Request for Additional Information (Step 2)
Section Content:
•Communication with the Office of Student Financial Services and Unsatisfied Requirement Information
•Why Documentation is Needed
•Selection for Verification
•Exceptional Circumstances
How we communicate with you:
After our processing for an award year begins, you will receive an email alert from our office with a link for "Unsatisfied Requirements". Follow the link on your MyLawson account to see what is required to complete your award.
In order to provide you with more efficient and convenient service, whenever possible, the Office of Student Financial Services will use email and the US Postal Service to communicate about financial aid. If you are a new student we will use the email address you listed on your admissions application or FAFSA, as well as your student e mail. If you are a continuing student, we will use the e-mail address listed in the computer system for you (your Lawson State e-mail address may supersede any address previously listed). Continuing students can review their financial aid using your MyLawson account, and we will use the e-mail listed on the system for you.
How to communicate with us
When contacting us through the finaid@lawsonstate.edu, you will need to include more than just your name for us to be able to identify you. You will need to include at a minimum your Lawson State student identification number and/or your date of birth to locate you within the system. Frequent calls or email can delay awards for both you and others.
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The Lawson State Office of Student Financial Services operates in a fiduciary capacity for the Federal, State, and outside aid programs. We are required to treat all students in similar circumstances the same way and often must be able to document that treatment. We may request verification of the data submitted on your application and as a result of the information received adjust your aid accordingly.
Your application is sent to us in electronic form. If you have applied for admission, we use this information to create a computer record for you for a particular application year. Based on the information you submit, we may send you an "Unsatisfied Requirement" e mail, which will refer you to your MyLawson account for the links to any forms needed. You will receive this notice to your student e mail address. The requested documents will be needed to go forward with the evaluation of your eligibility for financial aid.
You (and if dependent, your parents) may be asked to verify:
Read each form carefully, be sure to attach any necessary documentation requested such as signed tax transcripts (Must obtain from IRS) You must return all documents as soon as possible to the Office of Student Financial Services for us to determine your eligibility for aid.
Incomplete or inaccurate responses can cause lengthy delays in the evaluation of your financial aid eligibility.
You may e mail required documents to us at: finaid@lawsonstate.edu , mail or bring requested documentation to the Office of Student Financial Services at:
Birmingham Campus Bessemer Campus
Lawson State Community College Lawson State Community College
Office of Student Financial Services Office of Student Financial Services
3060 Wilson Road Southwest 1100 Ninth Avenue Southwest
Birmingham, AL 35221 Bessemer, AL 35022
We can accept faxed forms as long as they are signed. Due to our volume, whether forms are faxed or mailed during peak processing times (March through October) it can take as long as 7 working days after we receive the document before we code it into the system (if you call we will not know we have it until it is coded into the system). Documents will be entered onto the system as received and then passed on to the counselor for review.
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The Department of Education randomly selects applications for Verification, or we may be required to select you if there is conflicting information in your file. You can reduce your chances of being selected by applying over the Internet and by applying using the IRS Data Retrieval Link. We do not know in advance if you will be selected and will not request verification of information until after you are admitted and after receiving your SAR. If your SAR is selected by the Department of Education for Review, you must go through a process called Verification.
After you are awarded and enrolled, you should NOT make changes yourself to your FAFSA data for the same award year in which you are enrolled. Always request (in writing with documentation) for the Office of Student Financial Services to make changes to your FAFSA data (rather than doing them yourself) after you are awarded and enrolled; your disbursements could be cancelled or reversed. This is especially true if we have reviewed your data with a process called Verification.
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The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula is basically the same for all applicants, but there is some flexibility. Lawson State Office of Student Financial Services administrators might adjust the cost of attendance or the information used to calculate your EFC to take into account special circumstances you might have. These circumstances could include your family’s unusual medical expenses, death of a parent/spouse, or unemployment. There must be compelling reasons for the financial aid administrator to take this step; however, and you will have to provide adequate documentation to support any adjustments. Note that the financial aid administrator’s decision as to whether you have special circumstances is final and can not be appealed to the US Department of Education.
Exceptional Circumstances Information
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NOTE: Lawson State would like to thank and credit the support of Troy University for its assistance and cooperation in the development of the information contained in the Financial Aid section of this website.