Many young people across Maine and New Hampshire consider the college years a time for experimentation, but when a college student begins experimenting with drugs, it can come back to bite him or her in more ways than one. At Hansen Law Offices, PLLC, we recognize that, in addition to any criminal penalties your child will face because of a drug conviction, he or she may also become ineligible to receive any financial aid the government is currently giving him or her for school.

According to U.S. News and World Report, if your child is a current recipient of financial aid when authorities arrest him or her on a drug charge, he or she could face serious financial hardship if that arrest winds up leading to a conviction. In addition to drug-related fines and related expenses he or she will likely have to pay, your college student will lose the ability to obtain federal financial aid for at least some notable length of time.

College students who are first-time drug offenders, or who receive convictions for, say, simple drug possession, may become ineligible for financial aid for just one year. More serious and repeat drug offenders, however, can become ineligible for financial aid for multiple years, or even indefinitely.

Something to keep in mind, though, is that only drug convictions for arrests that took place while an individual was utilizing federal assistance will impact eligibility. In other words, if law enforcement officers charged your child over summer break and he or she was not currently taking any classes using aid, the arrest should not affect financial aid eligibility. You can learn more about criminal defense on our webpage.