Unusual Enrollment History
Unusual Enrollment History
The U.S. Department of Education has established new regulations to prevent fraud and abuse in the Federal Loan and Pell Grant Program by identifying students with possible unusual enrollment histories. Some students who have an unusual enrollment history (UEH) have legitimate reasons for their enrollment at multiple institutions. However, such an enrollment history requires our office to review your file in order to determine future federal financial aid eligibility. If selected by the Department of Education (via the FAFSA), this must be resolved before you will receive financial aid. Students who have received a Federal Pell Grant or Federal Direct Loan (not including a Direct Consolidation Loan or parent PLUS Loan) at multiple institutions during the past four academic years may be deemed to have unusual enrollment history. Once the Department of Education indicates that a student has an unusual enrollment history, the Financial Aid office must then take action and review the academic history prior to determining federal financial aid eligibility for that student.
What Will Be Required of You
If selected, our office will notify you of what is required. We will check your financial aid history at your previous institutions that you attended during the previous four years. You are required to have received academic credit at any institution you received a Federal Loan or Pell Grant from while attending in those relevant academic years. You need to ensure that we have received all official transcripts for schools previously attended. These records were required at the time of admission and must be on file with the Registrar's Office for your financial aid review. Our office will verify the academic credit was received at each institution during the relevant years. If so, we will notify you that you have satisfied this requirement. If you failed to receive academic credit at any institution you received a Federal Loan or Pell Grant from during the relevant award years, your federal financial aid will be denied and you will be notified.
Appeal Process
Students are able to appeal the financial aid denial by submitting a letter explaining the unusual enrollment history and third party documentation to support the explanation provided in the appeal letter. This documentation will be reviewed by our office and we will notify you of the decision. These decisions are final and are not appealable to the Department of Education.
Regaining Federal Student Aid Eligibility
Eligibility may be reinstated once you have completed one academic term consisting of six credit hours, without financial aid assistance or at another institution. All of the coursework must be completed successfully with a semester GPA of at least a 2.0. Students must also meet the College's standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). To review the complete SAP policy, visit https://www.eiu.edu/finaid/policies_academic_progress.php.
Please note that students may not drop or withdraw from (officially or unofficially) any course after the term begins. Once the term has been completed the student should submit a letter for reinstatement with their final grade report.
A student, who regains eligibility by completing a successful term, will receive financial aid beginning in the payment period that the approval is given. For example, a student who is denied in the Fall 2015 term, attends a minimum of 6 credit hours and successfully meets the stipulations at the end of the fall term will be eligible for federal aid in the Spring 2016 term.
