Fewer than one out of ten students who submit a FAFSA are selected by the U.S. Department of Education for a process called Federal Verification. If you’re selected, we’re here to help.

You may be curious why you were selected. It could be due to incomplete or conflicting information on your FAFSA. Or your FAFSA could have been randomly selected.

Regardless of the reason, the Financial Aid Office must compare FAFSA data with verification information received from students (and parents). We must complete verification before we can process Federal Direct Loans, any federal grants, Federal Work-Study, or private alternative loans. That means no federal aid or private loans will be applied toward your bill until verification is finalized.

If your FAFSA is selected for Federal Verification, the Financial Aid Office will email you a Verification Form that explains what you (and your parents) need to do. The verification process is somewhat ‘customized,’ so not all students and parents are required to provide the same information. However, everyone needs to complete and return the Verification Form we mail.

The Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) allows FAFSA contributors to give consent and approval for the IRS to securely provide federal tax information to the U.S. Department of Education. Using the FA-DDX  on your FAFSA will significantly reduce the likelihood that your FAFSA is selected for verification.

Taxpayers who were unable to use the FA-DDX will, in most cases, need to provide us with  copies of IRS Tax Return Transcripts ordered directly from the IRS. Learn how to request a Tax Return Transcript.

Wage earners who do not meet the IRS requirements to submit IRS tax returns will need to provide us with

1. Copies of all of their IRS W-2 Forms for the calendar year stated on their Verification Form, and
2. A list of all sources and amounts of any other earnings, income and resources that supported them during the calendar year.

Note there are other documents needed for tax filers and non-filers with earned income in Puerto Rico and other countries.

Once we have everything we need from you (and your parents), we’ll compare your FAFSA data with verification information received. If needed, we will adjust your FAFSA information. In some cases, we may require additional information. Please respond quickly to prevent delays in processing your financial aid.

If your FAFSA is chosen for verification, promptly providing us with all of the information we request will allow us to complete your verification more quickly. Note that students accepted for Fall semester can check on their verification status by late March by accessing their applicant dashboard. Returning students view their FAFSA status using the 'View Financial Aid Information' section of SIS.

PHEAA has a similar, but separate review for Pennsylvania State Grant recipients called Validation. If you receive an email or letter from PHEAA describing the Validation process, you will need to submit to PHEAA the financial documents it requests, even if you have previously sent us documents for Federal Verification.