Verification Process
Verification
Each year the U.S. Department of Education selects financial aid applicants for federal verification review. This process requires California University of PA to verify the accuracy of data reported by students on their FAFSA forms. There are several possible reasons that a FAFSA record is selected to be verified. Some applications are selected randomly. Others are categorized as having a high probability of error (e.g., applications on which students provided estimated, not actual, income tax information). Also, some applications may be selected because of incomplete data or conflicting information.
The e-mail notification or paper Student Aid Report (SAR) from the federal processor will indicate if your application is selected for verification review. The Financial Aid Office at California University will also notify you that your FAFSA has been selected to be verified and will ask you to submit copies of certain documents you used to complete your FAFSA as follows: a complete signed copy of both the student and parent (if the student is dependent) U.S. Income Tax Returns (this includes any related 1099 forms and supporting schedules); a copy of student and parent (if the student is dependent) W-2 Wage Tax Statements (i.e., W-2 forms); and a Verification Form which we will send you. (The Verification Form is also available online at www.cup.edu/financial_aid . All documents should be sent to the Financial Aid Office for processing. These documents become part of your CUP financial aid file.
The information on the documents submitted is then compared to the FAFSA information provided to us by the federal FAFSA processor. For many students, the process consists simply of a review of the tax returns, W-2 forms, and the Verification Form they submit. But sometimes follow-up requests for additional information may be necessary. This occurs if inconsistencies are discovered which must be resolved. When this happens, we typically send requests for additional information by mail.
To expedite the verification review, please submit all requested documents to the Financial Aid Office as soon as possible (include all requested documents at the same time). Make sure you send the Federal Tax Forms, not the state tax forms. In addition, it is important that the documents you submit are legible and signed where applicable. Also, make sure all documents submitted are clearly labeled with the student's name and social security number.
If you do not have a copy of your Federal Tax Form, you can obtain a tax transcript by calling the IRS at 800–829–1040 and following the prompts in the recorded message or by completing and mailing Form 4506-T (PDF), Request for Transcript of Tax Return, to the address listed in the instructions. Forms can be downloaded at www.irs.gov or ordered by calling 800–829–3676. Transcripts may also be mailed to a third party if you specify this on Form 4506-T, however, you must sign and date the form giving your consent for the disclosure.
Typically, the students selected for verification will receive an award packet; however, these awards are tentative (estimate only) pending the completion and outcome of verification. If any errors are discovered during the verification process, we will correct your FAFSA. The federal FAFSA processor will send you a revised Student Aid Report (SAR), which will reflect the corrections we make to your FAFSA. If the error(s) changes the amount of your financial aid, the new awards will be reflected on the Web for student home page at sisweb.cup.edu. Please Note: Federal Stafford Loans are not certified until the verification process has been completed.
The Verification Form can be downloaded from the "Forms" Page on the Financial Aid Website
Click here to go to the Forms Page