Applying for Federal Financial Aid

To be eligible for Federal Financial Aid, you must:

Be enrolled in an eligible academic program. Federal education loan participants must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis,
Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen,
Have a valid social security number, if required,
Have a high school diploma or equivalent,
Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) while attending college,
Not be in default on a federal education loan or, if in default, have made satisfactory repayment arrangements,
Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the school must have a current Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) to start the initial eligibility process.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Federal financial aid is government funding for your education, awarded through the issuance of grants and loans. To learn if you’re eligible, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using United States University’s school code 040053. Each year, students and parents of dependent undergraduate students wishing to apply for financial aid must complete the FAFSA.

Steps to apply for federal aid:

Get an FSA ID.
Fill out the FAFSA to apply for federal grants and loans.
Complete the Loan Entrance Counseling form.
1. If you’ve never gotten a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan, you’re required to complete entrance counseling to ensure that you understand the responsibilities of taking out student loans.
Sign the Master Promissory Note.
1. Students and/or parents who apply for Federal student loans must promise to repay them, along with any interest and fees. The applicable form can be completed here.
Complete any additional paperwork requested by the Office of Financial Aid.
Review the award notification letter.

VERIFICATION

Verification is a process to confirm that the information you or your parents provided on the FAFSA is accurate. Although the U.S. Department of Education (ED) randomly selects FAFSAs to be verified, the Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to select a student for verification to clarify any potential discrepancies.

The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) cannot award federal student aid to students selected for verification until the students complete the verification process and OFA has transmitted to and subsequently received any necessary FAFSA corrections from ED.

Verification Process

Once a student is selected for verification, OFA will notify the student via the email address on file of their verification selection and the required documentation needed.
- Students must provide appropriate and legible supporting documents to the OFA.
- Additional documents may be requested at the discretion of OFA.
Allow a minimum of 10 business days for OFA to process the information.
Once all verification requirements are complete, the OFA will update the FAFSA to reflect the information provided, and the student will receive a new FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). The student is responsible for reviewing their FSS to ensure that the information is accurate based on the documentation they provided. If there were no changes to the FAFSA, the most recent FAFSA on file will be used to determine the student’s eligibility for federal student aid.
If a student’s financial award changes because of verification, a new award notification will be generated and sent to the student with the updated Student Aid Index (SAI) and award amounts, as applicable.

Participation in the verification process is not optional. If a student who is selected for verification does not submit the required documentation within 14 days from the day they are notified, financial aid processing will be delayed, and the student may not be eligible to receive federal funding. The student will then be responsible for any balance on their account.

Common Delays in Completing the Verification Process

Computer-generated signature stamps on paper forms.
Missing signatures on requested forms and documents.
Forms not filled out completely.
Student name and learner ID not provided on all forms and documents.
Changing your IRS Tax Return Information after-tax information is transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA.

If United States University obtains any credible information indicating that an applicant for federal student aid may have knowingly engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with their application for federal student aid, that applicant will be referred to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of this type of information are:

False claims of independent student status.
False claims of citizenship.
Use of false identities.
Forgery of signatures or certifications.
False statements of income.