STUDENTS WHO DO NOT APPEAR ON YOUR SECURE DATA REPORT HAVE NOT SUBMITTED A FAFSA. Here are some common reasons students may not fill out the FAFSA and ways to help them do so.

→ Reason 1: Lack of awareness
Students may not be familiar with the various forms of financial aid, or may not understand the FAFSA’s role in accessing them.

• Introduce your students to StepUp Utah resources that explain the financial aid process
• Explain why all students should file the FAFSA

→ Reason 2: Misconceptions about qualifying for aid
Students may assume they will not qualify for aid based on their family income or citizenship status.

• Reiterate to students that they will never know unless they try, and they have nothing to lose
• Explain who is eligible to receive federal student aid
• Inform your students that some state and institutional grants and private scholarships require completion of the FAFSA, regardless of if they qualify for federal aid or not

→ Reason 3: FSA ID issues
The Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) is the account a student must create to submit an online FAFSA. Your students may have problems creating or using their FSA ID.

• If the student gets an error message on the signature page saying that the “FSA ID does not match FAFSA information”:
• Check the name and social security number on the social security card to make sure it matches exactly what is on the FAFSA and FSA ID profile

→ Reason 4: Confusion about the application
Students may be confused or intimidated by the questions on the FAFSA.

• Host a StepUp Utah FAFSA Completion Open House and encourage students to attend. They’ll receive expert help and qualify for our FAFSA Scholarship contest
• Guide students to our FAFSA Walk-Through Video or our downloadable FAFSA Kit for Families.
• Educate students about how to avoid common FAFSA mistakes

→ Reason 5: Hesitancy to share personal information
Students (or parents) may be reluctant to reveal personal or financial data.

• Introduce students and families to the safeguards built into the FAFSA
• Ensure students and families that guidance counselors, the Department of Education, state governments, and colleges and universities are required to handle any private information responsibly and ethically under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

→ Reason 6: Not planning to attend college immediately after high school
Students may plan to serve a religious mission, join the military, or serve in the Peace Corps after high school.

• Their plans may change - encourage students to file the FAFSA now rather than later. Filing now will also allow them to submit an easier “renewal FAFSA” and project what their educational costs will be when they return from service

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Students will receive follow up letters and emails from Federal Student Aid and their school’s financial aid office after they file the FAFSA. Here are some common situations students may encounter and strategies to help them complete their next steps.

→ Situation 1: Missing signatures
The student’s paper Student Aid Report (SAR) may ask for parent and student signatures if the Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) data match was unsuccessful.

• Edit FSA ID with correct information and re-sign electronically, or;
• Provide signatures on paper and return to FSA for processing

→ Situation 2: SAR verification flags
Verification is a process by which a college or university financial aid office ensures that a student’s FAFSA has been completed correctly. On the FAFSA Data Site, you may see a “Y” listed in your student’s Selected for Verification field, or your student may see one of the following codes on their Student Aid Report (SAR):

Verification Tracking Flag	FAFSA Information Required to be Verified
V1	Tax Filers Adjusted Gross Income U.S. Income Tax Paid Untaxed Portions of Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Distributions Untaxed Portions of Pensions IRA Deductions and Payments Tax Exempt Interest Income Education Tax Credits Nontax filers Income Earned from Work Tax Filers and Nontax Filers Number of Household Members Number in College
V2	N/A
V3	N/A
V4	High School Completion Status Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose
V5	Tax Filers Adjusted Gross Income U.S. Income Tax Paid Untaxed Portions of IRA Distributions Untaxed Portions of Pensions IRA Deductions and Payments Tax Exempt Interest Income Education Tax Credits Nontax filers Income Earned from Work Tax Filers and Nontax Filers Number of Household Members Number in College High School Completion Status Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose
V6	N/A

• Have the student submit the documentation requested by the financial aid office at the college or university. This is typically handled through the student’s university portal

→ Situation 3: Notice of verification from college or university
Verification is a process by which a college/university financial aid office ensures that a student’s FAFSA has been completed correctly. On the FAFSA Data Site, you may see a “Y” listed in your student’s Selected for Verification field, or your student’s college or university may ask for documentation such as:

IRS transcripts

Proof of untaxed income

Proof of SNAP benefits

Child support paid or received

Marriage certificate

Proof of household size or number of students in college

• Have the student submit the documentation requested by the financial aid office at the college or university. This is typically handled through the student’s university portal

Reach out to our team for more assistance:
outreach@utahsbr.edu
801-321-7245, 801-366-8487

If a student is considered a dependent, they need to report their parent(s) personal and financial information on the FAFSA. Here are some common challenges students face when obtaining parental information and strategies to help them overcome these challenges.

→ Reason 1: Confusion about who is considered a parent
Families may be confused about whose demographic and financial information to list on the FAFSA.

• Identify the factors that define the student’s parental situation (guardianship and custody, parents married, never married, separated, divorced, or remarried, etc.), then follow this chart

→ Reason 2: Lack of awareness
Some parents may be unware of financial aid that is available to their students, may not understand the FAFSA’s role in accessing that information, or may feel reluctant to endorse their student’s attempt to complete the FAFSA.

• Offer to meet one-on-one with students and parents to discuss the benefits of the FAFSA
• Introduce parents to StepUp Utah resources that explain the financial aid process

→ Reason 3: Reluctance to provide information
Parents (or students) may be reluctant to reveal personal or financial data.

• Introduce students and families to the safeguards built into the FAFSA
• Ensure students and families that guidance counselors, the Department of Education, state governments, and colleges and universities are required to handle any private information responsibly and ethically under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Explain the consequences of withholding required parental data on the FAFSA

→ Reason 4: Refusal or inability to provide information
Under certain circumstances, parents either will not or cannot provide their information.

• If your student’s parent(s) are deceased, incarcerated, or otherwise out of contact with the student, work with the financial aid office at the student’s college or university to determine next steps

→ Reason 5: Confusion about reporting assets
Parents may struggle to understand which assets they have to report on the FAFSA and which assets they should not include.

• Explain that these assets should be included: savings, checking, investment farms, and other investments (other than those listed below)
• Explain that these assets should not be included: the family’s primary residence, vehicle used for daily transportation, family-operated farm, retirement accounts, and businesses with 99 or fewer full-time employees
• Encourage parents to read each question of the FAFSA thoroughly and utilize the Help and Hints box on the right hand side of the online application

→ Reason 6: Concerns about undocumented status
Since undocumented parents must list all 0’s for their Social Security Number on the FAFSA, they may be nervous about the possibility of deportation or other negative ramifications resulting from revealing their undocumented status to the federal government.

• Assure parents that, while demographic and financial information submitted on the FAFSA is verified through certain government agencies, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not one of them

→ Reason 7: FSA ID issues
In order to digitally sign the FAFSA, parents must create a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) account. Parents may have problems creating or using the FSA ID.

• If the parent gets an error message on the signature page saying that the “FSA ID does not match FAFSA information”:
• Make sure the correct parent is selected on the FAFSA signature page. If not, select the button for the correct parent and try to sign the FAFSA again
• Check the parent’s primary identifier info (current full legal name, date of birth, and social security number) on the Parent Demographics screen of the FAFSA and in the FSA ID profile. If not, correct this information and try to sign the FAFSA again

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Here are some links out to helpful resources regarding FAFSA Verification. Please click on any of the bullet points below for more information.

Verification is a process by which a college/university financial aid office ensures that a student’s FAFSA has been completed correctly. The most common reason for being selected for verification is failing to use the IRS Data Retrieval tool. UHEAA highly recommends that students and parents both use this tool to import tax data directly into the FAFSA.

Please click here for detailed information about verification.

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If a student is undocumented, they cannot (except in rare circumstances) qualify for federal student aid. Additionally, under Utah law, undocumented students cannot qualify for state or institutional aid. However, it is still important for undocumented students to complete the FAFSA in order to be considered for some private scholarships.
Students who do not appear on your secure data report have not submitted a FAFSA. Here are some common reasons undocumented students may not fill out the FAFSA and ways to help them do so.

→ Reason 1: Concerns about revealing undocumented status
Undocumented students may be nervous about the possibility of deportation or other negative consequences from revealing their undocumented status on the FAFSA.

• Assure students that, while demographic and financial information submitted on the FAFSA is verified through certain government agencies, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not one of them

→ Reason 2: Encountering errors with FAFSA online
A student theoretically can use their Social Security Number they received from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on the FAFSA. Sometimes, however, the online FAFSA encounters an error trying to process a DACA SSN.

• If a private scholarship application is requiring the FAFSA-generated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number to assess financial need, have your student fill out a paper FAFSA and bring it to their college’s financial aid office. A financial aid representative can then perform a hand calculation to determine the student’s EFC

→ Reason 3: Discouragement about not qualifying for federal, state, and institutional aid
When undocumented students realize they cannot qualify for federal, state, or institutional aid, they may not understand the value of completing the FAFSA.

• Direct students to StepUp Utah’s video series discussing how undocumented students can pay for college
• Reassure students that many private organizations want to help them go to college - the following websites list the private scholarships they can apply for:
• Educate-Utah.org
• TheDream.us
• Scholarships.com
• Unigo.com

→ Reason 4: Misconceptions about tuition
Undocumented students may assume that, since they don’t qualify for federal, state, or institutional aid, they won’t qualify for in-state tuition at a Utah college or university

• Explain to your students that Utah House Bill 144 allows students to qualify for in-state tuition if they:
• Attended high school in the state for three or more years
• Have a diploma or equivalent from a Utah school
• File an affidavit declaring intention to legalize immigration status

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