Financial Aid Follow Ups: Your To Do List and Title IV Authorization

The Financial Aid Office / Office of Student Financial Services will communicate with you through your IU email address and your Student Center Links to an external site. in One.IU. Always pay attention to messages from the Financial Aid Office / Office of Student Financial Services, because you may need to take some action to get aid or to keep what you’ve been offered.

Action Item 1: Complete your "To Do" List in One.IU

Access your To Do List by going to One.IU and searching for "To Do". This "To Do" list lets you know what actions IU needs you to take. Admissions may need your final high school transcript, for example. For financial aid items in this list, it is very important that you complete all tasks in order to get aid offered to you or sometimes, even to have your eligibility determined. It is important to check this list each time you visit the Student Center.

Federal Loan "To Do" Items

These items, required for all first-time borrowers, will appear beginning in late June. They include:

• Direct Loan Entrance Counseling: Links to an external site. You’ll need to complete an online counseling session created by the Department of Education. This session (and quiz) are designed to help you understand what it means to take out a federal student loan, including how the loan process works and your rights and responsibilities as a borrower. You will need your FSA ID to log in.
• Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN): Links to an external site. The MPN is an online legal document which outlines the terms and conditions of your Federal Student Loan. By signing, you agree to repay your loans, including origination fees and interest.

FAFSA Data Verification

• Verification: This is a federal financial aid process where certain students may be asked to verify information entered on their FAFSA by providing certain forms of documentation. A students must supply the needed documents in order to receive deferral financial aid.

Verification is required when the U.S Department of Education selects an applicant’s FAFSA for extra review. It requires your Financial Aid Office to collect specific documentation to determine the accuracy of the information provided by you on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Less than a third of applications are selected. If you receive an email saying you've been selected for verification, don't ignore it. Aid offered could change after verification is complete, or we may hold off on estimating your eligibility until you provide the items on your To Do list. The following resources will help you complete the process.

Verification Process for IU Columbus Links to an external site.

Action Item 2: Complete Title IV authorization

Go to "Title IV Authorization" Links to an external site. in One.IU to complete an online form that allows IU to let your federal financial aid pay optional charges like parking permits, library fines, Health Center visits, event tickets, etc.

If you don’t sign an authorization:

• You could get a refund, then later realize you still owe miscellaneous charges.
• Your account could become past due and then be charged a late payment fee.

A Title IV authorization remains in effect for your entire IU academic career unless you revoke it. It’s campus-specific, so if you transfer to another IU campus, you must sign a new authorization.