FAFSA

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Verification

Your federal application has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education for a process of review called verification. The University of Mississippi Medical Center Office of Financial Aid must now compare the information you reported on your FAFSA with specific tax and income information before your application can be processed further. No federal or state awards can be processed until verification is completed.

Because your application has been selected for verification, the UMMC Office of Financial Aid has been asked to review your information and make any changes on your behalf. Do not make any further changes to your FAFSA as it will delay your processing by 4-6 weeks.

As you complete your financial aid application, you may have been selected to have your application verified. Each year approximately 30% of financial aid applications are selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. Verification is the process by which schools review student financial aid applications for accuracy. Verification is done by collecting the documents you used to complete the FAFSA and comparing them with the information you provided on your FAFSA.

If you have been selected for verification, you will be notified via e-mail. It will include directions on what is required and options on how to submit your documents.

For non-tax filers

You stated that you WILL NOT FILE a federal income tax return on your FAFSA. We are required to collect additional information to confirm that you indeed did NOT file a federal income tax return. Complete and return this form with the required documents attached. If you do not complete the verification process, you forfeit federal student aid eligibility, including student loans. We strongly recommend you submit all documents within 14 days of receipt of the verification notice. Note that no financial aid will disburse if this process is not completed. Attach an official IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter, which you can obtain at www.irs.gov, by calling the IRS at (800) 908-9946 or by filing Form 4506-T, check box 7.

Verification definitions

How to avoid verification processing delays

To help diminish the possibility of verification processing delays, please do the following:

  • Submit all documents at the same time. Remember to make photocopies for your records.
  • Respond to each section of the verification worksheet. If a section or part of a section does not apply to you/your parent(s)/spouse, write “N/A” or “-0-,” as appropriate. Do not leave sections blank.

What happens after verification is completed?

If the accuracy of the data reported on your FAFSA is confirmed, the FAO can determine your eligibility for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office will notify you of your financial aid eligibility status.

If verification indicates differences between the data reported on your FAFSA and the tax documents/income information that you submit with your verification worksheet, FAO may make corrections to the data on your FAFSA and electronically transmit the corrected data to the federal processor. FAO will notify you via e-mail if corrections are made to the data on your FAFSA.

Verification deadline

The verification review process can range from two to six weeks. Students are advised to submit copies of the requested documentation within 14 days of the request.

Verification forms