Rutgers: Office of Financial Aid

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SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

To be eligible to receive Federal and State funds, each student must provide a valid Social Security Number (SSN). The FAFSA verifies that the given student’s SSN is correct and that the SSN corresponds to the given student’s name and birth date.

If there is a discrepancy in the student’s information, the FAFSA will indicate that the SSN does not match to the information of the Social Security Administration (SSA). The student will be required to resolve any conflicts before receiving aid.

SSN INVALID

If the SSN does not match with the SSA, (i.e., the number is not found in their database) the FAFSA will be rejected. The SAR will indicate that the student should correct the SSN. When the SSN has been reported incorrectly on the FAFSA the student should submit a copy of the SS card to the OFA. If the SSN reported was correct the student must contact a local or regional SSA office to resolve the problem.

DISCREPANCY ON DATE OF BIRTH

If the student’s name and SSN match but the SSA shows a different date of birth this will be indicated on the SAR. The student must correct this either through the school or by submitting the SAR for correction. Note that the FAFSA will be rejected if the year of birth is mistakenly reported to be the current year (or a year later). In this case the student must submit a SAR correction before aid can be received.

DISCREPANCY ON NAME

If the SSN exists in the database but there is a discrepancy regarding the student’s name, this will be indicated on the SAR. The student must make the correction either through the school or by submitting a SAR correction. This situation is likely to occur when a student used a nickname on the FAFSA or failed to inform the SSA of a name change (from marriage, for instance). If both the reported name and SSN are correct, the student should contact the SSA so it can correct its records.

NO MATCH DUE TO INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION OR PROCESSING PROBLEMS

If the FAFSA is missing either the student’s last name or the date of birth, no match with the SSA will be conducted and the FAFSA will be rejected. The SAR will indicate that the student should check those items and make the appropriate corrections. If the correction does not provide a match the SAR will indicate an invalid SSN. The student must provide documentation to the OFA before aid is received. When there is no match due to processing problems the SAR will indicate that the student provide documentation to the OFA as well. In certain circumstances a student may need to use a SSN correction application to correct the problem. These correction applications are completed (with verification) by the OFA.