AwardYear: 1997-1998 Edition: PostSecondary Part: 2 - - The application process for financial aid SectionNumber: SectionTitle: Making changes PageNumbers: 37-38 Making changes If the student's application information on the SAR or ISIR is incorrect, the information must be corrected or updated. You may recalculate the student's EFC for the federal campus-based and FFEL programs without having the student report the corrected or updated information to the processing system. However, for the Federal Pell Grant Program, in most cases corrections must be reported to the CPS for recalculation of the EFC. Please see The Verification Guide 1997-98 for exceptions to this rule. (Please note that corrections to a student's Social Security Number must always be reported back to the CPS for data match purposes.) When a student files a FAFSA, it creates a "snapshot" of the financial situation of the student's family as of the date the application was signed. However, errors may occur if a student files the wrong information on an application or if there are errors in data entry at the FAFSA processor. A student may use the SAR or the EDE system to correct application errors. For instance, a dependent student mistakenly reports her parents' total taxable income ($24,000) rather than their AGI ($19,000). The student must make the correction through EDE at her school, or on Part 2 of the SAR under the column headed "Write in only new or corrected information:" and return the signed SAR to the FAFSA processor. Please note that even if a school did not transmit a student's application via EDE, it can still make the corrections electronically if the student takes the corrected information to the school. If the student's corrections are being made through EDE, the corrected data is processed by the CPS and an electronic ISIR will be returned to the school; the student will receive the one-page SAR Information Acknowledgement. The school must keep signed documentation for corrections submitted electronically; the documentation must be collected before the school sends data to the CPS. The student may not, however, update income or asset information to reflect changes to her family's financial situation that took place after the FAFSA was filed. For example, if the same student's family sold some stock on June 1 (after filing) and spent the money on a nonreported asset such as a car, the student may not update her information to show a change in the family's assets. However, there are three items that a student must update if they change after filing (except if these changes result from a change in the student's marital status). The second and third items listed below (next to the second arrow below) must be updated only if the application is selected for verification. Thus, please note that if an applicant is not selected for verification, household size and number in postsecondary education cannot be updated. (Verification was explained on page 35.) - Dependency Status. Any change to dependency status, regardless of whether the student was selected for verification. - Number of family members (household size) and number of college students in the household. A change in household size or number of college students need be reported only if the student was selected for verification. Any changes in these data items can be reported on Part 2 of the SAR or through EDE. Remember, a student cannot update any of the above items if they change as a result of a change in marital status. Adding a School If a student wants to have his or her application information sent to an additional school after filing a FAFSA, the student may correct the SAR to add the new school. (See Part 3, Section H of this handbook for additional information on adding a school.) The student with a FAFSA on file now also has the option to call the toll number (319-337-5665) to request changes in the student's address or in the schools (institution codes) to which the SAR is to be sent. The student will need to provide his or her Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the SAR. |