Packaging and Verification Guidelines

1. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) used in awarding financial aid at Chaffey College as a result of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be calculated by the Central Processing System (CPS).
2. The Federal Pell Grant is the foundation of the financial aid package and eligibility is based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Congress legislates the formula that determines an applicant’s ability to contribute toward their cost of education. The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the result of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For dependent students, the EFC is the result of a combination of the parent and student income and asset information. For independent students, the EFC is the result of the student and spouse (if married) income and asset information.
3. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is awarded to Federal Pell Grant recipients with the lowest Expected Family Contribution. A ranking of first-priority applicants will be completed to identify the students who will receive these awards, ordered by the date FAFSA was submitted, and file completed at Chaffey College. The maximum FSEOG award is $1,000.
4. Award packages are created based on expected full-time enrollment. Grants are disbursed on a prorated basis based on enrollment.
5. The College reserves the right to issue adjusted award letters when errors occur in calculating awards.
6. Students must log on to MyChaffeyportal  to view their financial aid awards, required documents and status.

Back to top

• California College Promise Grant (CCPG)
• Federal Pell Grant

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

• Federal Work Study (FWS)

• Cal Grant

• Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG)

• Chafee Grant

• Direct Loans

In addition:

• The Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver (BOGW) will be automatically accepted.
• To apply for Federal Work Study (FWS), students must apply with the Student employment office.

NOTE: Chaffey College has a large applicant pool and limited funding allocations. Not all students meeting the priority deadline are awarded funds from all programs.

Back to top

Financial Aid will be disbursed according to the Disbursement Schedule . If the first disbursement date is missed, then the first disbursement will be on the subsequent disbursement.

Late start classes must begin for units to be included in first disbursement; otherwise they will be included on subsequent disbursements. Payment will be adjusted according to enrollment status. For students whose financial aid files were incomplete at the beginning of the school year or were awarded later in the term, payments will be issued on subsequent disbursement dates.

All financial aid Grant funds are disbursed electronically. Eligible Chaffey College students will receive their financial aid disbursements with BankMobile Disbursements, a technology solution, powered by BMTX, Inc. Once you receive your Financial Aid Disbursement Notification from BankMobile Disbursements, you can expect to receive your funds based on the method that you selected. For more information about BankMobile Disbursements, visit this link: Refund choices.

Back to top

If a student has been over-awarded and has federal aid other than Federal Pell Grant, the other federal aid will be reduced until the over award is eliminated (starting with self-help aid first).

Back to top

A student will be sent a revised Financial Aid Award Notification email when other awards are added or modified because a student is eligible for additional awards and/orto correct an over-award. All awards are available for the student to view on MyChaffeyPortal under the Financial Aid checklist.

Back to top

The key application deadline, regulated by the U.S. Department of Education, will be followed at Chaffey College and can be located in the Department of Education Verification Guide.

Deadline for 2024-2025: Students who fail to turn in all documents required to complete verification by the last day of instruction for the semester of attendance, may be ineligible for 2023-2024 financial aid.

• Fall 2024 – December 13, 2024
• Spring 2025- May 22, 2025
• Fall 2024 & Spring 2025- May 22, 2025

 

*The deadline is extended for Summer 2024 attendance to July 26, 2024. Chaffey College reserves the right to cut off applications earlier based on workload.

If you are selected for verification, either by the federal processor or by the Chaffey College Office of Financial Aid, students will be notified of the documents that must be submitted through their Student Forms to complete verification.

Financial Aid Notification and Missing Information Letters are generated to your panther student email account with instructions to visit MyChaffeyPortal  to view your required documents in Self Service for required documentation and any other actions required to complete the verification process. 

 *Note:  Students who have not previously utilized Student Forms will be required to register their account. 

Your documents will be reviewed and information on your FAFSA confirmed or corrected. Depending on the documentation provided we may complete your financial aid award or request additional documents. You can continue to check the status of your documents by going to Student Forms or check your panther email periodically for updates.

The review process could take a 2-4 weeks depending on the time of year and the volume of applications. You will be notified after the verification process is finished and a financial aid award has been made available to view in Self Service.

Back to top

If discrepancies are found between the documents submitted for verification and the information on the SAR or ISIR, the following procedures will be used for making the corrections:

• SAR – Corrections to income or asset figures, household size, and dependency will be made by Chaffey College to obtain an accurate need analysis of your financial aid application information. If corrections are needed, the data will be sent to the Central Processor to produce an updated electronic Student Aid Report (SAR).
• Award changes – If corrections to the SAR due to verification result in a change in the student’s award, the student will be sent a revised Award notification by email.  Financial aid notifications are produced daily for new awards and changes to awards.

Back to top

Dependency status refers to whether a financial aid applicant is dependent or independent. This will determine whose information you include on the FAFSA or CA Dream Act application. If you’re a dependent student, you will report your and your parents’ information. If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s).

Federal regulations consider you a dependent student for financial aid purposes unless you meet one of the following criteria (An independent student may be required to verify their status by filling out specific documents related to the specific application item that makes the student independent):

• You were born before January 1, 2001
• You were married on or before the date you completed the FAFSA or CADAA
• You will be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, or Ph.D., etc.) at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year
• You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training
• You are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• You have or will have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025
• You have dependents (other than your children and spouse) who live with you and who will receive more than half of their support from you, between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025
• At any time since you turned 13, both your parents were deceased, you were in foster care or were a dependent/ward of the court
• You are/were an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your legal state of residence
• You are/were in legal guardianship as determined by a court when you reached the age of majority in your legal state of residence
• On or after July 1, 2023, your high school or school district homeless liaison determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.  Unaccompanied youth who are/were homeless are defined as:
  • 21 years of age or younger or still enrolled in high school as of the day you sign the FAFSA application
  • not living in the physical custody of a parent or guardian, or
  • lacking fixed, regular and adequate housing
• On or after July 1, 2023, the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless. 

Back to top

Parent remarriage after applying

If the applicant is a dependent student and his parent remarries between the application and the verification process, the household size must include the new stepparent.

Other adult legal dependents (other than spouse and children)

Other adult persons who live with the student and/or parents of a dependent student and receive more than 50% or more of their support from the student or dependent student’s parent as of the FAFSA or CA Dream Act signing date and will continue to do so for the academic year must submit documentation to verify this in order to be included in the household size.

Back to top

All students selected for verification must verify their income by providing the correct document from the IRS.

If the student or parent filed taxes, they must submit a copy of their tax transcripts and/or parents’ tax transcripts (if the IRS Data Retrieval was not used). If a student or parent was required to file taxes and did not, verification cannot proceed until the student or parent submit a tax transcript or use the IRS Data Retrieval on the FAFSA (if available). The IRS Data Retrieval is not available on the CA Dream Act Application. 

• If the student and their spouse or parents of a dependent student are separated or divorced, but filed a joint tax return, W-2 forms are required to determine the amount of income and taxes paid for the student or the custodial parent of a dependent student. (Custodial parent refers to the parent who had custody of the student or who the student last lived with.)  In the case of stepparents, both incomes will be used in the calculation.
• If the student’s parent(s) filed an amended 2022 IRS tax return, the parents must provide both a 2021 IRS Tax Transcript and a signed copy of the 2022 IRS Form 1040X “Amended US Individual Tax Return that was filed with the IRS.
• If an individual has been granted a filing extension by the IRS, provide the following documents: A copy of the IRS Form 4868 “Application for automatic Extension of Time to file US Individual Tax Return and copy of IRS Form W-2 for each source of employment received for tax year 2022 and if self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of the individuals AGI and US Income tax paid for tax year 2022.
• A victim of IRS identity theft who has been unable to obtain a 2022 IRS Tax Return Transcript or use the IRS DRT must provide a signed copy of the 2022 paper IRS income tax return that was filed with the IRS and a signed copy of IRS Form 14039 “Identity Theft Affidavit” if one was submitted to the IRS. If a copy of Form 14039 was not retained or the IRS did not require you to submit one, the student or parent (if dependent) may provide one of the following:
• A statement signed and dated explaining he/she was a victim of IRS identity theft, and that IRS is investigating the matter. The statement must also indicate that the individual submitted a Form 14039 to the IRS but did not keep a copy or that he/she was not required to file the form: or
• A copy of a police report if it was filed related to the IRS identity theft. 

Back to top

If the Financial Aid Office receives another ISIR transaction after the student’s file has already been awarded, the new ISIR transaction must be verified.  Any changes to data elements that result in a change in EFC must be verified by requesting additional documentation and placing a hold on the financial aid disbursement until resolved.

Back to top