Verification
What is Verification?
How will I know which documents are required for verification?
What happens if I made an error on my FAFSA?
What is the deadline for submitting verification documents?
What is Verification?
Verification is the process used by the U.S. Department of Education to confirm that tax and other household data reported on the FAFSA form is accurate. When a student is selected for verification, the Office of Student Financial Services at Xavier University is required by federal law to request and review documentation that supports data reported on the student’s FAFSA. Being selected for verification does not mean that you have done anything wrong. In many cases, the verification selection is random; some students are selected every year, and some never get selected. Students must submit the requested documents to be eligible to receive financial aid.
How will I know which documents are required for verification?
You will receive an email from the Office of Student Financial Services detailing the items that you need to submit for verification. This list also will be available to you in the Eligibility section of Financial Aid Self-Service. All students who are selected for verification must submit a Verification Worksheet. Additional documentation will be requested according to the type* of verification to be completed.
*As of May 18, 2022 and for the remainder of the 2022-23 FAFSA processing and verification cycle, the U.S. Department of Education is waiving verification of all FAFSA information, except for Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose in Verification Tracking Groups V4 and V5. No tax documentation is required to be submitted by students selected for verification. This waiver applies no matter where a student is in the verification process.
What happens if I made an error on my FAFSA?
The Office of Student Financial Services will compare the data you reported on the FAFSA form with the verification documentation that you submit. If errors are found, the office staff will make corrections to your FAFSA data. A message will be added to Self-Service to inform you that changes were made to your FAFSA data as the result of verification. The Federal Processor will provide a revised Student Aid Report (SAR) that will indicate your new EFC and specific changes that were made to your application data. The Award section of Financial Aid Self-Service will show your updated aid amounts.
What is the deadline for submitting verification documents?
Xavier's submission deadline is June 15th of each year. Documents will be accepted and processed after this date, but students who fail to meet this deadline may experience delays in processing of aid. If the verification process is not completed by the semester payment due date, alternative payment arrangements will need to be made until financial aid eligibility is confirmed. Students who fail to comply with the verification requirements will be ineligible for federal, state, and certain types of institutional aid.
To receive a late disbursement of Pell Grant funds for 2022-2023, a Pell applicant selected for verification must complete the verification process by 120 days after the student's last date of enrollment for the 2022-2023 award year or by September 16, 2023, whichever is earlier. The corresponding deadline for 2023-2024 is expected to be September 21, 2024 and will be confirmed when the date is published in the Federal Register.
Students must allow time for the documents submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services to be reviewed and for corrections to be processed by the late-disbursement deadline. Eligibility for a late disbursement of Direct Loan funds will be considered if the loan was originated before the student ceased enrollment or otherwise became ineligible. A late disbursement of FSEOG may be made if the grant was awarded before the student lost eligibility.