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.
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
- 2020 student and/or parent W-2s
- 2020 signed student and/or parent tax returns
- Other forms
If applying for aid for the 2022-23 academic year, tax returns and W-2s should be from 2020. 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 in to your FAFSA online under the "Returning User" section. For more detailed instructions, review the steps 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.