Academic Engagement

Enrollment Verification

What is Academic Engagement?

New name, same process! Roster Verification is now known as Academic Engagement.

Before financial aid is disbursed, the University must be able to document that a student has begun attendance in the courses for which they will receive funds. We receive this information from faculty members after the add/drop period each semester.

The Process

Each of your instructors will confirm your attendance or participation in an academic activity. It is imperative that you respond if the instructor calls your name during rollcall to confirm your attendance and that you participate in academic activities in each of your courses. If you are absent or register for a course late, be sure to check in with the instructor, so that your academic engagement can be verified.

For Online Courses: To confirm academic engagement for online courses, faculty will assign and collect an academic activity at the beginning of the semester to verify your attendance. This task must be completed in order for a faculty member to confirm your anademic engagement.

We will monitor the academic engagement process, and if necessary, make downward adjustments to aid. For instance, if you are borrowing student loans, you must be confirmed in at least 6 credit hours. State Grant programs (TAG, EOF, GUS, NJSTARS II) and most scholarships require you to be confirmed in at least 12 credit hours (full-time). Federal Pell Grants allow for part-time study at reduced award amounts.

You will receive an email from the Office of Financial Aid if adjustments are necessary. If you receive this email notification and believe that the confirmation of academic engagement needs to be corrected/updated, please speak directly to your instructor. Once the record is updated, your aid will be reinstated. We will actively monitor roster confirmation processes.

Frequently Asked Questions for Students

I received an email that said I wasn’t attending my classes. What does this mean?

Your professors are required to actively confirm that you have begun attending the courses for which you will receive financial aid. If you received an email like this, you should review the course(s) listed and the status that was reported. Speak with or email the faculty member listed in the email to ensure they know that you are in fact attending classes.

My professor reported me as not attending, but now has updated my status. What happens next?

We monitor the academic engagement process and will adjust or reinstate any aid that can now be disbursed to you. For instance, if you are borrowing student loans, you must be confirmed in at least 6 credit hours. State Grant programs (TAG, EOF, GUS, NJSTARS II) and most scholarships require you to be confirmed in at least 12 credit hours (full-time). Federal Pell Grants allow for part-time study at reduced award amounts.

My financial aid did not disburse in the amounts that I expected. What happened?

The most common reason for this is that you are not enrolled full-time. The next most common reason will be that your academic engagement in one or more of your classes has not been confirmed. If this is the case, you’ve received an email notifying you of the affected courses.

Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty

Where can I find the link?

Faculty can access the link in the go��Ƶ Portal under the "Faculty" tab. The link, named "Financial Aid Academic Engagement" is on the right-hand side of the page under the "Faculty Advising Tools" section.

By what date must I complete the process?

Each semester, faculty receive an email with the subject, "Academic Engagement: Be Prepared to Confirm your Ospreys." Confirmation of academic engagement must be submitted by the date referenced in this email.

How many times do I have to complete the process?

Each student needs only be confirmed once. However, you may access the online tool as many times as necessary to complete the entire roster of students for each course you are teaching.

How is this attendance tied to federal regulations?

Federal regulations require that a school be able to document that a student began attendance, and when they ceased attendance. Students may receive financial aid only for courses where they have been confirmed attending.

In what ways is confirmation of academic activity linked with their financial aid?

The student’s academic activity substantiates their receipt of federal funds. Your recordkeeping of those activities substantiates our drawdown of those funds, the application of the funds to the student’s charges, and its conversion to university operating revenue. In the absence of such documentation, the university is at risk of having to return 100% of the aid disbursed for the student’s enrollment in that course.

Specifically, financial aid will be disbursed only for confirmed courses. For instance, student loans will only be disbursed to undergraduate students confirmed in at least 6 credit hours. State Grant programs (TAG, EOF, GUS, NJSTARS II) the ��Ƶ Promise, the Garden State Guarantee and most scholarships require a student to be confirmed in at least 12 credit hours (full-time). Federal Pell Grants allow for part-time study at reduced award amounts.

What if a student stops attending or completing academic activity after they’ve been confirmed? Should I update the tool to “Not Attending?” Do I have to report of their absence?

Do not use the academic engagement tool to report this. The only purpose of the academic engagement process is to establish that the student began attendance/academic activity.

If the student later stops attending, use the early warning system to alert academic advising. Reach out to the student to inform them that they should withdraw officially from the course or else risk receiving a failing grade. In the event the student receives a failing grade, use your records to enter an accurate last date of attendance/academic activity.

What if the student wasn't present at the time of the reporting but later begins attending or completes an academic activity? Should I update the student’s status?

It is possible that a student may be absent at that time or adds the course late. Late confirmation is acceptable, the most important point is that the record is accurate.

What do the different statuses mean?

Choose “Not Attending” if the student has not attended a single time that you’ve checked attendance; nor have they performed any of the acceptable academic activities. This status indicates a student who enrolled but is a no-show.
Choose “Attending” if the has attended the class at least once or has performed any of the acceptable academic activities at least one time. A single instance is all that is required in order for you to mark the student as attending.
Choose “Unverified” if you have not yet confirmed that student’s attendance or academic activity.

What is an acceptable academic activity?

Any of the following academic activities, as defined by the U.S. Dept of Ed, count and would allow you to choose “Attending” as the academic engagement status.

Physically attending a class
Submitting an academic assignment
Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction
Attending a study group assigned by the school
Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
Initiating contact with faculty to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.