Verification

Verification is the process by which a student’s financial aid application data is checked for accuracy. Only those students selected for verification by the federal processor or institution need to go through this process. The U.S. Department of Education requires all colleges to complete this process for all students selected without exception. Students are notified of this requirement via the Student Aid Report (SAR) and through an email from the TSC Financial Aid Office.

Students selected for verification are typically asked to submit the following documents, if applicable to their situation:

  • The student’s (and spouse’s, if applicable) official Tax Transcript from the Internal Revenue Service;
  • An official Tax Transcript of the parent(s) from the Internal Revenue Service;
  • Wage and Tax income statements (W-2s), 1099, etc. for parent(s) and/or student;
  • Household Form; and
  • Documentation that verifies benefits or untaxed income, such as:
    • Child support paid and received,
    • Untaxed pensions,
    • Food Stamp benefits, and
    • Other untaxed income and benefits.

The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to request any additional documentation to resolve discrepancies found during the verification process.

If FAFSA information does not match with documentation provided by the student, the Financial Aid Office will make corrections to the FAFSA information for the student. If the student is aware that FAFSA information is incorrect and was not selected for verification, the student can make corrections via FAFSA online. Students may also visit the Financial Aid Office for assistance with making changes to FAFSA and will need to provide supporting documentation.

Federal regulation requires that Financial Aid administrators notify the Office of Inspector General (OIG) whenever suspicions of fraudulent actions are identified, and documentation is mailed to the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-1500

1-800-MIS-USED

E-mail: oig.hotline@ed.gov

Web: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/hotline.html

Dallas, TX contact number: (214) 661-9530