Verification

Verification, once performed entirely by the school, is increasingly a shared effort by the school and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to ensure that federal student aid funds are awarded and paid based on accurate family financial information. A student’s application for federal student aid (the FAFSA®) may be chosen for verification by ED or by the school. The information that must be verified varies by applicant, as, effective for the 2012-13 award year, ED transitioned to a targeted approach that specifies verification of only those items that appear most likely to be in error.

Related terms: Need Analysis; Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)

2023-24 Tax Transcript Decoder PDF
2022-23 Tax Transcript Decoder PDF

Source: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

Cooling Out in the Verification Process: A Mixed Methods Exploration into the Relevance of Racism in Community College Students’ Financial Aid Experiences Web URL

Source: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing

Customized Nudging to Improve FAFSA Completion and Income Verification

Source: Journal of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, AERA

Disproportionate Burden: Estimating the Cost of FAFSA Verification for Public Colleges and Universities Web URL

Source: Annenberg Institute at Brown University

Exploring Ways to Enhance FAFSA Efficiency: Exploring the Relationship Between FAFSA Verification and Pell Grant Award Change Web URL

Source: National College Attainment Network

FAFSA Verification: Good Government or Red Tape? Web URL

Source: National College Attainment Network

Federal Pell Grant Eligibility and Receipt: Explaining Nonreceipt and Changes to EFC Using National and Institutional Data Web URL

Source: Journal of Student Financial Aid

Impact of Verification on Iowa FAFSA Filers Web URL

Source: Iowa College Aid

Improving the Financial Aid Process for Community College Students: A Literature Review of FAFSA Simplification, Information, and Verification Web URL

Source: Community College Journal of Research and Practice

Income Verification for Federal Aid Hinders Low-Income Students Web URL

Source: Inside Higher Ed

NCAN Conducts First Comprehensive Review of Impact of Verification on Pell Grant Awards Web URL

Source: National College Attainment Network

On the Sidelines of Simplification: Stories of Navigating the FAFSA Verification Process Web URL

Source: The Institute for College Access and Success

Summer Melt and Free Application for Federal Student Aid Verification Web URL

Source: Houston Education Research Consortium

The Burden of Proof: Impact of and Solutions for FAFSA Verification PDF

Source: National College Attainment Network

The Hidden Costs of Corroboration: Estimating the Effects of Financial Aid Verification on College Enrollment Web URL

Source: Educational Policy: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Policy and Practice

The Leaky FAFSA Pipeline Web URL

Source: National College Attainment Network

Verification AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&As Web URL

Source: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

Verification Self-Study Guide Web URL

Source: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators