Federal Verification
Federal Verification is a process mandated by the U.S. Department of Education to ensure the accuracy of the data submitted by applicants for the FAFSA. This process helps to ensure that federal financial aid is awarded to eligible students in an equitable and consistent manner. Approximately 30% of all FAFSA applicants are randomly selected for Verification.
Please contact us at 386-822-7100, option 2 or [email protected].
If your FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education, you will receive an email to your Stetson University email address. You will also have verification items listed on your MyStetson OneStop checklist. Depending on the academic year, there are different paths to complete verification.
The verification process will be conducted through your MyStetson Portal. If you have been selected for verification, you will receive an email from the Office of Student Financial Aid. The required documents needed to complete verification will be listed on your MyStetson OneStop portal checklist. We have partnered with Dynamic Forms, which hosts our verification worksheets and other forms needed to complete verification.
We encourage you to begin the verification process within 7 days of receiving notification to receive your financial aid in time for payments. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or cancellation of financial aid. Your financial aid award will not appear on your bill until verification has been completed.
Follow these steps to complete verification:
- Access your MyStetson OneStop Checklist
- Complete and submit the items on your checklist
If you are a dependent student, your parent will need to complete the verification process with you.
Once All completed documents are received, it will take five to seven business days to complete the review. Additional documents will be requested until there are no corrections. This could extend the process.
Once verification is completed, the student and parent will be notified. At this time, you will be informed if there are any changes that need to be made to your FAFSA or financial aid award.
The common documents needed to complete federal verification are:
- Signed Tax Returns and all completed schedules or IRS Tax Transcript for the required reporting year
- W2s or a IRS Wage and Income Transcript for the required reporting year
- Dependent Verification Worksheet or Independent Verification Worksheet
To obtain an IRS Tax Transcript or IRS Wage and Income transcript, visit the IRS website.
The missing requirements deadline is August 1 each year. While you are able to complete verification throughout the academic year, we encourage you to complete it before the deadline to ensure your financial aid package is finalized prior to the start of the fall semester. Your financial aid award will not appear on your bill until verification has been completed.
Special circumstances are considered through the request for review process.