accuracy on financial aid apps

Stretching the Truth on Financial Aid Applications

Stretching the truth to maximize college financial aid is riskier than most parents or students realize. The penalty includes paying back up to 3 times the amount of aid you received and fines as high as $10,000 per lie. Cheats may also be arrested and charged with a felony.

Among the most common ways parents and students get into trouble are:

Claiming your child isn’t your dependent. There are explicit requirements for a student to be declared independent. (Applicants can access these rules from college financial aid offices or www.ed.gov).;

claiming more children than you actually have for increased aid - this information is checked against actual tax returns; or by

falsely claiming there are more members of the household in college than are actively enrolled.

Resource: Bottom Line Personal - Jan 15, ‘99 , P. 8 & 9 Diane Van Riper - US Education Department


	Web site coordinators: Jamie Thompson Sandra McKinnon Site evaluation: Cynthia Crawford Last updated: March 09, 2005	Web site established by: Kate Akers Mark Belwood Cynthia Crawford Sandra McKinnon Diana Hammond

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