private Grants
You may lose scholarships or private grants if you’re charged with a crime, depending on the facts of your case. Certain felony charges might trigger internal university investigations into the alleged conduct. These internal investigations often dig into the ‘moral character’ of the recipient, and the college may pause or withdraw scholarship offers even without an associated criminal conviction. Some serious criminal convictions might also result in the automatic withdrawal of scholarships and private grants based on your university’s rules and scholarship contract.
Fighting for Pretrial Intervention (PTI) and Conditional Discharge in South Carolina
A dedicated criminal defense attorney might help you avoid conviction through certain deferred action programs if you’re charged with one of the following crimes while on spring break in Myrtle Beach:
- First-offense minor drug convictions see (S.C. Code § 44-53-450)
- Non-violent misdemeanor or felony
- Drug possession
- Shoplifting and burglary
- Minor property crimes
- Public nuisance and disorderly conduct
The state’s pretrial intervention (PTI) and conditional discharge programs allow qualifying offenders to complete certain community service and therapy programs in exchange for dismissing the charges and expunging their records. This means you will not have an official ‘conviction’, which protects most federal aid and scholarships.
Myrtle Beach Student Crimes Defense Attorneys
Experienced college crimes defense lawyer Brad C. Richardson can review your school’s policies and the charges against you to determine whether your aid is at risk.
He might get your charges dismissed and record expunged through S.C. deferred action programs and defend you during internal college investigations. Call (843) 488-4321 or contact our Myrtle Beach criminal defense team online today to protect your financial aid.