Financial Aid


CHANGES TO VERIFICATION FOR 2013-14


For the 2013-14 year, additional changes have been made to the verification process by the Department of Education. These changes assign students to one of several categories of verification. The documentation requested will be specific to the category that the student was assigned to by the Department of Education. Unlike past years, students selected for verification will not necessarily be required to provide only financial information. You will receive notification from the college as to the type of documentation you are required to provide.

VERIFICATION GROUPS

GROUP V1: STANDARD VERIFICATION GROUP

The Standard Verification Group is nearly identical to verification in 2012-2013. The same data needs to be verified as in prior years. The data that needs to be verified is:

  • Student’s Tax Data (either via the IRS DRT or by submitting a Tax Transcript)
  • Parents’ Tax Data (either via the IRS DRT or by submitting a Tax Transcript)
  • Non-filers Reported Wages (W-2)
  • Household Size
  • Number of Students in College
  • Child Support Paid
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or Food Stamps)

GROUP V2: SNAP VERIFICATION GROUP

The SNAP Verification Group requires the college to verify the receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

GROUP V3: CHILD SUPPORT VERIFICATION GROUP

The Child Support Verification Group requires the college to verify the amount of child support paid.

GROUP V4: CUSTOM VERIFICATION GROUP

The Custom Verification Group is the first group with brand new verification requirements. Those in the custom verification group must submit the following:

  • High School Completion documentation (most often in the form of the final high school transcript or GED).
  • Education Purpose Statement and government-issued photo ID

The Education Purpose Statement and valid government-issued photo identification (ID) such as, but not limited to, a driver’s license, other state-issued ID, or passport must be presented in person at the Financial Aid office where the student must sign the document in the presence of a Financial Aid Administrator. If, after review by the Office of Financial Aid this is not feasible, the student may then provide a notarized copy of the Educational Purpose Statement and submit along with a copy of their government issued photo ID to the Financial Aid Office.

Most students can satisfy the High School completion documentation by submitting their final High School transcript to the college. A General Education Development (GED) certification may also be submitted. There are other options if the student does not have either of these, for example if the student was homeschooled. The Financial Aid Office can detail the acceptable documents in a specific student’s situation.

GROUP V5: AGGREGATE VERIFICATION GROUP

The Aggregate Verification Group requires verification of everything from groups V1 and V4, which is all of the various verification data. The full list follows:

  • Student’s Tax Data (either via the IRS DRT or by submitting a Tax Transcript)
  • Parents’ Tax Data (either via the IRS DRT or by submitting a Tax Transcript)
  • Non-filers Reported Wages (W-2)
  • Household Size
  • Number of Students in College
  • Child Support Paid
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or Food Stamps)
  • High School Completion documentation (most often in the form of the final high school transcript or GED).
  • Education Purpose Statement and government-issued photo ID

Schoolcraft College reserves the right to request full verification of 2012 income on all students.

Unusual Enrollment History (UEH)

Enrollment History (UEH): Beginning in 2013-14, some Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSAs) will be flagged for “unusual enrollment history” by the U. S. Department of Education. You have been selected as a result of receiving the federal Pell Grant at multiple institutions in recent years. This flag will require the current institution to review the student’s enrollment history and determine whether or not the student is enrolling only long enough to receive cash refunds of federal student aid.

NOTE: In the process of reviewing a student’s UEH flag, the Office of Financial Aid, will check the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) for complete enrollment history (i.e., name of each school attended during the 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13 academic years – the review period – and dates of attendance). Unusual Enrollment History must be resolved before a student is eligible to receive Federal financial aid.

How to resolve: Students flagged by the Department of Education for an Unusual Enrollment History may be required to complete an Unusual Enrollment History Appeal form and provide a copy of their academic transcripts or grade reports. The transcripts or grade reports will be required for each institution attended during the previous three years. If Pell Grants were received and credit hours (passing grades: A - D) were not earned at each institution attended during these award years, the student may be determined ineligible for further federal financial aid. The Financial Aid Office has the authority to require an official academic transcript from any/all colleges attended during the review period if the documents you submit are unclear.

  • Students will be notified through the mail if they will be required to submit the Unusual Enrollment History Appeal form and academic transcripts or grade reports (make sure your contact information is up-to-date with the college).

Eligibility for aid approved: If a student has been approved for financial aid they will receive an award notice for the academic year or a notification that additional information is required to complete a FAFSA review.

Ineligibility for aid determination: if a student has been determined by the Office of Financial Aid to be ineligible for federal student aid based on the documentation submitted, review of transcripts, and letter of explanation, there is no additional appeal process. All decisions are final. Students whose aid eligibility is denied as a result of their UEH can be re-considered for federal student aid after meeting with an academic advisor, creating an academic plan, enrolling for 6 credits in 100 level courses that are required by their program, not withdrawing from (officially or unofficially) any course, and passing those courses with a minimum 2.0 in any course.



FINANCIAL AID POLICY REGARDING REPEAT COURSEWORK

Effective July 1, 2011, per federal regulations (34 CFR Section 668.2), repeated coursework that falls under the following conditions cannot be included in a student's enrollment status for Title IV Federal Aid eligibility, including the Federal Pell Grant and Federal Stafford Loans:

  • Repeating a previously passed course more than once. A course is considered passed if the student receives a grade of 1.0 or better.
  • Repeating a previously passed course due to failing other coursework.
  • Repeating a previously passed course for the sole purpose of gaining eligibility for Title IV aid.

Federal Title IV aid will be recalculated based on the student's adjusted enrollment status. This recalculation will be applied regardless of whether a student received aid for previous course enrollments.

Some courses are repeatable per college policy and are not restricted by these regulations.

Examples

Example 1:
A student is repeating a previously passed three credit hour course for the second time. The student is enrolled in a total of twelve credit hours for the term. Per federal regulations, the repeated course must be excluded from the student's Title IV enrollment status. Only nine of the student's twelve hours can be used to calculate his Title IV aid eligibility. The student's Federal Pell Grant will be reduced to reflect three quarter time instead of full-time enrollment.

Example 2:
A student passes a course with a 1.2. They want to take the course a second time to improve their grade. The second attempt will be counted in the total enrollment hours for Title IV aid purposes. The student will not be eligible to receive aid for that same class on any additional attempt.

Example 3:
A student repeats a previously passed course. The student receives a 0.0 on the second attempt. The student attempts the course for the third time. The third course attempt will not be counted in total enrollment hours for Title IV aid purposes.

Example 4:
A student repeats a previously passed course. The student withdraws (receives a W) from the course on the second attempt. The student attempts the course for the third time. The third course attempt will not be counted in total enrollment hours for Title IV aid purposes.