Review of FAFSA applications and Verification Policy
Standard processing time for an award notification is 4-6 weeks from the time a file is completed (8-12 weeks during peak processing times). In many cases, all that is required for your financial aid application is the FAFSA.
Some FAFSA filers are selected by the Federal aid processor for review in a process called verification. The verification process requires institutions to collect documentation to determine if information reported on the FAFSA application is accurate. UTC generally only verifies applications selected by the federal processor. However, if, upon review of a student’s FAFSA information, potential conflicting information is discovered, the student’s application may be selected for verification by the UTC Financial Aid Office.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for verification review after the last verification document is turned in. After initial review of verification materials, additional documentation may need to be requested to resolve conflicting information between FAFSA information and verification documents.
Check your MyMocsNet account frequently to see if you have any outstanding requirements. Guide to Accessing Your Financial Aid on MyMocsNet.
Verification does NOT need to be completed in order to receive the following types of federal and state financial aid:
Parent or graduate PLUS Loans
TEACH Grant
TN HOPE Scholarship (the TN HOPE Access Grant cannot be received if verification is not completed)
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2011-2012 Verification Procedures
2012-2013 Verification Procedures
2011-2012 Verification Procedures
Deadline to provide verification documents
Most federal and state grant and student loans may not be awarded until verification is complete. Verification deadlines are listed below.
Fee payment deadlines
In order for verification documents to be reviewed prior to the fee payment deadline, all financial aid requirements must be completed by the following dates:
July 1 Fall Semester
November 1 Spring Semester
March 28 Summer Semester
Student Loan certification
Verification must be complete before Student Loan certification can take place. The last day a loan may be certified for a semester is the last day of the term. The student must be enrolled at UTC at the time of loan certification.
Federal Pell Grant
Verification documents must be received within 120 days of the student’s last day of enrollment, but no later than September 14, 2012.
The student will receive retroactive Pell Grant payments if eligible for semesters already completed only for classes successfully completed.
Required verification elements for the 2011-2012 academic year include:
- Household Size
- Number in College
- Federal Adjusted Gross Income and U.S. Income Taxes Paid*
- Untaxed Income and Benefits, including child support, IRA/Keogh deductions and interest on tax-free bonds.
Students required to report parent information on the FAFSA must provide documentation of student and parent/stepparent financial information and household members. Independent students (not required to report parent information on the FAFSA application) must provide documentation of their financial information and household size. If the student is married at the time the FAFSA application was completed, their spouse’s financial information must also be provided.
*We encourage you to document tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval. To use the IRS Data match, access your FAFSA application at www.fafsa.gov, click on "Make FAFSA Corrections", then select IRS Data Retrieval, or you may request a tax transcript at www.irs.gov. Electronically filed tax return information should be available for retrieval from the IRS one to two weeks after tax filing; paper tax return information should be available six to eight weeks after filing. Note: Married applicants must file jointly in order to use the IRS Data Retrieval; it also cannot be used when marital status changes after the end of the tax year or if an amended tax return has been filed. This is a free process and no one should charge you to complete the FAFSA or make corrections.
2012-2013 Verification Procedures
Deadline to provide verification documents
Most federal and state grant and student loans may not be awarded until verification is complete. Verification deadlines are listed below.
Fee payment deadlines
In order for verification documents to be reviewed prior to the fee payment deadline, all financial aid requirements must be completed by the following dates:
July 1 Fall Semester
November 1 Spring Semester
March 28 Summer Semester
Student Loan certification
Fall/Spring Loans: Verification documents must be received no later than the last day of the academic year in order to have a loan certified for the academic year.
One-term loans: Verification documents must be received by the last day of the semester.
The student must be enrolled at UTC at the time of loan certification.
Federal Pell Grant
Verification documents must be received within 120 days of the student’s last day of enrollment, but no later than September 13, 2013.
The student will receive retroactive Pell Grant payments for semesters already completed only for classes successfully completed.
Required verification elements for the 2012-2013 academic year include:
For all applicants:
- Household Size
- Number in College
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Child Support Paid
For non-tax filers:
- Income earned from work
For tax filers:
- Federal Adjusted Gross Income and U.S. Income Taxes Paid*
- Education Credits
- Untaxed IRA distributions
- Untaxed pensions
- Tax-exempt interest
*We encourage you to document tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval. To use the IRS Data match, access your FAFSA application at www.fafsa.gov, click on "Make FAFSA Corrections", then select IRS Data Retrieval, or you may request a tax transcript at www.irs.gov. Electronically filed tax return information should be available for retrieval from the IRS one to two weeks after tax filing; paper tax return information should be available six to eight weeks after filing. Note: Married applicants must file jointly in order to use the IRS Data Retrieval; it also cannot be used when marital status changes after the end of the tax year or if an amended tax return has been filed. This is a free process and no one should charge you to complete the FAFSA or make corrections. If you are requesting a tax transcript, you can expect to receive your IRS Tax Return Transcript within 5-10 days.
Federal aid regulations now require documentation of Adjusted Gross Income and U.S. Income taxes paid to come directly from the IRS. However, from April 16, 2012 through July 15, 2012, signed copies of 2011 IRS tax forms may be accepted.
