Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

30% Verification Option

AwardYear: 1995-1996
ChapterNumber: 1
ChapterTitle: Basic Requirements
Section: 30% Verification Option
PageNumber:


Generally, you must verify all applications that have been selected
for verification; however, ED does not require a school to verify
more than 30 percent of its total number of applicants for federal
student assistance. If more than 30 percent of your school's total
number of applicants for federal student assistance have been
selected for verification, you may CHOOSE to verify all of the
selected applications, but ED does not require you to do so. Note:
APPLICATIONS SELECTED BY YOUR SCHOOL DO NOT
COUNT TOWARD THE 30 PERCENT LEVEL.

You can choose to invoke the 30% Verification Option and could
therefore cease verifying selected applications once you have verified
30 percent of your total number of applicants for federal student
assistance. Of course, if your total number of selected applications
is less than 30 percent of your total number of applicants for federal
student assistance, you MUST VERIFY ALL selected applications.
The 30% Verification Option is better explained with a few
examples, shown on the following page.

ED does not define the term "applicant" for purposes of the 30%
Verfication Option. Each school must develop a definition and
apply it consistently. An applicant may be defined as any student
who applies for federal financial aid, or more narrowly as a student
who is eligible to receive an award. Further, schools could define
the total number of applicants for federal student assistance as the
total number of applications received (regardless of whether the
students are enrolled), as the total number of applications received
from enrolled students, or as the total number of applications
received from enrolled students who are eligible to receive an award.

For Example
EXAMPLE ONE
Reeves Institute has a total of 1,000 applicants for federal student
assistance. Of these, 475 applications are edit-selected for
verification during processing. The school itself selects 100 other
applications, based on its own criteria.

A total of 575 applications were selected, but only 475 were edit-
selected and only these count toward the 30 percent. However, this
number still exceeds 30 percent of the school’s total applicants for
federal student assistance (300), so the school may cease verifying
once 300 of the edit-selected applications have been verified.

EXAMPLE TWO
Sobel Tech has a total of 1,000 applicants for federal student
assistance. Of these, 289 applications are edit-selected for
verification during processing.

The school must verify all 289 because that number does not exceed
30 percent of the institution’s total applicants for federal student
assistance. (The school is not required to verify any additional
applications; the 30% Verification Option is NOT a quota.)

EXAMPLE THREE
Terry College has a total of 1,000 applicants for federal student
assistance. Of these, 300 applications are edit-selected for
verification during processing. Also, the school identified 40
additional applications as having conflicting information.

A total of 300 applications from the school have been selected.
Additionally, the school must reconcile the conflicting information
of 40 other students. (Because the resolution of conflicting data is a
separate and distinct issue from verification, these 40 applications
do not count towards the 30 percent.) The school must verify all
300 applications, as this number does not exceed 30 percent of its
total applicants for federal student assistance. The school must also
resolve each of the 40 cases of conflicting data.


Because of the many variables involved, ED does not provide
specific guidelines or suggestions in this regard. Schools must
develop their own definition of "applicant," as well as policies and
procedures for determining the number of applications that
constitutes 30 percent of that total. Having established such
definitions, policies, and procedures, schools must consistently
adhere to and apply them. It is the school's responsibility to assure
that selected applications will be properly verified, regardless of
whether or not the school elects to invoke the 30% Verification
Option.