Application and Verification Guide
Posted Date: December 17, 2024
The Application and Verification Guide is intended for college financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process—filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA form.
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Volume 1 - Student Eligibility
Posted Date: December 10, 2025
Volume 1 discusses the eligibility requirements for student and parent federal student aid recipients and your responsibilities to ensure that recipients qualify for their aid awards.
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Volume 2 - School Eligibility and Operations
Posted Date: April 10, 2026
This volume of the Federal Student Aid Handbook comprises topics pertaining to colleges’ general obligations in administering the Title IV student aid programs: institutional and program eligibility, administrative requirements, audits, record keeping, program reviews, and providing information to the public are all explained.
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Volume 3 - Academic Calendars, Cost of Attendance, and Packaging
Posted Date: April 18, 2025
Volume 3 discusses the academic calendar, payment period, and disbursement requirements for awarding aid under the Title IV student financial aid programs, determining a student’s cost of attendance, and packaging Title IV aid.
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Volume 4 - Processing Aid and Managing FSA Funds
Posted Date: December 10, 2025
Volume 4 provides guidance on how to request, disburse, manage, and report on the use of federal student aid funds.
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Volume 5 - Withdrawals and the Return of Title IV Funds
Posted Date: January 29, 2026
This volume discusses how a school should manage Title IV funds when a student completely withdraws from a payment period or period of enrollment.
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Volume 6 - The Campus-Based Programs
Posted Date: December 10, 2025
Volume 6 provides the information that schools need to administer the campus-based programs, including the Federal Work-Study Program (FWS), the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program (FSEOG), and the Federal Perkins Loan Program (Perkins Loans).
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Volume 7 - The Federal Pell Grant Program
Posted Date: April 18, 2025
Volume 7 provides information to assist schools in determining student eligibility for and calculating Federal Pell Grants.
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Volume 8 - The Direct Loan Program
Posted Date: June 5, 2025
This volume discusses the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (Direct Loan Program) and describes how the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) makes loans to help students and parents pay the cost of attendance at a postsecondary school. This volume also provides information to assist schools in determining student and parent eligibility for Direct Loans, counseling student borrowers, and awarding Direct Loans.
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Volume 9 - The TEACH Grant Program
Posted Date: August 14, 2025
This volume describes the eligibility requirements for a student to receive a TEACH Grant and the required counseling for TEACH Grant recipients, explains the terms and conditions of the TEACH Grant service obligation, and provides schools with guidance on calculating TEACH Grant awards.
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Appendices
Dated Posted: March 16, 2026
The Federal Student Aid Handbook appendices contain information of general interest that is not appropriate for inclusion in just one volume or is so unique that it requires separate treatment.
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