Confirming ISIR Database Matches: Citizenship Student Financial Aid - Policy and Procedures

  1. Back to Policies and Procedures Page
  1. Purpose
    1. This policy is established in compliance with federal regulations to promote institutional integrity in the administration of federal financial aid programs. Specifically, this policy addresses the institutional requirement to resolve any questions of citizenship on the part of a student in application for federal aid. To be eligible to receive federal financial aid a student must be a citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
  2. References
    1. Federal Student Aid Handbook, Volume 1
  3. Definitions
    1. Comment Code (C Code): Flag issued by the Department of Education on the ISIR notifying financial aid administrators of potential issues that will affect a student’s eligibility for aid
    2. Eligible Non-Citizens: Individuals who are not U.S. citizens but who qualify for federal financial aid as defined by the U.S. Department of Education
    3. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The application by which the US Department of Education determines a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid
    4. Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR): The electronically produced report used by the Department of Education to report a student’s eligibility to the College
  4. Policy
    1. Upon completion of the FAFSA students who are citizens will have their social security number, name, and date of birth matched to the Social Security Administration (SSA) database and students who are eligible non-citizens will have their USCIS # (ARN) and name matched to the Department of Homeland Security Database DHS)
    2. Students who fail the match to either the SSA or DHS database will be flagged with a comment code (C-Code) on their ISIR.
    3. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid must resolve any c-codes from the ISIR related to citizenship or eligible non-citizen status on all applications prior to disbursement of any federal financial aid.
  5. Procedure
    1. In the event incorrect data was entered on the FAFSA, the student should correct and resubmit the FAFSA
    2. In the event that the information submitted on the FAFSA is correct, the following documents may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship. Documentation will remain in the student’s financial aid record:
      • Copy of the student’s birth certificate showing a U.S. Birth
      • U.S. Passport stamped “U.S. Citizen”
      • Form FS 240 (Consular Report of Birth Abroad)
      • Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561)
      • Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570)
      1. Students may also contact their local social security office to request that their citizenship record is updated in the SSA database. Students would need to re- submit the FAFSA 2-3 weeks after contacting the social security office.
    3. If a student’s eligible non-citizen status cannot be confirmed the student must provide documentation confirming their eligible non-citizen status. Student’s must provide documentation within 90 days of the initial request.
      1. The following forms are considered acceptable documentation that a student is an eligible non-citizen:
        • Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
        • Form I-94 indicating a valid endorsement
        • Other documentation as outlined in FSA Handbook Vol I
      2. The student’s documentation will be submitted through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) SAVE system.
      3. USCIS will review the documents and provide a response regarding a student’s Immigration status. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will review the response to determine the student’s eligibility for federal aid. A description of each response can be located in the Federal Student Aid Handbook
        1. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will perform alternative steps for verification for eligible non-citizens who cannot have their status confirmed by DHS, which is outlined in the FSA handbook,
      4. If student eligibility cannot be established, the student will be notified in writing of ineligible status within 15 business days following final notification by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
Policy migration in progress

Davis Tech is in the process of migrating our policies from PDF to HTML format to conform to Title II (ADA) requirements. During this transition period, the latest approved version of the policy is available (below) in pdf format, but may contain ADA Compliance errors.

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Effective Date: 28 October 2024

  • Approvals and Notes
  • Expanded President’s Council Approval: 28 October 2024
  • Revised: 9 October 2024
  • Revised: 27 June 2022
  • Revised: 29 July 2018
  • Reviewed: 14 February 2014
  • Revised: 03 November 2004
  • Effective Date: 01 July 2003
  • President’s Council Approval: 26 April 2003