Verification
Verification is the process established by the Department of Education to check the accuracy of the information provided by the student on the FAFSA. The student's application can be selected for verification at any time during the awarding process. Most applications are selected by the Department of Education but some student files are selected by the college. If your application is selected for the verification process, you will be notified by the college and the federal processor. The amount of your federal financial aid award may change as a result of the verification process.
Required Verification Documents
- 2025-2026 (Dependent or Independent, as applicable) Institutional Verification Worksheet available through Dynamic Forms and the student self-service account.
- 2023 (Parent and/or Student, as applicable) Tax Return Transcript if the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) was not used.
- If a student, or required contributor, doesn’t provide consent and approval to use the FA-DDX, the student will not be eligible for federal aid.
- The Federal Tax Return Transcript can be requested online or by telephone 1-800-908-9946.
- Any other documents necessary to verify required data.
- As of September 23, 2018, the current format of the individual tax return transcript(s) was replaced by the IRS with an updated version that redacts sensitive personal identifying information of the tax filer. As a result of the IRS security updates, students (parents) must provide their first and last names as well as the student ID number on all documents submitted to their Financial Aid Office.