Financial Aid: Verification

The Department of Education has regulations to ensure that only eligible students receive financial aid. Verification is the process used to confirm the data you provided on the FAFSA. It is to your benefit to submit all requested items as quickly as possible since your financial aid file cannot be reviewed or completed until verification is complete. If there are any differences found between information reported on the FAFSA and the actual figures provided in the verification documents, the institution will submit the corrections on your behalf. Your financial aid award will be based on the corrected information.

Your financial aid file may have been selected for verification randomly by the federal processor, or because your file appears to have errors or conflicting information. If your file is selected, requested documentation should be submitted as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing your financial aid.

If you are a dependent student and both biological and/or adoptive parents reside in the same household, you will need to provide both parents’ information regardless of their marital status or gender.

If you are an independent student and your marital status on the date the FAFSA was completed was “married,” you will need to provide your spouse’s information regardless of gender.

A student/parent is considered “married” if the student/parent was legally married in any domestic or foreign jurisdiction that recognizes that relationship as a legal marriage, regardless of where the couple resides. This determination applies to same sex or opposite sex couples. This determination does not apply to domestic partnership, civil unions, or similar formal relationships recognized under state law.