Verification

Approximately one-third of FAFSAs are selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. The verification process is designed to ensure accuracy in Federal Student Aid applications. Some FAFSA filers are selected randomly, and some are selected based on specific criteria used by the Department of Education. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, the Financial Aid Office must collect additional documents from you and verify some of the information on your FAFSA.

How Do I Know If My FAFSA Is Selected for Verification?

If you are a current student, after your FAFSA results have been received by the Financial Aid Office you may log in to 1600grand and click the Student Life tab to find a list of documents required to complete your financial aid application. For all students (current, prospective, and recently deposited), we will also send notices of additional required documents by mail and/or email.

Your FAFSA Submission Summary, delivered to you shortly after your FAFSA is processed, will also tell you whether you have been selected for verification. If it indicates that you have been selected and you do not receive a notice of additional required documents from us, please contact our office.

If you have already received an estimate of your financial aid package, any adjustments to your financial aid as a result of the verification process will be communicated to you with a revised financial aid eligibility notification within two weeks of receiving all of your required additional documents.

Commonly Required Verification Items

Most students whose FAFSAs are selected for verification are asked to verify these items:

• Verification of household information. Families must complete a verification worksheet (found on the Forms page), which verifies the size of the household, the number in college, and certain benefits received or paid by members of the household.
• Verification of income.
  • For tax filers: Students and parents who filed tax returns must verify tax information by providing signed copies of federal tax returns or IRS tax return transcripts.
  • For non-tax filers: Students and parents who did not file tax returns must complete a Non-Filer Statement, located on our Forms page. Parents and independent students who did not file tax returns must also obtain a Verification of Non-Filing Letter from the IRS. Instructions are available on the Non-Filer Statement.
• Identity Confirmation & Statement of Educational Purpose: Some students are selected to have their identity and educational plans verified. You may either visit a notary or bring to the Financial Aid office the Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose form from our Forms page, as well as government issued photo ID.

Some students will be required to provide additional information to our office to complete the verification process. Please make sure to check 1600grand or review the notices from our office to confirm what documents we need.