Federal Verification
Verification is a process to confirm the information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate. Each academic year, the federal government randomly selects approximately 30% of ALL students submitting the FAFSA for verification. Most applications are selected at random; others because of inconsistent information. The UNF Office of Student Financial Aid reserves the right to select students for verification if there appears to be a conflict of information received.
The verification process allows the University to verify the information on the FAFSA by comparing it with the requested documentation. If changes are warranted, the University will make the changes based on the documentation received from the student, electronically send the changes to the Department of Education and wait for the government to approve the changes. Upon government approval, the University will adjust the financial aid award, if necessary.
If your application is selected for verification, you will receive official notification from the Department of Education via your federal Student Aid Report (SAR). Notification by UNF is done after we receive your FAFSA. Do not submit any documents unless we request you do so.
The UNF Office of Student Financial Aid will officially notify students who are federally and institutionally selected for verification by sending a notification to their secure UNF email address detailing the regulation allowing schools to institutionally select students for verification, what initial documents should be completed and submitted, the deadline to complete the verification process and the ramifications of not completing the verification process.
No need-based aid, including federal, state or institutional, will be disbursed to students until the process is completed, discrepancies are resolved and any necessary corrections are submitted and processed by UNF.
If selected for verification, the financial aid award is an estimate and subject to change based on the results of the verification process.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed when you receive a notification that you’ve been selected for verification. Being selected for verification simply means you will be asked to provide documentation proving the information provided on your FAFSA is accurate.
Guidelines for students completing the verification process:
- Carefully observe verification deadlines.
- Complete all sections of the Verification Document fully. Do not leave an answer blank. If the answer is zero, write a zero. If the question does not apply to you, write N/A.
- Upload all requested documents or submit copies of all requested documents to One-Stop Student Services. UNF does not retain hard copies of documents submitted. All hard copies will be destroyed and cannot be returned.
- Sign the Verification Document and IRS Tax Return Transcript or income tax return.
- Write the student N number at the top of each page.
- Keep copies of all documents submitted during the verification process.
- Frequently check the Financial Aid information in Banner Self-Service (accessible via myWings) to see if clarification documents have been requested or if any documents have been listed as incomplete or unacceptable.
Along with completing your FAFSA accurately, keep these “do’s and don’ts" in mind for verification:
Do:
- Complete the FAFSA online at fafsa.ed.gov.
- Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in completing the FAFSA, if possible.
- Remember, when the FAFSA refers to “you,” and “your,” it means, you, the student, NOT your parents or family.
- Use your legal name, as shown on your Social Security card.
- Enter your Social Security Number (SSN) carefully. An incorrect SSN may delay your FAFSA and you may miss important college financial aid deadlines. To correct an error, you may have to submit copies of your birth certificate and Social Security card before your FAFSA is processed.
- Read every question carefully and complete every field according to the instructions.
- Count yourself, the student, as one of the people in your family who will be college students during the academic year.
- Complete the verification worksheet in its entirety.
- Only submit documentation that has been requested.
- Check your UNF email regularly for communication from the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Don't:
- Procrastinate – submit verification documents by the University’s priority deadline. Please note, like many universities, UNF has early deadlines for consideration of scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid.
- Assume you don’t qualify for financial aid! Complete the verification process to be sure you get all of the financial aid for which you are eligible.
- Leave any blanks. If a question does not apply to you use N/A or zero.
- Forget to sign your documents with a wet signature.
Deadline for completing the verification process:
If selected, the deadline for an otherwise eligible student to submit verification documents is the week before the last day of summer B classes or 120 days after the last day of the student's enrollment, whichever is earlier.
Overpayments:
In the event that financial aid eligibility changes due to verification resulting in an overpayment to the student, the necessary funds will be returned to the Department of Education or the lender (if a student loan). The student will receive an email notification to view the financial aid awards online and will be billed by the Office of Student Financial Services.