Policy Regarding Falsification of Financial Aid Documents

When applying for and receiving federal, state and university financial aid funds, students and parents complete and submit numerous applications, forms and other documents. The various applications, forms and other documents include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Student Aid Report
• CSS PROFILE Application
• Supplemental Financial Aid Form for Graduate and Professional Students
• Statement of Educational Purpose
• Selective Service Registration Compliance
• Student and parent federal income tax forms and other income documentation
• Documentation of US citizenship or permanent residency
• Academic documents relating to high school diploma or college course work
• Financial aid transcripts
• Loan applications and promissory notes
• Specific program applications
• Federal Work-Study time sheets

The integrity of the documents and the honesty of the information presented through them is critical to the financial aid process. When any document misrepresents a student's financial need, other students are placed at a disadvantage, university governance and procedures are undermined, and state and federal agencies are defrauded.

If the USC Office of Financial Aid, the USC Office of Internal Audit, or any federal or state agency has reason to believe that a student or a parent has provided falsified information on applications or forms, or has submitted forged documents or signatures, the following steps will be taken:

(1) An incident report will be filed with USC's Office for Student Conduct following procedures outlined in the University Student Conduct Code. (The University Student Conduct Code is published in SCampus, the student guidebook.) Students should be aware that they will be held responsible for the integrity of any financial aid information submitted either by them or on their behalf. Pending resolution of the complaint, the Financial Aid Office may restrict the distribution of any further aid to the accused student.

(2) If it is determined through the student conduct review process that a violation has occurred, the consequences may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The student will be required to make full restitution of any and all federal, state, and/or university scholarship, grant, loan, or work funds to which he or she was not entitled.
• Until full restitution is made, all federal, state and university funds will be withheld from the student, including all funds disbursed in past or in current terms.
• The student will be responsible for all charges on the student's account incurred because of the loss of federal, state or institutional financial aid funds.
• If the student is determined to be ineligible for financial aid because of a basic eligibility criterion such as citizenship, no further federal, state or university funds will be awarded to the student in any future terms of enrollment at the university.
• If the student is determined to be ineligible for a specific financial aid program, the student will not be eligible to receive funds from that program in any future terms of enrollment at the university.
• No other funds will be awarded to replace those lost funds for which a student is determined ineligible due to dishonesty.

(3) In addition to any consequences directly related to the student's financial aid, the student may be assigned disciplinary sanctions as described in the Student Conduct Code (11.80).

(4) As required by federal and state law, the USC Financial Aid Office will report any infraction to the US Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General, the appropriate state agencies or other entities which may take whatever action is required by federal or state law, or other regulations. In this report, the Financial Aid Office will describe in detail the incident, the response of the Financial Aid Office, and any additional actions taken by or pending with the university.

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