Verification of participation is a process whereby instructional faculty report to the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid whether they have students enrolled in their classes who are not engaged with the course.

Verification of participation is a Federal Title IV requirement.The rule requires students who are receiving Federal Title IV financial aid to participate in all courses (credit hours) for which they have been funded. For example if a student is enrolled in twelve credit hours and their financial aid award has been based on a twelve-credit-hour course load, participation must be verified for all twelve credit hours.

Any student who is reported as “not participating” in the courses for which financial aid was awarded will see their amount of aid recalculated and revoked as appropriate. The student will be required to pay back the remaining amount. Lack of participation results in a financial impact for the student. Students cannot accept Federal Title IV aid and then neglect to engage in the study that it is funding.

Participation must be verified for all undergraduate and graduate classes that earn credit, are billable, and are gradable. For example, 7000- and 9000-level thesis courses for graduate students must be reported. Courses that are graded on a Pass/Fail basis must also be reported. Classes that are delivered online or at a distance must be reported.

Participation in a course can be indicated in a variety of ways. As instructional faculty are reporting their findings at the beginning of each term, the following examples might be helpful.

• Attending the class
• Handing in homework
• Taking a quiz or exam
• Posting information or accessing information on a website
• Posting blog entries or comments in a chat room
• Participation in group projects
• Meeting with or communicating with the thesis advisor on research progress
• Any other activity that demonstrates engagement in the course

The tool for reporting the verification of participation is available at https://registrar.gatech.edu/faculty-and-staff/verification-of-participation.