A student is flagged for verification by the Department of Education (ED) to ensure the accuracy of FAFSA information provided by the student. Please note: the student will have to complete verification at all institutions they have listed on their FAFSA.

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA) is required (in most cases) to collect additional documentation from the student in order to complete this ED requirement. 

Verification must be completed before a student can receive their federal financial aid and need-based institutional grant aid that has been offered. Note that merit tuition scholarships are not impacted by verification nor are the disbursement of these funds held/delayed.

There are numerous ways a student will be contacted if they are required to complete verification:

• At the time a student is initially selected for verification:
  • An email is sent directly to the student’s CatMail with instructions on how to proceed.
  • Additionally, an item will be on their To Do List in their UAccess Student Center.
• After initial selection and communication:
  • OSFA sends a monthly reminder email to all students that have been selected for verification and have not completed their requirements.
  • The To Do List item referenced above remains incomplete and visible to the student on their UAccess Student Center To Do List.

• Most students will submit their required documentation via an online form. 
• Detailed instructions, including the link to the online form (if applicable) will be outlined for the student in their UAccess Student Center To Do List.
• Login credentials for students to access the online form are the student’s Net ID and Password.

Students will be asked to submit specific documents via the instructions provided in their UAccess Student Center. Examples of documents that a student might be asked to submit include (but are not limited to):

• Student’s signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Student’s W-2 form
• Student’s Spouse’s signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Student’s Spouse’s W-2 form
• Parent(s)’ signed tax return (Form 1040)
• Parent(s)’ W-2 form
• Verification of Household Form
• Signed Statement Form
• Utility bills
• Leases
• IRS transcripts
  • IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter
  • IRS Tax Return Transcript
  • IRS Wage and Income Transcript

1. OSFA is typically notified the student has been selected for verification upon the initial receipt of the FAFSA.
   • This typically takes three to five weeks from the date in which the FAFSA was filed (and the student was admitted, if a new admit).

Note, there are some cases when a student is flagged for verification on a later FAFSA record, either as a result of changes made to the FAFSA, Department of Education reprocessing etc. Students should continue watching their CatMail and UAccess Student Center To Do list. 

2. OSFA places a To Do List item on the student’s account in UAccess Student Center.
   • This can take up to one week after the FAFSA is received by OSFA.
3. The student gathers and submits all required documentation.
   • This can happen immediately after the student has been notified by our office of the verification requirement.
4. OSFA reviews submitted documentation and either requests additional items or removes To Do List link from UAccess Student Center.
   • From the time we receive all required documentation, the review may take up to 3 weeks. 
5. Student is notified via an email from OSFA if changes to their financial aid offer occur based on any corrections made to their FAFSA during verification. Changes to a student’s aid can be reviewed directly in UAccess Student Center.