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 Science Center 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)

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 completed FAFSA
• A valid Tennessee driver’s license or Photo ID
• A valid driver’s license or Photo ID from another state
• 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
• A social security number that can/may be verified with the Social Security Administration in accordance with Federal law

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)
• Employee Authorization Document (Form I-766)
• Arrival/Departure Record (Form I-94)
• Valid, unexpired Foreign Passport with valid visa
• Notice of Approval of Status with bottom I-94 portion attached (Form I-797)
• Certificate of Eligibility for Student Status (Form I-20); and DS-2019 or IAP-66 for J-1 status holders
• Non-Resident Alien Canadian Border Crossing Card; and
• Any other document determined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be acceptable through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program created pursuant to the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

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)