Verification of FAFSA Information
Students completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFSA) are subject to verification of information provided on their application in accordance with Article 34 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 668.57. This includes information that the school or the applicant and if appropriate the applicants’ parent(s), guardian(s) or spouse may be required to verify. A student maybe selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or the school. As required by federal regulations, The English Center must verify the applications of selected students who will receive or have received student financial aid.
A student selected for verification will be flagged with a value of “Y” on their Institution Student Information Report (ISIR). Appearing next to the EFC will be an asterisk referring to a comment in the student section of Student Aid Report (SAR) that informs applicants that their FASFA has been selected for a review process called verification and that the school has the authority to request copies of certain documents from them, their spouses, parents or guardians. Verification tracking flags will be placed on a student in one of three verification tracking groups.
The school has the discretion to require a student to verify any FASFA information and to provide reasonable documentation in accordance with consistently applied school policies.
A student selected for verification will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office to submit the required documents to complete the verification process. The Financial Aid Office will provide the student with the appropriate Verification Worksheet to identify and request the required information and documents.
Students have twenty (20) business days from receipt of notification to submit all requested documentation to the Financial Aid Office.
If the requested information is not submitted within the required timelines, the student may forfeit his/her financial aid eligibility.
Students who are selected for verification will be placed in one of the three following groups. The group determines which FASFA information must be verified.
Verification Tracking Groups
Students who are selected for verification by the Department will be placed in one of three verification groups (V1, V4, or V5) to determine which FAFSA information must be verified. Groups V2, V3, and V6 are reserved for future use by the Department.
V1—Standard Verification Group
Tax filers (student, student spouse, parent, and parent spouse/partner, as applicable) must verify the following:
- Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
- Income earned from work
- U.S. income tax paid
- Untaxed portions of IRA distributions
- Untaxed portions of pensions
- IRA deductions and payments
- Tax exempt interest income
- Education Credits
- Foreign income exempt from federal taxation
- Family size
Non-tax filers
Student, student spouse, parent, and parent spouse/partner, as applicable must verify the following:
- Income earned from work
- Family size
V4—Custom Verification Group
Students must verify the following:
- Identity
V5—Aggregate Verification Group
This group is essentially a combination of V1 and V4. Tax filers and non-tax filers must verify the items listed in the Standard Verification Group (V1). Students must also verify their identity.
The verification process will begin once the student has successfully submitted all requested documents within the required twenty (20) business-day timeline. A meeting will be held with the student and Financial Aid Officer at submission to review and confirm that all required verification documents and verification worksheets have been submitted and signed as appropriate. Funds will not be disbursed until the verification process is completed.
Follow-up meetings will be scheduled with the students to discuss the procedures for correcting FAFSA data and to request any additional documentation which may be needed to complete verification, as well as to review the results of the verification process. The school’s Financial Aid Officer will report and enter the correct verification code on the student’s verification status through the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) system before the disbursement of Pell Grant funds can be authorized.
Corrections and updates can be submitted by the student on the SAR or the Web or by the school using FAA Access to CPS Online or the Electronic Exchange (EDE).
When the data on the FAFSA is changed, the students’ Pell Grant will be recalculated based on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the corrected and valid SAR or ISIR.
Transfer students who completed verification for the current award year at another school before transferring must have the same FASFA data as submitted to the previous school of attendance. A letter must be obtained from the previous school stating that verification was completed and provides the transaction number of the pertinent valid ISIR.
If a student’s Pell Grant is reduced because of verification and the student has received an interim disbursement, an adjustment will be made to following disbursement as necessary.
A student’s application may be selected for verification after corrections are submitted and the student has been paid for previous unselected tracking group requirements. The Financial Aid Officer must verify the application before making further disbursements. If the verification does not justify aid already disbursed, then the student is responsible for repaying all aid for which they were ineligible.
All necessary verification documents obtained from the student will be reconciled with the SAR or ISIR to confirm payment eligibility. If the information is correct and there no conflicting information or outstanding issues, then the Financial Aid Officer will authorize the award and disbursement of aid for which the student is eligible.
Students can request assistance with their SAR information by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-433-3243.
For additional information on verification and federal student aid, students can access the following web sites, https://studentaid.gov/ or the Federal Student Handbook at https://fsapartners.ed.gov/home/.
The English Center Financial Aid Office reserves the right to require students to submit other information and supplemental documentation when deemed necessary to complete the verification process.