A student must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen to received federal and/or state financial aid through the FAFSA. There are very specific rules which financial aid personnel must follow. This piece is intended to give you a basic understanding of how the Department of Education verifies citizenship, and what documents are required by you if additional information is required.
What are eligible citizenship statuses?
- A U. S. citizen or national;
- A U.S. permanent resident;
- Citizens of the Freely Associated States: the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republics of Palau and the Marshall Islands;
- Other eligible noncitizens
A person is a U.S. citizen by birth or by naturalization. When the FAFSA is filed, the Department of Education automatically performs a match with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify name, date of birth, U.S. citizenship status, and social security number. If the Social Security Administration verifies U.S. citizenship, no further action needs to be taken regarding citizenship.
What happens if the Social Security Administration can't verify my citizenship? If the SSA is unable to verify your citizenship, you will receive a comment on your Student Aid Report. The school(s) you listed on the FAFSA will also receive this information, and will most likely contact you for documentation, which can be one of the following:
- A copy of the student's birth certificate showing birth in the United States;
- A U.S. passport, current or expired;
- A copy of Form FS-240, which are State Department documents for citizens born abroad;
- A Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561) issued to individuals who derive U.S. citizenship through a parent; or
- A Certificate of Citizenship (N-550 or N-570) issued through a federal or state court, or through administrative naturalization after December 1990 to those who are individually naturalized
If I'm a U.S. born citizen, why might the Social Security Administration question my citizenship? Actually, this does happen. Usually it's because the name on the FAFSA does not match the name on the student's social security card. This could be because of a name change, or even using a nickname on the FAFSA and a legal name on the social security card. Other reasons could be because of an error in your social security number or date of birth on the FAFSA. It's very important to use your legal name on your social security card, and check all personal information, when filing the FAFSA.
How do I determine if I'm an eligible noncitizen? In this Friday's post, I'll explain who qualifies for financial aid as a noncitizen, and what documents are required for verification. Stay tuned!