FAFSA Verification

FAFSA applicants can be selected for verification by the US Department of Education. Additionally, if the Financial Aid Office identifies incomplete or inconsistent information, we are required by federal regulations to collect additional documentation.

In the verification process, we ask you for supporting documents to compare to your FAFSA application. If you are selected for verification, you may be asked to supply the following documents (do not turn these in unless you are asked to):

  • Verification Worksheet (to verify household size, number in college and income from
    work not reported to the IRS)
  • Dependent Students Only: Parent’s IRS Tax Return Transcript (signed)* or use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
  • Independent Students: Student’s (and spouse’s when applicable) IRS Tax Return Transcript (signed)* or use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
  • Other documents to verify items reported on the FAFSA (such as W2 Forms)

*See instructions for requesting an IRS Tax Return Transcript.

All documents may be mailed to:
Mountwest Community & Technical College
One Mountwest Way, Suite 101U
Huntington, WV 25701
Or faxed to 304.710.3533
Or scanned and emailed to: ofa@mctc.edu

When scanning and emailing documents, please password protect your document attachments. Send us the password in a separate email. This will ensure that your documents are securely transmitted.

Instructions for encrypting an attachment

Verification Documents must be received by the following dates:

For Fall AwardsJune 30
For Spring AwardsNovember 30
For Summer AwardsApril 30

Students who do not meet the deadline dates should expect to pay for all expenses (tuition, fees, books) from their own resources.

The final deadline for submittal of all verification documents is 30 days prior to the end of the academic year/period you are enrolled. This designated deadline allows the Financial Aid Office to process and authorize disbursements within the timeframe permitted under regulations set forth for administering the federal and state financial aid programs. Failure to provide requested documentation within this timeframe will result in cancellation of your financial aid offers.

The deadline for students to submit documentation may be extended up to 60 days after the student’s last day of enrollment during the academic year/period on a case-by-case basis, and will be processed to the extent that is administratively possible.

Your responsibilities are to:

  • Promptly submit all documents requested
  • Ensure that all documents are signed and complete and include your name and MCTC ID number
  • Keep copies of all information used to file the FAFSA and of documents submitted to Financial Aid
 

Special Situations

Some situations, such as a change in dependency status from dependent to independent or a change in a family’s financial circumstances, will require designated financial aid personnel to make a decision called professional judgement regarding your situation. These situations must be decided on a case by case basis.

Dependency Override

Any one of the following will result in a student being considered independent for federal student aid programs:

  • born before 01/01/1996 (for the 2019-2020 aid year),
  • a ward of the court, was an orphan, foster child, or ward/dependent of the court at any
  • time since the age of 13,
  • both parents deceased,
  • a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces,
  • is currently serving on active duty for purposes other than training,
  • legal dependents (other than a spouse) for which they provide more than 1/2 of support,
  • married at the time of filing,
  • emancipated minor,
  • homeless youth,
  • in legal guardianship while a minor

Students who do not meet the criteria of an Independent Student may ask for a dependency override. The US Department of Education feels that students under 24 years of age should be assisted by their parents in educational expenses. You cannot live with your parents and request a dependency override. The unwillingness of the family to pay or provide information is NOT a valid reason for requesting a dependency override. In ALL cases independence must have occurred out of necessity rather than choice. Examples of such situations are abandonment, parental drug abuse, parental mental incapacity, physical or emotional abuse, parental incarceration or severe estrangement. A Financial Aid Counselor will review your documents and notify you by letter of the decision. You will be asked to provide the following:

  • a letter, on letterhead, from clergy, social worker, or a counselor indicating why there is an estrangement from parents
  • a letter of explanation of the situation from the student and others familiar with the family circumstances income information including:

If a family’s financial circumstances have changed from the base year financial information on the FAFSA they may qualify for Special Circumstances and should contact the Financial Aid Office.

Special Circumstances may include:

• A 30% reduction in income due to changes in employment from last year to this year
• Excessive medical/dental expenses not covered by insurance
• Change in marital status due to divorce or separation
• Death of a primary wage earner
• Unusual debts (other than discretionary purchases)
• Private school tuition expenses for elementary or secondary education

You may be asked to provide:
• Tax Return Transcript for the most recent tax year, layoff or termination notices, projected
income information for the current year, Independent Verification Worksheet or Dependent
Verification Worksheet and other income information in support of your request
• Copies of medical bills and evidence that payment arrangements have been made
• Copies of divorce decrees, W-2s or other income information as required
• Death certificate of primary wage earner and W-2s or other income information as required
The Special Circumstances Form

Taking Classes at another School

Consortium

Students may choose to take classes at another institution (the host school) while also
attending Mountwest Community & Technical College (the home school). You must request
approval to take credit as a transient student from the Financial Aid Office at Mountwest
Community & Technical College. If your request is approved, you will receive a letter of
approval to earn credits as a transient student. The Financial Aid Office at the home school
must have a copy of the transient approval letter in order to request a consortium agreement
from the host school (the institution from which you will take classes). The host school must
confirm your enrollment before you can receive your financial aid from Mountwest Community
& Technical College. The student will be responsible for making certain that the host school is
paid.

Cooperative Programs

Mountwest Community & Technical College participates in joint programs with other post-secondary schools. Students in these cooperative programs qualify for financial aid but may only receive aid from one school. In most cases, The Financial Aid Office at Mountwest Community & Technical College will process aid for students enrolled in cooperative programs. Students taking classes at another school must notify Mountwest Community & Technical College Student Services and they will determine which school processes financial aid. If Mountwest Community & Technical College processes financial aid, they will need verification of enrollment at the other school. The student will be responsible for making certain that the other school is paid.

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