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Required Documents

You may need to complete items in addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For simplicity, we have gathered these items into one area under the heading of Required Documents, found in the Financial Aid area of your myUK Student Portal. These required documents typically fall into two broad categories known as Eligibility Confirmation and Verification.

It is very important that you complete all the additional items within your Required Documents as soon as possible to prevent your aid from being delayed or denied. Students who are new to UK must first setup their linkblue account, as it is required to access their additional items.

No matter your individual situation, our office is here to assist you with navigating through the requirements. If at any time you are confused or find yourself overwhelmed, do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Eligibility Confirmation

When you submit your FAFSA, some of your information will be reviewed by federal agencies to confirm that you meet basic eligibility requirements. The following student eligibility criteria are checked:

  • The Social Security Administration verifies your Social Security number and citizenship status.
  • The Department of Homeland Security verifies the status of eligible non-citizens.
  • The Department of Veteran Affairs verifies veteran status.
  • The National Student Loan Data System reports defaulted student loans, disability discharges, bankruptcies, the total amounts of student loans borrowed, and overpayment statuses for federal student loans and grants.

Our office must also review other internal eligibility requirements, which include, but are not limited to:

  • Admission Status
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Enrollment Status
  • Academic Level
  • Dependency Status
  • Marital Status
  • Unusual Enrollment Activity at Other Colleges or Universities

Any one or more of these items may trigger required documents from you that our office must resolve before we can award or release certain aid to you.

Verification

Verification is the process when federal and state regulations require us to compare the information you reported on the FAFSA with corresponding documentation, which may include IRS Federal Income Tax Transcript, W-2 Forms, other financial documentation, household information, high school completion and identity verification. If your application is selected for verification, you will be sent an email instructing you to logon to http://uky.verifymyfafsa.com to review the additional items and information we need from you.

We must receive all required documentation before your financial aid can be disbursed (or credited) to your student account. If there are differences between the data you supplied on your FAFSA and the verification documentation you submit, we may be required to send corrections to update and reprocess your FAFSA data, which could affect the amounts and types of financial aid you are eligible to receive.

If selected for verification, your responsibilities are to:

  • Submit all required documents as promptly as possible.
  • Ensure that all documents are signed or e-signed where applicable.
  • Keep copies of all information submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

It is extremely important that you respond to requests for information promptly because finalized financial aid awards are processed in the order of file completion date. To ensure that your financial funds disburse as scheduled at the start of your intended term, you must be registered for classes and have submitted all required documentation by July 1. While you may submit documents after July 1, you should be prepared to make payment arrangements with Student Account Services in the event your financial aid file is not complete by billing deadlines.

Your deadline for submitting verification documents for federal and state aid programs (except for the Federal Pell Grant) is 30 days prior to the end of the academic year or your last period of enrollment. This deadline allows us to process and authorize disbursements within the timeframe permitted under state and federal regulations. If you do not provide required documents within this timeframe, it will result in cancelation of your financial aid offers. The deadline for you to submit verification documentation may be extended up to 60 days after the last day of enrollment during the academic year or last period of enrollment on a case-by-case basis. Even with the exceptions you may forfeit your eligibility for certain types of financial aid due to other regulatory deadlines.

A Federal Pell Grant applicant selected for verification must have any verification updates completed by the deadline published in the Federal Register. The deadline specified in the Federal Register for 2022-2023 is 120 days after the student’s last date of enrollment or September 16, 2023, whichever is earlier.

You will be sent an email directing you to review your revised financial aid awards in your myUK Student Portal if there are any changes as a result of verification.

Our office cannot eliminate the regulations that surround Federal Student Aid, but we can guide you through the process more easily. If at any time you are confused or find yourself overwhelmed, do not hesitate to contact us.