LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY Division of Student Financial Aid Post Office Box 7925 Ruston, LA 71272

Transcription

1 LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY Divisin f Student Financial Aid Pst Office Bx 7925 Rustn, LA Dear Financial Aid Applicant, Accrding t yur Student Aid Reprt (SAR), yu did nt include any parental data n yur Free Applicatin fr Federal Student Aid (FAFSA.) Yu als did nt meet any f the cnditins which are required t be cnsidered independent. If the parental data was mitted in errr, yu shuld btain the data and submit crrectins t yur FAFSA at the earliest pssible date. We will be unable t prcess yur financial aid applicatin until thse crrectins are made. If yu failed t prvide the parental incme data because yur parents refused t supply it, please address the impact f the mitted infrmatin with yur parents. A letter f explanatin frm ur ffice is enclsed and may assist yu in clarifying the situatin with yur parents. If yur parents cntinue t refuse t supply the needed parental infrmatin and yu meet the fllwing cnditins, yu may request that they cmplete the Parental Data Clarificatin Frm included herein, have their signatures ntarized and submit it t ur ffice fr review. The cnditins which must be present fr this ptin t be cnsidered are: Yu must nt be residing in the parent s husehld. Yu may nt be receiving any direct r indirect financial supprt frm yur parents nr may the persn with whm yu reside be receiving any assistance frm yur parents. (Direct r indirect supprt includes but is nt limited t fd, husing, transprtatin, insurance-all types, utilities, clthing and schl expenses). If yu meet the abve cnditins and chse t utilize this ptin, please nte that yur eligibility will be determined nly fr an unsubsidized lan. Yu will nt be eligible fr any ther Title IV assistance. Maximum unsubsidized lan amunts under this ptin are as fllws: Grade Level Maximum Annual Unsubsidized Lan One $5,500 Tw $6,500 Three and Abve $7,500 Finally, if yu have experienced a severe and lasting separatin frm yur parents that can be dcumented with third party statements, yur situatin may be a basis fr a dependency verride. Please refer t the enclsed Dependency Override page fr additinal infrmatin. If yu are unable t use any f these ptins, we must, in cmpliance with federal statute and regulatin, deny yu access t any Title IV federal financial aid. There may be ther assistance available thrugh state agencies.

2 LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY Divisin f Student Financial Aid Pst Office Bx 7925 Rustn, LA Dear Parent: Yur student at Luisiana Tech University is attempting t cmplete the Free Applicatin fr Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) fr the academic year. Since he / she des nt meet any f the cnditins which can make a student independent as defined by the federal gvernment, financial infrmatin frm yur incme tax return is needed t cmplete the frm. The parental infrmatin allws the Federal Central Prcessr t run an autmated analysis f the data and cmpute an Expected Family Cntributin (EFC). This figure is nt the amunt yu are required t actually cntribute t yur student s academic csts but is a figure upn which we can base awards t him / her. The infrmatin yu submit is cnfidential and is used by the Federal prcessr and retained in ur ffice in electrnic frmat fr award and archival purpses. It is nt generally available t ffices utside Financial Aid. In the event that the applicatin is selected fr Verificatin by the Central Prcessr, (thirty percent are selected each year) we wuld have t btain cpies f the tax frms frm which yu supplied the data n the FAFSA. Based n the EFC, we may be able t ffer yur student grants which need nt be paid back, wrk-study which he r she can earn while in schl and lans which he r she brrws and in n way bligates yu t repay. There is als a Parent s Lan fr Undergraduate Students (PLUS) which can be brrwed by yu n yur student s behalf but that is yur chice. In summary, fr yur student t attend the University and receive Federal Financial Aid, yu must prvide yur infrmatin n the FAFSA. Prviding this infrmatin des nt bligate yu in any manner t paying fr yur student s educatin. It simply facilitates their being able t seek aid frm ther surces. I hpe this has clarified any cncerns yu may have abut furnishing the needed infrmatin n the FAFSA. If yu have questins, please feel free t cntact ur ffice at (318) Sincerely, Divisin f Student Financial Aid

3 Parental Data Clarificatin Frm Re: Student s name Student s SS# r CWID# This letter is t cnfirm that I / we ceased financial supprt f wh is ur sn / daughter r stepsn / stepdaughter n the day f, 20. This persn des nt reside in ur hme r any hme wned r supprted by us and we d nt prvide any financial supprt f him / her, either in funds r in kind. Furthermre, we will nt resume supprt at any time in the future. We refuse t prvide infrmatin and incme data needed t cmplete the Free Applicatin fr Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We recgnize that this statement and refusal t supply parental data will deny this student fr cnsideratin f varius types f free federal student aid. / / Parent Signature Date Parent Signature Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENT State f Parish / Cunty f Befre me, the undersigned authrity, n this day appeared _, knwn t me t be the persn(s) whse name(s) is / are subscribed t the freging statement and acknwledged t me that he / she executed the instrument fr the purpses expressed. Given under my hand and seal f ffice n this the day f, 20. Ntary's Signature NOTARY PUBLIC My cmmissin expires. Ntary's Printed Name faf rev

4 Dependency Override Each year, we receive numerus requests t cnsider nly the student s incme data and nt that f the parents when determining a student s eligibility fr federal financial aid. As yu will nte when cmpleting the Free Applicatin fr Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there are a number f cnditins under which this is pssible. Sectin 2 f the FAFSA, Student Dependency Status, lists these cnditins. If yu meet ne f the cnditins listed n the FAFSA, yu may simply mark yes t the apprpriate cnditin(s) n the list and nly yur (the student s) data will be cnsidered. Hwever, if yu are unable t respnd yes t at least ne f the questins, yu will be required t furnish parental data. Yu may nt use the data f anther relative with whm yu lived. Yu may nt be cnsidered independent fr the purpse f qualifying fr federal financial aid slely because f any f the fllwing: Yur parents unwillingness r refusal t cntribute t cllege expenses. Yur parents unwillingness r refusal t prvide their infrmatin fr review. Yu live n yur wn and pay yur wn bills. Yur parent(s) d nt claim yu n their tax returns. Yur parents d nt financially supprt yu. Yur parents / step-parents have prenuptial agreements. Under Federal law, t the extent yur family is capable, they are primarily respnsible fr paying fr yur cllege expenses. Hwever, the rules d allw financial aid administratrs t change yur dependency status frm dependent t independent if yu have an unusual circumstance which can be dcumented. The fllwing are examples f sme special circumstances where yu may pssibly be allwed t submit yur FAFSA withut prviding parental infrmatin: Yur parents are incarcerated Yur parents are institutinalized fr lng-term illness r ther cnditin which can be dcumented; Yu have left hme due t an abusive family envirnment; Yu d nt knw where yur parents are and are unable t cntact them (and yu have nt been adpted). Yu may request a review f yur dependency status by submitting a Dependency Override Frm (enclsed) fr review. When the Dependency Override frm is submitted it must be accmpanied by dcumentatin which verifies yur situatin. Gather as much written evidence as yu can. Written evidence may include curt r law enfrcement dcuments, letter frm a clergy member r schl cunselr, scial agency reprts, psychiatrist r cunseling reprts and/r any ther relevant data which explains and/r verifies yur circumstances.

5 Request t Apply fr Financial Aid As an Independent Applicant Academic Year Please Print r Type: Student=s Name Sc. Sec.# Mailing Address Daytime Telephne: ( ) _ City/State/Zip Financial aid regulatins and law assume that the family has primary respnsibility fr meeting the educatinal csts f their student. If yu are cnsidered a dependent student accrding t the financial aid definitin, yur aid eligibility is determined by using parent incme and asset infrmatin in additin t the student infrmatin. Dependent students are required by law t prvide parental infrmatin and signatures t be cnsidered fr financial aid. This requirement has been reaffirmed in the mst recent reauthrizatin f the Higher Educatin Act signed int law Octber 7, The rules d allw, in extremely unusual circumstances, that a dependent nt be treated as such. If yu can dcument why yu shuld be cnsidered independent, yu may request a waiver f the federal regulatins requiring parental infrmatin. The dcumentatin must clearly supprt yur request. The decisin by the Financial Aid Officer is final and cannt be appealed t the University Administratin nr t the U. S. Department f Educatin. If yu feel yur case merits cnsideratin, furnish the fllwing written infrmatin/ dcumentatin; 1. Identify the lcatin f bth f yur parents. 2. Describe the last time yu had cntact with each f yur parents: When? Where? Nature f the cntact? 3. Explain what unusual circumstance shuld make yu an independent student. 4. Describe hw yu have been self-supprting. When did yu start meeting yur expenses withut parental supprt and hw have yu prvided fr yurself? 5. Dcument frm a third party surce such as minister, scial wrker, high schl cunselr, attrney, fficer f the curt, law enfrcement r similar persn that it is physically, mentally, r emtinally unsuitable fr yu t remain in yur family hme. The third party referenced abve must knw bth parties (the parent(s) and the student), be familiar with the situatin and nt be related t the student. The third party dcumentatin must be n letterhead r ntarized frm smene wh has wrked with the family and nw states that it is unsuitable fr the student t be cnsidered part f that family grup. Family members may add t the dcumentatin. Dependency verride requests submitted withut this dcumentatin will nt be cnsidered. Faf Rev

6 Yur request fr a dependency verride shuld include the fllwing: a. Written request b. Supprting dcumentatin c. FAFSA r SAR fr the year which yu are requesting the verride. Submit this frm t the Luisiana Tech Divisin f Student Financial Aid. D nt make any changes r crrectins t yur FAFSA at this time. Prvide cmplete, accurate addresses, telephne number(s), addresses s we can cntact yu quickly shuld we require additinal infrmatin. There is n need t schedule an appintment t see a financial aid cunselr. Yu will be ntified in writing r by f ur decisin within 14 t 21 days if all dcumentatin has been prvided. Prir year dependency verride Yes N Prir EFC FOR OFFICE USE ONLY CALCULATIONS Denied/des nt meet criteria Request apprved Incmplete request / need ther dcuments Other (see cmments) New EFC Submitted Crrected SAR t CPS Date COMMENTS: FAO Cunselr ed Student Faf Rev