Maintained for Historical Purposes

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

Reviewing the Output Document

AwardYear: 1998-1999
Edition: PostSecondary
Part: 2 - - The Application Process
SectionNumber:
SectionTitle: Reviewing the Output Document

PageNumbers: 18-21


Reviewing the Output Document

A student who applies using the paper FAFSA, the PDF FAFSA, FAFSA Express, FAFSA on the Web or Renewal FAFSA on the Web will receive a SAR within four weeks of filing. A student who transmits an electronic application or corrections through a school via EDE receives a noncorrectable SAR Information Acknowledgement from the CPS. The school receives the student's ISIR automatically if the student listed the school in Part G of the FAFSA. A school not listed on the application may also request an ISIR through EDE. These output documents contain the student's EFC, the student's application information, and other information for the FAA.

The SAR comes in two parts. Part 1 is the Information Summary, and Part 2 is used for corrections. The SAR Information Acknowledgement and the ISIR also provide the Information Summary, but do not have a separate part used for corrections. If corrections are needed, they must be made through EDE, or the student can request a duplicate SAR through the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-319/337-5665 and make paper corrections. This is a toll call. The student must provide his or her name, SSN, and date of birth.

The student does not need to take the SAR to a school that he or she listed on the application because that school will have already received an ISIR. These schools may award aid based on the ISIR without receiving the printed SAR from the student. The SAR will tell the student if all, some, or none of the schools he or she listed received the output document. (A school might not receive an ISIR if the student did not correctly complete Part G.)

If a school in which the student is interested has not received the student's information electronically, he or she may give the SAR to the school; the school must then add itself to the student's CPS records (see "Adding a School" on page 22). To pay a student federal student aid, a school must have an output document with an official EFC.

The student must review the SAR carefully for errors. If the SAR contains incorrect information or certain items that need to be updated, the student may have to make changes. We discuss these changes in the section titled 'Making Changes."

For additional information on output documents, please refer to A Guide to 1998-99 SARs and ISIRs.

Information Summary

The Information Summary is Part 1 of the SAR. The SAR Information Acknowledgement and the ISIR also provide this information. This summary serves as an eligibility letter to the student and school. On the SAR and SAR Information Acknowledgement, the EFC is printed on the front (at the upper right) along with an explanation of the calculation and instructions for the student. A summary of the student's information is printed on the back of Part 1.

The Information Summary has a separate section titled "FAA Information." This space is used to provide a coded summary of information about the application and to provide the EFC. Additional information, such as the results of data matches, is also provided in this section. For a detailed description of the information provided in this section, see A Guide to 1998-99 SARs and ISIRs.

Information Review Form/Information Request Form

Part 2 of the SAR will be either the Information Review Form or the Information Request Form. Please note that Part 2 of the SAR by itself does not serve as an eligibility document; as mentioned previously, only the Information Summary serves as an eligibility letter.

Information Review Form

The student uses the "Information Review Form" to make corrections, if necessary, and to update certain items if they have been changed since the FAFSA was submitted. Part 2 lists the student's information under the "YOU TOLD US" column, with space, if needed, for the student to correct the information under the column headed "WRITE IN ONLY NEW OR CORRECTED INFORMATION." Data elements that have been questioned by the CPS logic are highlighted in bold type in Part 2. The parental data fields are shaded to distinguish parental data from the student's data. If the student does not provide parental data, the parental data fields are blank.

Information Request Form

The Information Request Form, rather than the Review Form, is sent when information the student provided was incomplete or inconsistent and an EFC could not be calculated. In this situation, the student will receive a four-page SAR (a "reject" SAR) with the Information Request Form as Part 2. The student must correct or verify all information identified by an arrow printed in each questioned field on the SAR. The student must write the correct answer in the boxes or ovals that appear to the right of the arrow. The student may either change the information by writing in a new answer or verify the information by writing in the same answer.

For the student to receive federal student aid, the Information Request Form must be completed correctly and returned to the CPS, or the school must make corrections to the SAR information electronically through EDE.

Both the Information Review Form and the Information Request Form contain helpful hints on reviewing the SAR and a "For Your Information" section. The For Your Information section tells the student the approximate time needed to review and complete the SAR, informs the student that, if he or she is convicted of drug distribution or possession, his or her eligibility for Title IV student financial aid is subject to suspension or termination, and instructs the student what to do if he or she has special circumstances.

Verification

Because the effectiveness of the federal student financial aid programs depends, in large part, on the accuracy of the data students report, schools must verify information provided by students the CPS selects. In doing so, schools must follow the procedures established by regulation. The CPS prints an asterisk next to the EFC on the SAR to identify students whom the Department has selected for verification. (A code is also provided on the ISIR.) The school must check the information the student reported on the FAFSA, usually by requesting a copy of the signed tax returns filed by the student and, if applicable, the student's parent(s) or spouse. Many schools also conduct their own form of verification, selecting other applications for verification in addition to those selected by the CPS. Please refer to The Verification Guide 1998-99 for more information on the verification process and requirements.