Wealthy students can afford to pay for college on their own, without the help of federal financial aid. According to the Department of Justice, in 1997, the most recent year for which data is available, over 66,000 juveniles age 17 and younger were adjudicated on drug-related cases.
Drug related cases are the only convictions that prevent students from receiving financial aid.
No such automatic ban on federal financial aid exists for any other crime, including murder, rape, or other violent crimes. We cannot allow youthful indiscretions to hold back individuals who want to better themselves by attending college.