Falsification of Financial Information
The types of information covered by this policy include all documentation and information submitted to the Office of Financial Aid. A school must report any credible information indicating that an applicant for Federal Student Aid may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with his or her application. These documents and information include, but are not limited to the following:
- Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA)
- Student Aid Report (SAR)
- Student and/or Parent Federal Tax Forms
- Documentation of U.S. Citizenship or Eligible Non-Citizen Status
- Formal forms of identification (i.e. driver’s license, social security cards, etc.)
- Academic documents relating to high school diploma or college course work
- Loan applications, Promissory Notes
- Scholarship applications
- Work Study authorization forms
- Work Study timesheets
- Any university financial aid forms and related documentation
- Any written, electronic, or verbal statements sent to or made to a university employee regarding the student's financial aid application or financially related documents.
The integrity of the information presented in the financial aid process is of the utmost importance. Students should be aware that they will be held responsible for the validity of the information that is submitted by them or on their behalf to the Office of Financial Aid. If the University determines that a student or parent has provided falsified information, or has submitted forged documents or signatures, the following steps may be taken without prior notification to the student or parent.
The Office of Financial Aid will review the infraction and if a violation of this policy has occurred, the consequences may include but are not limited to:
- The student will be required to make full restitution of any and all federal, state, grant, and loan or work funds to which he or she was not entitled to.
- If the student is determined to be ineligible for financial aid because of a basic eligibility criterion, no further federal, state, or university funds will be awarded to the student for the academic period in question.
- The student may be ineligible for future participation in some or all financial aid programs for a minimum of one year or longer.
- The student will not be awarded funds to replace those lost because the student is considered to be ineligible due to dishonesty.
As required by federal and state law, the CLU Office of Financial Aid will report any infraction to the appropriate office or agency. These include but are not limited to: the US Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General, state agencies, or other entities that may take whatever action is required by law.
The above is in accordance with 34 Code of Federal Regulation 668.16(g).