Qualifying for Aid
STEP 2: Qualifying for Aid
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Your Aid may be Delayed if you do not verify your information on your FAFSA!!
After your FAFSA is processed, you will be sent a Student Aid Report (SAR) listing the data you entered on the FAFSA. If you provided a valid email address on the FAFSA, you will be sent an email providing a link to your electronic SAR. If you did not provide a valid email address on the FAFSA, you will be sent a paper SAR. If anything is incorrect on the SAR, make corrections online or on your paper SAR. Return your paper SAR with any corrections to the Department of Education.
Helpful Hints:
- Please confirm that the Social Security Number, Birthdate and Full Name of the student and parents is correct (The name must match what the Social Security Office has at the time of FAFSA submittal.)
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Verification
Each year, the U.S. Department of Education selects approximately 30% of student financial aid applicants for review. The verification process requires that student applicants submit additional documents to verify the information provided on their FAFSA is correct. Financial aid cannot be credited to the student's account until the verification process is complete. All first time students will receive notification by mail, all others will be notified by email, please watch carefully for your missing information letter. If selected, students are required to provide the following information:
- Completed verification worksheet form. Please download the appropriate PDF file or pick one up from the Financial Aid Office. Only use this form if you have been selected. If you have not been selected and you use this form then you will automatically be selected.
- A signed copy of the student's (and spouse's, if married) prior year Federal income tax return
- A signed copy of the student's parents' prior year Federal income tax return (for students who were required to provide parent financial information on the FAFSA)
- A copy of all W-2 forms associated with the tax returns above
Additional documents may be requested once submitted verification documents have been reviewed.
It is possible to be selected for verification after the packaging process is complete. The student must then submit all of the verification documents listed above. The verification process must be complete before any additional disbursements can be made.
Verification could change a students expected family contribution, which, could result in an increase or decrease of financial aid. Students will be notified of changes to financial aid via email. First time students will receive notification by mail.
Other Eligibility Requirements:
In addition to documenting financial need for most programs, you must meet the following criteria:
You must be a U.S. citizen, or eligible non-citizen.
You must be regularly admitted to, or enrolled in, either a degree-granting program or the Academic Success Center.
The law suspends aid eligibility for students who have been convicted under federal or state law of the sale or possession of drugs while receiving Federal Title IV Student Financial Aid.
You must meet "Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy" standards. Please review the policy here.
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Determination of Need
The information you submit on the FAFSA will be used in a federally mandated calculation that determines what portion of your "cost of attendance" can be met through the student's (and in the case of dependent students, the parents') resources. This figure is then subtracted from the cost of attendance for the student during the appropriate period of enrollment. "Cost of attendance" is based on average costs for tuition and fees, room and board (even for commuter students), books and supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses. This figure minus the expected family contribution equals the documented limit for need-based financial aid.
Once the documented limit is determined, awards are made by the Financial Aid Office based on:
- the student's request on the FAFSA for certain types of aid,
- the amount of funds available, and
- the student's eligibility for such aid.
An eligible student is first considered for scholarships and grants, then for the Federal WorkStudy Program and/or student loans. Indicating an interest on your FAFSA for WorkStudy or loans will not affect the amount of scholarships or grants awarded to any student. In some cases, students and/or parents may be required to submit copies of tax returns or other documents that verify the information submitted on the FAFSA.
