Verification Policy

Each academic year a percentage of financial aid applications are selected by the US Department of Education or by the University of Denver Office of Financial Aid for review. This process of review is known as verification. Once you are selected for verification, the Office of Financial Aid is required to verify application information submitted on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will be required to submit verification documents as stated below. If you are selected for verification, the Office of Financial Aid will notify you via email. The following information is an outline of the policies and procedures that govern the verification process, your responsibilities, and deadline dates. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Verification Exclusions
Verification is not required if you do not wish to apply for any need-based assistance. Verification is also not required if you plan to take part only in the Federal PLUS or unsubsidized loan programs or you do not plan on attending DU. Contact the Office of Financial Aid if any of these circumstances apply.

Required Documents
Typically, required documents include an Institutional Verification Form (IVF), signed copies of the previous calendar year tax returns and W-2s. Mail or fax verification documents to us as soon as possible and allow at least two business days for our system to update your document status on myWeb. You are encouraged to utilize myWeb to verify the receipt of documents submitted.

• Federal Verification Worksheet
  Download the form from our Verification Worksheet page; be sure to select the form for your dependency status and the proper aid year as it does change each year.
  
• Signed copies of federal tax returns (include all schedules)
  Copies must be of the same year used to complete the FAFSA and must include signatures even if filed electronically. If the student is married and filed separately from their spouse we require the spouse’s return as well. If the student is a dependent undergraduate we require the parents’ return. If the student/spouse/parent was not required to file a return, please indicate this on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the verification worksheet. Acceptable tax returns include: 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040NR; foreign returns (all dollar amounts must be converted to US Dollars before submission); tax transcript for those individuals who cannot obtain a copy of their official return, obtain a copy by completing and mailing Form 4506 to the IRS or by calling 800.829.1040.
  
• W-2s
  If you, your spouse, or your parents earned wages last year, you must submit W-2s whether you filed a tax return or not.

Deadlines
The priority deadline for submitting verification documents is April 15th for new students and April 30th for continuing students. All students, including transfer students, who submit verification documents after the priority deadline will not be considered for all sources of need-based assistance as some funds are limited. The final deadline for verification is the student's last day of attendance during an academic year or June 30th of the academic year, whichever is first. Students submitting documents after the final deadline will not be eligible for financial aid for that year.

Corrections
If verification documents reveal inaccuracies in a student’s FAFSA, the record will be corrected electronically by the Office of Financial Aid and the student will be notified via an email to their DU account explaining the corrections. If incomplete or inadequate verification documents are submitted, students or parents will be notified of discrepancies by mail or email and instructed on how to correct them.

Award Changes Due to Verification
If the verification documents provided confirm the accuracy of all application items requiring verification, the application is finalized. An award letter is sent to the student after verification and the FAFSA is complete. For undergraduate students who received a planning document, verification may result in a change to a student's award if corrections are made. Students will be notified of any changes to their awards via email to their DU account. Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid for explanation of corrections and amended awards.

Disbursement
The Office of Financial Aid will not disburse financial aid until verification is complete.

Referrals to the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education
(1-800-MISUSED)
Should our review of your financial aid application reveal you may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with your application, we are required to report information to the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Education for investigation. Examples of such information include (but are not limited to) false claims of independent student status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signatures or certificates and false statements of income.