Update Verification Policy

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This is an update to the 2018 FA Policies and Procedures Manual. Updated: June 23rd, 2018. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO VERIFY STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL AID (TITLE IV ELIGIBILITY).

Enrollment
requirements

A person must be enrolled as a regular student in an eligible program in order to receive FSA Funds. Atlantis University admits as regular students only persons who have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent, are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the State in which the school is located, or are dually enrolled in the college and a secondary school.

A high school diploma is a document recognized by the State in which the high school is located. The University evaluates the validity of a student’s high school completion if the school has a reason to believe that the high school diploma is not valid or was not obtained from an entity that provides secondary school education.

In lieu of high school diploma, the following are equivalent and accepted:

  • A GED Certificate.
  • A state certificate after passing an authorized test and that the State recognizes as equivalent to a high school diploma.
  • Academic transcripts from other higher education institutions showing that the student has completed college credits and meets the requirements for admissions in the desired program of study at Atlantis University.

 

Atlantis University documents the student’s enrollment in an eligible program at the time of admission, and has a system to notify the Financial Aid Office if/when the student leaves the program.

Atlantis University does not enroll ability-to-benefit students.

Atlantis University maintains the Student Aid Reports (SARs) or the original Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) used to determine eligibility for Title IV funds for each student for whom it awards Title IV funds. Corrections, updates, and adjustments may be submitted to update data elements that result in an updated SAR and ISIR being sent to the student or school.

Policies and procedures
for updating information
and verification

Atlantis University has the following policies and procedures for the verification of information provided by applicants for Federal Student Aid.

  • Only those selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education (ED) or those with conflicting information in their records will be required to submit supporting documentation. In most cases, the required documentation consists of a completed verification worksheet. The department of education determines which type of verification the student is selected (V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6) and a copy of the previous year tax transcript if the student or parent did not use the IRS retrieval tool during the completion of the FAFSA. Any conflicting information in the student’s file must be resolved before any financial aid may be disbursed, regardless of the student’s verification status.
  • No Federal Pell Grant, Campus Based, or Direct Loan funds will be disbursed prior the completion of verification.
  • A Direct Loan will not be originated until all verification has been completed.
  • Students eligible to receive a Pell Grant, Campus Base aid or Subsidized loan will have until 120 days after their last day of attendance or by the deadline published in the Federal Register each year (deadline is usually around the end of September) whichever is earlier, to complete verification. However, in the interim, the student must have made arrangements with the school for payment of all tuition and fees due, or risk termination from the school. After the aforementioned period, all financial aid that might have been due is forfeited.
  • All students will be notified on a timely basis if they were selected for verification and supporting documentation is required. At that time, the student will be informed of the time parameters and the consequences of not completing the verification cycle. The institution will notify the student of the results of the verification process and any other documentation needed. The institution will assist the student in correcting any information that is inaccurate and will notify the student via award letter if an award changes. The institution will use as its reference the most recent Verification guide supplied by the ED.
  • Deadlines for Verification Documentation: Requested verification documentation should be submitted within 30 days of notification by Atlantis University. Although the normal turnaround time for verification is only two weeks, required documentation must be received prior to the start of the term the student plans to attend in order for aid to be guaranteed to be in place.
  • Atlantis University will accept verification documentation after the 30-day window and after the dates above, however the student and parent will be responsible for adhering to all impending tuition and fee payment due dates. Also, there is no guarantee from Atlantis University that the verification process will be complete by the start of the term.
  • There are difficult situations where students and/or parents purposefully misrepresent information in hopes of obtaining additional assistance. The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) is required to have a policy of referral when confronted with actual or suspected cases of fraud and abuse [668.53(a)(5), 668.14(g)].
  • If Atlantis University suspects that a student, employee, or other individual has misreported information or altered documentation to fraudulently obtain federal funds, the school will report the suspicions and provide any evidence to the Office of Inspector General. The Director of Financial Aid reviews the student’s aid file with the appropriate Counselor and if the decision is made by the Director to pursue the possibility of denying or cancelling financial aid, the student is notified to contact the OSFA.

 

If the student does not contact the OSFA, the Director may:

  • Not process a financial aid application until the situation is resolved satisfactorily.
  • Not award financial aid.
  • Cancel financial aid.
  • Determine that financial aid will not be processed for future years.
  • All processing of the application or disbursement of funds shall be suspended until the Director has made a determination as to whether the student shall be required to make an appointment.
  • Fraudulent situations should be reported to the hotline of the Florida Department of Education Inspector General at (850) 245-0403 / OIG@fldoe.org or (850) 543-5353.
  • If the student receives an overpayment based on inaccurate or conflicting information on any application and refuses to correct the information or repay the Federal funds after being counseled by the institution, the school will refer the case to ED for resolution. Unless required by ED, no further Federal financial aid will be disbursed to the student.
  • The financial aid file must be documented with the date that the verification is completed.
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