Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act

The Tennessee Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act (EVEA) became effective October 1, 2012. The EVEA requires state public institutions of higher education to verify that persons seeking a “state public benefit” (such as in-state tuition or state-funded grants/scholarships - HOPE, McWherter Scholarships, ASPIRE, etc.) are a United States citizen or otherwise lawfully present in the United States.

The University of Tennessee Health Sciences will verify the accuracy of the applicant’s assertion in one of two ways:

The student completes a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) through which your U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status has been confirmed by the federal government (Citizenship-Confirmed FAFSA).

OR

The student presents documentation verifying his/her claim of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence in the U.S. Scanned copies of documents may be sent to the institution via email.

For students claiming U.S. citizenship, applicants may submit:

• A valid Real ID
• An official birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory (except Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010)
• A U.S. government issued birth certificate
• A valid, unexpired U.S. passport
• A U.S. certificate of birth abroad (DS-1350 or FS-545)
• A report of birth abroad of a citizen of the U.S. (FS-240)
• A certificate of citizenship (N560 or N561)
• A certificate of naturalization (N550, N570, or N578)
• A U. S. citizen identification card (I-197, I-179); or

For students claiming to be an alien lawfully present in the United States, those students must verify their Alien Registration Number (A#) or I-94 Admission Number by:

Completing a FAFSA
This option is only available to the following individuals:

1. U.S. permanent residents (individuals with an I-151, I-551, or I-551C permanent resident card); and
2. Individuals who have an Arrival/Departure record (I-94) showing one of the following designations:
   • Refugee
   • Asylum-Granted
   • Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)
   • Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980);
   • Victims of Human Trafficking (T-2, T-3, or T-4 visa); or
   • Parolee (who meets certain conditions)

OR

Presenting two (2) forms of documentation establishing lawful presence in the United States
Examples include:

• Valid, unexpired Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
• Valid, unexpired Foreign passport with visa stamped “Processed for I-551”
• Permanent Resident Re-Entry Permit (I-327)
• Refugee Travel Document (I-571)
• Arrival Departure Form I-94 with "Temporary I-551" stamp and holder's photograph affixed
• Notice of Approval of Status with bottom I-94 portion attached (Form I-797)
• Form I-94 stamped with one of the following statuses: Asylee, Parolee or Parole, Refugee, Asylum, HP-humanitarian parolee or PIP-public interest parolee

Applicants are not required to submit additional verification documentation to UTHSC if:

• They are employed by UTHSC and have had their lawful presence verified through the federal E-Verify program (valid I-9 on file with UTHSC).
• Lawful presence has been verified through the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) (e.g. J-1 and F-1 student visa holders)