Financial Aid Application Process

The Office of Student Financial Assistance at Stephen F. Austin State University is committed to providing superior service to our students, and to fair and equitable treatment in awarding financial assistance. We are pleased to know that you have chosen SFA and would like to help you in meeting the costs of attending college. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact our office at (936) 468-2403 to speak to a Financial Assistance Counselor. Below you will see the application requirements for your classification:

HOW TO APPLY
Applying for financial aid is an important part of preparing for your college education. Eligibility for various programs is first determined by your residency status. Once residency is determined, you will know which financial aid application must be completed. Click on the following links to access the financial aid applications.

FAFSA = U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens
TASFA = Texas residents ineligible to complete the FAFSA (SB 1528)

TIPS FOR COMPLETING THE FAFSA

Apply as early as possible! We recommend completing the FAFSA as soon as you have completed your tax return. The FAFSA is available January 1 of each year.
We also recommend using data retrieval when completing the FAFSA. This will allow you to retrieve income information directly from the IRS.
Apply on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov
List your school choices and their Title IV school codes. The Title IV School Code for SFA is 003624.
Complete all income and asset information. If the answer is zero, enter a zero in the blank.
Student and/or parent must sign the FAFSA. Missing signatures will delay your processing.
Verify your answers and check for accuracy. Errors will delay the process.
Print a copy of your FAFSA for your records.
If you are chosen for a process called Verification, you will be required to contact the IRS for a copy of your tax transcript, available at www.irs.gov.

Receipt of scholarship(s) can affect your financial aid package. To help us create the most current and accurate award, please indicate any scholarship(s) you will be receiving by completing the online form, Scholarship Notification Form.

Students may be required to provide additional information to complete the Financial Aid process.

Verification

Verification is a process through which the Department of Student Financial Aid verifies the information you reported on your FAFSA. Federal regulations require all institutions to perform verification on a percentage of applicants who file for financial aid. Applicants are randomly selected for verification. If you are chosen for verification, you will be notified of the required documents through your mySFA email account.

2011-2012 Fall, Spring and Summer 2012

If you are selected for verification you will be required to submit the following:

Your 2010 signed federal income tax returns
Your spouse's (if applicable) 2010 signed federal income tax returns
Your parents' (if applicable) 2010 signed federal income tax returns
The 2011-2012 SFA Financial Aid Verification Worksheet

2012-2013 Fall, Spring and Summer 2013

Your 2011 tax transcript from the IRS, Go to www.irs.gov or call 1-800-908-9946.
Your spouse’s (if applicable) 2011 tax transcript
Your parents’ (if applicable) 2011 tax transcript
The 2012-2013 SFA Financial Aid Verification Worksheet

If you are unsure if parental information will be needed, please refer to the financial aid basics tab, and select eligibility.

These documents must be received by the end of each term or academic year. If completed documents are received after the end of the term, they will be processed on a case by case basis to determine eligibility.

Any discrepancies found by our department must be corrected and your financial aid eligibility may be affected. If corrections are required, we will electronically update your current FAFSA and send the corrections to the FAFSA processor. Once the corrected FAFSA is received, the awarding process will resume. This process can delay your aid, so please respond immediately to any requests from our department. The verification process normally takes 7-10 days from the time the final document is turned in, but could take up to 4 weeks. Should you fail to submit all required documentation; financial aid will not be awarded and/or disbursed. If funds were disbursed prior to your selection for verification, they may be cancelled until your file is complete. All requests and notifications will be made through your mySFA email account.

Additional Documentation

Students may be required to submit additional documentation even though they have not been selected for Verification. These documents may relate to citizenship status, veteran status, and/or orphan status. If requested, please submit the additional documentation immediately to the department because your aid can be delayed.

THE QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM (VERIFICATION SELECTION PROCESS)

The QA Program was instituted by the United States Department of Education to improve equity and fairness in awarding federal and state dollars to students who have financial need. It also assesses the quality and accuracy of the financial aid process. The results of the Quality Assurance Program are used to improve the student financial aid process across the country and for Stephen F. Austin State University. This is the process SFA uses to select students for the Verification Process.

How students are selected

Students are selected through a computer generated program for the QA Program every year by Financial Aid at Stephen F. Austin State University. Student selected are federal student aid recipients. It is possible for students to be selected for more than one award year, due to similar criteria requirements from year to year.

How students are notified

Students are notified through their mySFA email account that they have been selected for verification.

Type of documentation that is required:

Verification Form
US Income Tax Information

The QA Process

Once all information has been received, a Financial Aid Advisor will compare the FAFSA information to the submitted verification information. If the information differs, the FAFSA will be corrected. This may cause the student’s eligibility to change. If awards are changed through this process, the Financial Aid Advisor will contact the student directly by email within a week of correction.

Funds that can be disbursed if QA is incomplete

Scholarships, short term loans and alternative loans may be disbursed if students are otherwise eligible.

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