How Eligibility is determined for TITLE IV, HEA
- B nrolld or accptd as a rgular dgr-sking studnt in an ligibl program
- B nrolld at last half-tim if sking fdral studnt loans
- U.S. Citizn or ligibl Non-citizn
- Hav a valid social scurity numbr (with th xcption of studnts from th Rpublic of th Marshall Islands, Fdratd Stats of Micronsia, or th Rpublic of Palau);
- Must not b in dfault or ovrpaymnt on fdral studnt aid
- Must maintain satisfactory acadmic progrss
- Qualify to study at th postscondary lvl by having ithr a high school diploma or its rcognizd quivalnt.
- B admittd and rmain nrolld as a rgular studnt in an ligibl program.
- Must not hav a drug abus hold as dfind by th Anti-Drug Abus Act of 1988.
- Sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form stating that:
- Not in default on a federal student loan
- You do not owe money on a federal student grant, and
- You will use federal student aid only for educational purpose; and
- Qualify to study at the postsecondary level by having either a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent by
- having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
- completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
- enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the “ability-to-benefit” alternatives described below.
Enrollment Status
The enrollment status of a student may affect eligibility for financial aid, health insurance, housing, loan deferment or other official certifications. The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education defines the enrollment status for graduate and professional students by the below Institutional Enrollment Classification Chart.
| Enrollment Classification | Less than 1/2 Time | 1/2 Time | 3/4 Time | Full-Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall/Spring Credit Hours per Semester | 1-4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | ≥9 |
| Summer Credit Hours per Semester | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | ≥5 |
Students who are considering withdrawing or falling below full-time enrollment status should consult the appropriate offices to find out how an enrollment status change could affect eligibility.
Incarcerated Applicants
A student is considered to be incarcerated if she/he is serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm, or similar correctional institution (whether it is operated by the government or a contractor). A student is not considered to be incarcerated if she/he is in a halfway house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only weekends. A criminal background check is conducted for all students who are offered admission to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education and admissions is contingent upon a satisfactory result as determined by each program. Students who are confined or incarcerated are ineligible for Direct Loans during their period of incarceration.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION (PROVIDED BY SCHOOL)
There is a list of required documentation provided to the student from the school via electronic format through handbooks, catalogs and clinical training manuals at achehealth.edu/student-handbooks/.
FAFSA VERIFICATION
Every year a number of students who are eligible for financial aid are randomly selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education by the FAFSA Central Processing System (CPS). If a student is selected for federal verification, they will be required to complete the verification process for the verification tracking group (V1-V6) they were placed in. Students will be notified by e-mail of required documentation and any other documentation requested to resolve conflicting information. Students/Spouses will be required to submit the documentation that may be required such as: IRS Tax Return Transcript, W-2’s, Statement of Educational Purpose, High School Completion Status, Household Resources, an any other documents requested to resolve conflicting information. After documentation is reviewed, the student will be notified by e-mail if their financial aid award is changed.
Verification exclusions may be exercised at the discretion by the Director of Financial Aid that will documented due to: death of the student, student is not an aid recipient, student is only eligible for unsubsidized student financial assistance, applicant was verified by another school, or student was selected for verification after ceasing to be enrolled at ACHE and all (including late) disbursements were made. The Director of Financial Aid reserves the right to select a student for verification if discrepancies seem to exist.
Documentation may not be required if information reported on FAFSA is believed to be accurate for the spouse of an independent student in certain circumstances. These circumstances for the spouse would be: death, mentally incapacitated, resides in a country other than the United States and can’t be contacted by normal means or can’t be located because the student doesn’t have and is unable to receive their spouse’s contact information.
Timeline
Students who are required to complete verification or have conflicting information must submit all requested documentation to the ACHE Office of Financial Aid within 30 days prior to the end of the payment period. The Director of Financial Aid may elect to extend this date if a student will still be eligible for aid. Students who are found to be eligible for aid will be provided an Estimated Financial Aid Offer. Students who are found to be ineligible for aid will be notified accordingly.
Additional eligibility requirements can apply in certain situations including for non-U.S. citizens, students with criminal convictions and students with intellectual disabilities which can be found at studentaid.gov.