Verification Policy

University of 杏吧直播间 Alabama Verification Policy

In compliance with CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) 668, Subpart E, the University of 杏吧直播间 Alabama will verify all federal student aid applicants whose applications have been selected for verification by the U. S. Department of Education. At the University of 杏吧直播间 Alabama, an applicant is defined as a recipient of, or an applicant for Federal Title IV aid who enrolled during the award year. If a student’s application is selected for verification, the student must complete the verification process or forfeit federal student aid, and the student will be responsible for any charges incurred. The school may also select those applications for verification if there is conflicting information. Verification is done by collecting the documents the student used to complete the FAFSA and comparing them with the information the student provided on the FAFSA. A student may not receive financial aid until the verification process is complete. Verification of required documents is generally completed within two weeks after submission of all documents. During peak periods (July, August and September) more time should be allowed.

The primary items that are verified are:

Tax Filers:

  • Adjusted Gross Income
  • Income earned from work
  • S. Income Taxes Paid
  • Untaxed portions of IRA distribution
  • Untaxed portions of pensions
  • IRA Deductions and Payments
  • Tax Exempt Interest Income
  • Education Tax Credits
  • Foreign Income exempt from Federal Taxation
  • Family Size

Non Tax Filers:

  • Family Size
  • Income earned from work

Certain FAFSA filers may be required to provide:

  • Identity
  • Statement of Educational Purpose

Disbursements

Students selected for verification will not have their aid disbursed until all required documents have been received and required reprocessing is completed. If a change in award has occurred upon completion of the verification, an e-mail notification will be sent within one week. Students selected for verification after disbursements have been made may not receive subsequent disbursements until the verification process is completed.

Exclusions

A selected application may be exempt from some or all verification requirements due to certain unusual circumstances. Except in the case of the student’s death, however, none of these verification exclusions excuses the university from the requirement to resolve conflicting information.

Death of the student

If the university makes an interim disbursement during the verification process and the student dies before verification is completed, Student Financial Aid will not continue to verify. In such a case, the university cannot make any additional disbursements to any of the student’s beneficiaries except for Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds already earned.  Also, the university cannot originate or certify a Direct Stafford Loan or deliver proceeds from either FWS or Direct Stafford Loans to the student’s beneficiaries. 

Not a Title IV aid recipient

Students who are not recipients of federal aid are not required to submit verification documents.

Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan/PLUS

Student Financial Aid will not require verification documents if the student is eligible to receive only unsubsidized student financial assistance, unless the student is selected for verification of Identity or Statement of Educational Purpose. A student cannot avoid the verification requirements by choosing to borrow a Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loan instead of a Direct Stafford Subsidized Loan.

Applicant verified by another school

Student Financial Aid will require verification documents even if previously submitted to another school for the award year. This ensures the accuracy of our information when audited.

 Post Enrollment

Student Financial Aid will not continue with verification for students selected for verification after ceasing to be enrolled at school and who do not intend to reenroll for the award year. Also, no further (including late) disbursements will be made.

 Incarceration

A confined or incarcerated individual will only be required to verify their Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose.

 Parents Unavailable

Student Financial Aid does not verify a dependent student’s application if any of the following conditions applies:

  • Both parents are mentally incapacitated;
  • Both parents, or the custodial parent, has died;
  • The parents are residing in a country other than the United States and cannot be contacted by normal means; or
  • The parents cannot be located because the student does not have and cannot get their contact information.

 The Office of Student Financial Aid will document the basis for this exclusion in the student’s file. These exclusions do not affect any other part of required verification; the selected application must still be verified according to all other requirements.

 Spouse unavailable

The university does not verify spouse information if any of the following conditions apply:

  • The spouse has died;
  • The spouse is mentally incapacitated;
  • The spouse is residing in a country other than the United States and cannot be contacted by normal means;
  • The spouse cannot be located because the student does not have and cannot get their contact information.

Certain FAFSA filers may be required to provide:

  • Identity
  • Completion of Statement of Educational Purpose Form

The “Dependent Verification Worksheet” is required for students whose parental information was needed to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

The “Independent Verification Worksheet” is required for students whose parental information was not needed to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

Consequences of Failure to Submit Verification Documents

The timeframe for submitting verification documents for Pell recipients is established yearly by the federal government. Generally, students may submit these documents by August 31 of the last year during a two-year award year, or no later than 120 days after the last day of the student’s enrollment, whichever is earlier.

If the student selected for verification does not provide the required documentation by their deadline, then the university cannot:

  • Disburse any Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) funds.
  • Allow the student to continue employment in an FWS job.
  • Certify a Direct Stafford Loan application for the student.
  • Disburse Direct Stafford Loan funds to the student.
  • Future registration of classes may be delayed.
  • The student is responsible for any charges incurred.

Notification Methods

If a student is selected for verification, he/she will find out in several ways:

  1. When Student Financial Aid receives the FAFSA Submission Summary from the Department of Education, the student will see a comment stating "Your FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification. Your school has the authority to collect certain financial documents from you.”
  2. When the student receives the FAFSA Submission Summary from the Department of Education, he/she will see a comment stating "Your FAFSA has been selected for a review process called verification. Your school has the authority to collect certain financial documents from you.” Applicants will need to verify all the FAFSA items that apply to them.
  3. Once Student Financial Aid receives a student’s processed FAFSA, an “Unsatisfied Requirements” email will be sent to the student indicating what information and documents are needed. Inceptia, a third-party servicer whom the University of 杏吧直播间 Alabama (UNA) Student Financial Aid office is currently outsourcing verification to, will also send the student an email regarding missing information.
  4. After all requested information is submitted to Student Financial Aid or Inceptia, the student’s file will be reviewed. If Student Financial Aid has further questions regarding the student’s file, the student will be contacted for additional clarification or document requests. It is the student’s responsibility to respond to these requests. If the required information is not submitted, the student’s file will be on hold until all missing information has been received. Students are encouraged to contact Student Financial Aid at any time with verification questions.

During peak periods, it may take a minimum of 5 (five) business days for documents to be reviewed and logged into the system as received. Students may track the documents by logging onto their UNA Portal Self-Service account to see the updated status after the 5 days have passed. Please see the instructions below. E-mail notifications will be sent within 2 weeks if additional information is required. Students may also view outstanding requirements on their UNA Portal Self-Service account.

To check your missing/incomplete documents:

  • Log onto UNA Portal Self-Service at una.edu
  • Select Financial Aid Dashboard
  • Select current aid year
  • On Home tab, check Student Requirements
  • The unsatisfied documents will display as unsatisfied requirements. These requirements will delay the processing of financial aid. Students should see “Your FAFSA has been selected for verification by the Department of Education. You will be contacted by our third-party servicer, Inceptia, to complete this verification.”
  • The satisfied requirements will display as completed requirements.

FAFSA Corrections

If a student is required to make a correction to the FAFSA, the Student Financial Aid office can advise the student how to go to studentaid.gov to make the required correction(s) to their application. The Student Financial Aid Office is also available to assist the student with these corrections during normal business hours in person in the Student Financial Aid office, online, or via phone. If the Student Financial Aid office is required to make a correction to the student’s FAFSA, we will make the correction through the U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA Partner Portal and wait on the corrected application to be sent back for review.

Referrals

If it is determined that a student has received funds which he or she was not eligible to receive, the student must repay the amount. If a repayment is not made, the overpayment must be referred to the U.S. Department of Education or the UNA Office of Student Financial Aid. A school must refer to the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) any credible information indicating that an applicant for Title IV may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application. Common misconduct includes false claims of independent student status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signatures or certifications, and false statements of income. Remember that fraud is the intent to deceive as opposed to a mistake. Schools must also refer to the OIG any third-party servicer who may have engaged in fraud, breach of fiduciary responsibility, or other illegal conduct involving the Title IV programs.

 

Last updated: October 2024