Sources – Federal Student Aid Handbook: Verification and Application Guide, Chapter 4; 34 CFR 668.53; 34 CFR 668.56; Federal Register

Policy: All students selected for verification by CPS are required to complete Institutional Verification Form(s) and any relevant tax documents based on their verification tracking groups. Students not CPS selected are subject to institutional verification as a result of conflicting information or administrative determination. Students institutionally selected are required to complete Institutional Verification Form(s) and any relevant tax documents based on the verification tracking group. Students receiving only unsubsidized loans or that were verified by another school are not exempt from verification per our policy.

Required Documents:

The Department of Education (ED) customizes verification. Verification documentation will follow the published guidance in the Federal Register for the applicable FAFSA aid year.

Current ED Verification Tracking Groups:

• V1-Standard Verification
• V4-Custom Verification
• V5-Aggregate Verification

Verification Groups V2, V3, and V6 are reserved for future use by the ED.

A student may move verification tracking groups as the result of CPS or institutional processing. If verification was already completed during the previous selected group, the student is only required to verify information not already verified (e.g., V1 to V5).

Affected Programs:

Students’ eligibility for *most financial aid funds (i.e., institutional, state, federal) will not be determined or awarded until all verification items have been submitted, reviewed, and approved. If a student is CPS or institutionally selected for verification after their initial financial aid package is created, verification will be required prior to the next disbursement. The verification process must be fully completed prior to the disbursement of most financial aid funds. 

Notification of Selection:

Students are initially notified of their selection for verification by the ED on the Student Aid Report (SAR). Students are subsequently notified by UWF primarily through students’ UWF Gmail accounts; however, notification is also provided in students’ MyUWF portals and financial aid accounts at https://uwf.studentforms.com. In addition, students will receive email reminders, and text if opted-in, to remind students of their responsibility to complete verification requirements. Additional instructions are provided to students at https://uwf.edu/offices/financial-aid/.

Deadlines:

• Students are strongly encouraged to complete all verification documents as soon as possible and by our published priority deadlines at https://uwf.edu/offices/financial-aid/.
• Processing times vary, but during peak times of the year (e.g., July and August), processing times may take up to 10 business days.
• Students must submit all verification documents by 6/30 of the applicable aid year. 
• Failure to complete verification within the required time period will result in reduction, cancellation, or forfeit of federal, state, or most institutional aid.

Verification Review Process:

Once all documents have been received, UWF will compare students’ documents to their FAFSA data. If discrepancies are found, UWF will make the necessary corrections to the FAFSA through the ED’s electronic processing system. UWF is federally required to resolve any conflicting information; therefore, students’ documents may be rejected for confirmation or clarification. UWF reserves the right to request additional documentation as necessary to resolve conflicting information.

Notification of Completed Verification:

If UWF is required to submit corrections to the FAFSA for reprocessing, the student will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR will detail the FAFSA items that were corrected and provide a recalculated Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number, if applicable. Students receive a Gmail notification, and text if opted in, once the verification process has been completed. If a student has already received a financial aid package, a UWF Revised Financial Aid Award notification is sent via Gmail and text if opted in. 

Reporting Fraud:

Students who purposely give false or misleading information on any of the verification documentation may be fined, sentenced to jail, or both. In cases where intent to commit fraud to obtain federal funds is suspected, UWF will refer the case to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General for review and resolution. No further processing of financial aid will occur until the case has been resolved.

*Most financial aid funds refer to institutionally funded aid. Depending on the awarding account, some institutional aid does not require verification to be completed prior to a student being awarded and receiving the disbursement of the aid.