Verification of Federal Student Aid Eligibility
What is Verification?
Verification is the process to confirm that the information you or your parents provided on the FAFSA is accurate. Although the U.S. Department of Education randomly selects FAFSAs to be verified, the Financial Aid Department reserves the right to select any student for verification to clarify any potential discrepancies.
The Financial Aid Office cannot award federal student aid to students selected for verification until the student completes the verification process and the Financial Aid Office has transmitted the information to, and subsequently received any necessary FAFSA corrections from, the Department of Education.
Verification Process
- Students selected for verification will receive notification from the Financial Aid Office via email of their selection. This notification will include information on the required documentation needed for verification.
- Students must provide appropriate and legible supporting documents to the Financial Aid Office.
- Additional documents may be requested at the discretion of the Financial Aid Office.
- Information processing within the Financial Aid Office will take a minimum of 10 business days.
- Once all verification requirements are complete, the Financial Aid Office will update the student's FAFSA to reflect the information provided and the student will receive a new FAFSA Submission Survey (FSS). The student is responsible for reviewing their FSS to ensure that the information is accurate based on the documentation they provided. If there were no changes to the FAFSA, the most recent FAFSA on file will be used to determine the student’s eligible federal student aid.
- If a student’s financial award changes as a result of verification, a new award notification will be generated and sent to the student with the updated Student Aid Index (SAI) and award amounts, as applicable.
Participation in the verification process is required. If a student who is selected for verification does not submit the required documentation within 30 days from the day they are notified, financial aid processing will be delayed, and the student may not be eligible to receive federal funding. The student will then be responsible for any balance owed to the University.
Common Delays in Completing the Verification Process
- Computer generated signature stamps on paper forms
- Missing signatures on requested forms and documents
- Forms not filled out completely
- Student name and learner ID not provided on all forms and documents
- Changing your IRS Tax Return Information after tax information is transferred from the IRS to the FAFSA
If Aspen University obtains any credible information indicating that an applicant for federal student aid may have knowingly engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with their application for federal student aid, that applicant will be referred to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Education. Examples of this type of information are:
- False claims of independent student status
- False claims of citizenship
- Use of false identities
- Forgery of signatures or certifications
- False statements of income