Verification & Conflicting Information

Federal Verification vs. Conflicting Information

Applications selected for federal verification are chosen by the U.S. Department of Education, while applications that have conflicting information between the FAFSA and CSS Profile are selected for additional review by the University of Denver. In both cases, further documentation is required before we can offer financial aid.

Overview of the Process

If you're selected for federal verification or have conflicting information, we'll notify you via email so you can help us verify that the information you submitted on your financial aid application is accurate.

However, if you do not wish to apply for any need-based assistance, this process is not required. It's also not required if you plan to take part only in the Federal Parent PLUS or unsubsidized loan programs, or if you are certain you will not be attending DU within the academic year. If you're selected and any of these circumstances apply, please contact us.

What to Submit

If you're selected for federal verification or have conflicting information, you'll receive an email from our office indicating what you (and your parents, if applicable) need to submit. Required documents may include:

• Verification Worksheet
• 2018 student and/or parent W-2s
• 2018 signed student and/or parent tax returns

If applying for aid for the 2020-21 academic year, tax returns and W-2s should be from 2018. Tax returns must be signed or include tax preparer information. Not all documents will be required of all students. Prospective students should log into www.du.edu/appstatus to view the specific requirements needed to complete their application. Current students should check through PioneerWeb.

Note: If a tax return is requested, you may be able to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to update your FAFSA instead of submitting a tax return To use this tool—which will import your tax return data directly into your application—log into your FAFSA online at www.FAFSA.gov and click "Make FAFSA Corrections". For more detailed instructions, review the Guide to Using IRS Data Retrieval. Once your FAFSA is correct and you've waited an additional 3-4 business days for processing, use the methods described above to check your application status to see if a tax return is still required.

When to Submit

Make sure to submit your documents as soon as possible! We're unable to generate your financial aid offer until we complete the review process.

The final deadline for federal verification is the student's last day of attendance during an academic year or June 30 of the academic year, whichever comes first. Students submitting documents after the final deadline will not be eligible for financial aid for that year.