FAFSA & Application Process
This federal database is used by financial aid technicians to verify if a student’s FAFSA information matches IRS tax returns
What is the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?
This is the maximum amount a student can receive from the Federal Pell Grant for the 2024-2025 award year
What is $7,395?
Which form is used by students to determine their eligibility for federal financial aid?
What is the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)?
This regulation requires financial aid technicians to ensure that a student maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to remain eligible for federal financial aid
What is the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy?
If a student experiences a significant reduction in family income, they may be able to submit this form to adjust their eligibility for aid
What is a Professional Judgment (PJ) appeal?
When a student's FAFSA is flagged for this, they must submit additional documentation to verify their identity or other financial details.
What is verification?
This type of federal loan is available to both undergraduate and graduate students, but unlike other loans, it requires the borrower to show financial need.
What is a Subsidized Federal Direct Loan?
A financial aid technician must use this formula to calculate a student's financial need, based on their Student Aid Index (SAI) and the cost of attendance (COA).
What is the financial need calculation (Need = COA - SAI)?
When a student receives federal financial aid but drops out of school, this regulation dictates how much of the aid must be returned
What is the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) policy?
If a student has been homeless at any time, financial aid officers can grant them independent status based on this criterion
What is unaccompanied youth or homeless status?
A financial aid technician must confirm whether this status applies to a student who is under the age of 24 and does not meet certain independence criteria.
What is dependent status?
This term refers to the number of credit hours a student is enrolled in during a term, which impacts their Pell grant eligibility
What is Enrollment Intensity?
Which of the following would make a student eligible to file as an independent student on the FAFSA: being married, being over 24 years old, or having children?
What is all of the above?
This is the required minimum standard for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) regarding a student’s completion rate for attempted coursework to remain eligible for federal financial aid
What is 67% completion rate?
If a student is unable to contact a parent or where contact with parents poses a risk to such student, the financial aid office may override this status
What is a dependency override?
If a student does not submit their FAFSA by this date, they may lose access to the maximum amount of federal financial aid available for the year
What is the priority filing deadline?
AB540 students who are eligible for a Cal Grant award may receive this award to perform community or volunteer service
What is California Dream Act Service Incentive Grant (DSIG) Program?
This term describes the total cost for a student to attend school for one academic year, including tuition, fees, housing, and other living expenses
What is the cost of attendance (COA)?
The maximum period of time that a student can receive aid under the SAP Policy
What is 150% of the published program length?
A student indicates, Parent 1 passed away in 2020 and they have no contact with parent 2 and are unable to locate them, what type of documentation may be requested?
What is a death certificate and letter of support from a third party member or relative?
This is the federal government’s deadline for submitting the FAFSA for the 2024-2025 school year
What is June 30, 2025?
A student has an SAI of 2,250. Calculate their Pell Grant Eligibility at Full-Time enrollment
What is $5,145
A student has a cost of attendance of $35,000, an SAI of $2,500 and has $15,000 awards in aid. What is the unmet need for this student?
What is $17,500 unmet need?
Which document is commonly used to verify income for students and parents during the verification process?
Name both tax filer document and non-tax filer documents
What is the IRS Tax Return Transcript, Tax Return, Verification of non-filing letter, W-2 forms?
A student indicates, their parent became unemployed January 2025, what type of documentation may be requested
What is letter of termination and/or unemployment benefits and/or copy of final pay stub?