Verification
What is Verification?
The U.S. Department of Education selects students to be reviewed in a process called verification. For students who are selected, it is necessary for the Financial Aid Office to collect documentation in order to confirm the accuracy of the information reported on the FAFSA. The University also reserves the right to select a student for verification if documentation on the FAFSA does not appear to be accurate or if we receive conflicting information.
If you are selected for verification, you will be notified through your Ship email address and your myShip Experience account. You must submit all required documentation before any Title IV aid can be disbursed to your account. Once all required documentation is submitted and reviewed, Title IV aid may be increased, reduced or even canceled based on this information.
Failure to comply with verification will result in no federal or state aid being funded to you.
If your FAFSA has been selected for verification, you will be notified of this in your Ship email.
For ACCEPTED STUDENTS click on the "Financial Aid - Accepted Students" box.
For CONFIRMED STUDENTS click on the "Financial Aid" box.
Click on Financial Aid System" to view your Unsatisfied Requirements.
Click on "Verify", which will take you to https://ship.studentforms.com to view your Financial Aid tasks. You will need to create an account if you don’t already have one.
Failure to comply with verification will result in no federal or state aid being funded to you.
After uploading your documents, please allow for processing time.
For the 2024-25 and beyond, FAFSA will use the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FADDX) instead of the DRT to retrieve Federal Tax Information (FTI) from the IRS. Each contributor (student and parents) must give consent for this information to be retrieved by FAFSA.
Occasionally, the DDX will not be able to transfer federal tax information and will be asked to enter financial information.
Tax return recently filed and tax data not accessible for transmission.
When you attempt to use the (FADDX) as the applicant and/or parent who recently filed 2022 federal taxes, FAFSA will inform you that the tax information (if electronically filed within the last 2 weeks or submitted by mail within the last 8 weeks) may not be available.
Taxes filed in a U.S. Territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands)
While U.S. territories are not foreign countries to the United States, individuals who file their taxes with a U.S. Territory tax authority will have the same FAFSA experience as someone who has filed with a foreign tax authority." Contributors who file a foreign tax return must still have an FSA ID and provide consent to complete the FAFSA online.
Due to the IRS redacting personal information from these forms – name, social security number, etc. – under NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you request the IRS to send us any forms directly (third party). Please request the IRS send the forms to you for you to then forward to us once you have listed the student’s name and SUID number on the paperwork. You can submit the documents via fax, scan and email (no pictures please), US postal mail or drop off in the FA office. Again, please be sure to list the student’s name and SUID number on all forms submitted to our office.
Mail/Paper Form: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506t.pdf
- Complete lines 1-4 using instruction on page 2 of the form
- Line 5 allows for direct mailing of transcript to third party (school) - DO NOT USE
- Select the appropriate year on line 6
- Check box 7 for Verification of nonfiling letter
- Tax filer must sign, date the form, and check the box above the signature line (only one signature required for joint filers)
- Mail or fax the form using the information on page 2
Due to the IRS redacting personal information from these forms – name, social security number, etc. – under NO CIRCUMSTANCE should you request the IRS to send us any forms directly (third party). Please request the IRS send the forms to you for you to then forward to us once you have listed the student’s name and SUID number on the paperwork. You can submit the documents via fax, scan and email (no pictures please), US postal mail or drop off in the FA office. Again, please be sure to list the student’s name and SUID number on all forms submitted to our office.
Online: http://irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript
- “Get Transcript Online” - immediate print OR
- “Get Transcript by Mail”
- Enter personal information - continue
- Select “Return Transcript” under Type of Transcript field
- Select the correct tax year
Telephone: 1-800-908-9946
- Follow prompts and input information as requested
- Select “Option 2” to request a Tax Return Transcript
- Enter the correct tax year
- Confirmation will be given once the process is complete
Mail/Paper Form: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf
- Complete lines 1-4 using instruction on page 2 of the form
- Line 5 allows for direct mailing of transcript to third party (school) - DO NOT USE
- Select the appropriate year on line 6
- Tax filer must sign and date the form (only one signature required for joint filers)
- Mail or fax the form using the information on page 2
If you think the information contained or captured on the FAFSA at the time of submitting does not accurately reflect your current income, submit the Special Circumstance Appeal Form located on the Financial Aid Forms page.
Note: In these cases, the school's decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.
On the FAFSA, a set of questions determines a student’s dependency status. Students are considered dependent if they can’t answer “YES” to any of the dependency questions or homeless questions on the FAFSA, and are required to report parental information. Even though a student may be considered dependent on the FAFSA, there may be unusual circumstances that prevent the student from including parental information.
Unusual Circumstances Do Not Include:
- Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education.
- Parents will not provide information for the FAFSA or verification.
- Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes.
- Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.
If the reasoning is different from situations listed above, a student may qualify for an Unusual Circumstance.
- Student must complete FAFSA and answer “YES” to the question on the that asks, “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents, or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?”
- Once FAFSA is received and processed, the student will be required to complete an Unusual Circumstance Form and provide the necessary documentation as instructed. Students will be placed in Verification to complete this process.