Verification

The What, Where and Why’s of Federal Verification

St. John's




What does Federal Verification mean?
Federal Verification of your FAFSA form means that the University must compare your family’s federal tax returns and other documents to information reported on your FAFSA. Federal aid cannot be disbursed to your account before the verification process is complete. 

Processing usually takes two to three weeks, but it can take longer during the peak season. Because verification must be completed in advance of disbursing any money from any financial aid program, it is vital to send complete and correct information as quickly as possible.  Please note it is important to comply with deadlines if you want your financial aid credited to your student bill.

Why is your file being verified?
The federal government chooses about 30% of all FAFSAs for verification.  There are several possibilities for being selected for verification. The following are the most common reasons for being selected:

 

  • You were selected randomly.
  • The FAFSA application has incomplete data.
  • The data on the FAFSA application appears to contradict itself.
  • The FAFSA application has estimated information on it.

How will I be notified and what needs to be done after the selection?
Your Student Aid Report (SAR) will list any comments regarding the information you reported on your FAFSA.  This comment section will indicate to you if your FAFSA has been selected for verification.

Step One:

  • Check your Student Aid Report (SAR) for any comments
  • Check your UIS account for any requests
  • Check your Financial Aid award letter

Step Two:

  • Please send a copy of  requested documentation to our processing center:

    St. John’s University
    P.O. Box 548
    Randolph, MA 02368-0548

What happens if there are discrepancies in the application?
After you turn in all required documents, the Office of Student Financial Services will compare them with your FAFSA. If errors are found, corrections will be made. If the errors are significant enough to change the amount of financial aid that you were awarded, the Office of Student Financial Services will send you a revised award letter showing changes in the amounts.  Please note you can monitor changes in your status on your UIS account.

What if I do not supply the verification documentation?
Federal regulation prohibits the disbursement of certain federal financial aid prior to the completion of the verification process. Federal aid programs affected include, but are not limited to: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Stafford Subsidized Loans.  St. John’s financial grants also follow this process.

Although technically Federal guidelines allow for students to complete verification up to 120 days after the last date of enrollment, St. John’s University is allowed to set its own deadlines.  We extend temporary credit for aid pending verification up until October of the Fall semester.  If you have not submitted all requested documents by that time period the temporary credit will expire.  From this point, your aid will only be reinstated once all requested documents are submitted and verification has been completed.

Will I be notified when the verification is complete?
A message will be posted to your UIS account indicating that verification has been completed.