Verification

Office of Financial Aid · Room A-108 · ext. 2170

The U.S. Department of Education selects some FAFSA records for verification, a review in which the College is required to confirm information reported on the FAFSA before aid is paid. Selection does not mean that an error has been made or that the student is suspected of anything. The College verifies every record the Department selects and may verify others where information on file conflicts.

What you will be asked for

A selected student is notified in DroverNet, which lists the documents required for that student. The Department assigns each selected record to a verification group, and the documents depend on the group. They may include:

• A verification worksheet confirming family size
• Documentation of income earned from work and of tax information that was not transferred from the IRS
• Proof of identity (see below)
• Other documents needed to resolve conflicting information

Federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS is not re-verified and does not need to be provided again.

Identity

A student asked to confirm identity appears in person at the Office of Financial Aid, Room A-108, with an unexpired government-issued photo identification, which is reviewed by a staff member. A student who cannot appear in person submits a copy of the identification with a statement signed before a notary public; online notarization is not accepted. Copies of identification sent by email are not accepted.

Deadlines

Documents are due within 30 days of the request. Until verification is complete, no federal or state aid is disbursed and no Direct Loan is originated, and charges remain due by the payment deadline; a payment plan may be used in the meantime. The final date by which verification must be completed for aid to be paid for an award year is set by the Department of Education and published each year in the Federal Register. A student who does not complete verification by that date is not eligible for federal aid for the award year.

How to submit

Documents are uploaded in DroverNet or delivered to Room A-108. Documents are not accepted by email or fax because they contain tax and identity information. Each document should carry the student’s name and College ID number.

After verification

If verification changes the information on the FAFSA, the College submits the correction and the aid offer may change. The student is notified in writing of any change. Where verification results in an overpayment of aid already disbursed, the student is notified of the amount and of how it is to be repaid.

Federal regulations require the College to refer any credible information that a student, parent, or other person has submitted false or misleading information to obtain federal aid to the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education.