Can a DUI affect your financial aid?

Many North Carolina college students rely on financial aid to pay tuition. Unfortunately, just one bad decision could be enough to ruin a student’s chances of getting the aid they require.

FindLaw takes a look at some of the DUI basics, including the penalties that you may face for being convicted of a DUI-related crime. In many cases, these convictions result in jail time, fines, and potentially having to attend recovery programs or install an interlock device on your car.

What you don’t hear about is how DUI convictions can also impact your ability to apply for or receive scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid. This is especially true of people who are seeking aid from a public source. While private scholarships, grants and so on typically have a little more wiggle room, government grants and financial aid are held to an extremely strict standard. This is because people want to make sure they know where their tax dollars are going.

Because of the stringent way this is handled, you may potentially lose a scholarship or grant that you have already received. You may also end up being barred from entering other applications for grants, loans, and so on. Even if you aren’t barred, chances are high that your application will be sorted to the bottom of considerations just because of your DWI or DUI charge. Accordingly, if you are relying on financial aid help pay for college, this can be a giant personal setback.