Verification
New for 2012-2013...Personal copies of Federal Income tax returns can no longer be accepted for verification.
Verification is a process mandated by the U. S. Department of Education that requires schools to gather additional documentation to check the accuracy of information submitted on the FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education or UMass Amherst Financial Aid Services may ask you to confirm certain information you reported on your FAFSA. Being selected for the verification process does not mean that you have made a mistake or provided erroneous information.
If you are selected for verification, you will be notified by email and will guided to download a verification worksheet. You will be required to submit the worksheet, tax information by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or by providing an IRS tax return transcript, and other supporting documents to Financial Aid Services.
There are many types of verification requests. You may be asked to provide documentation and validation of, among other things:
- your status as a dependent or independent student
- your income and expenses
- your citizenship
- your UMass Amherst enrollment
- your income exclusion
- the number of other family members enrolled in school
Note: Supply your name and SPIRE ID in the upper right-hand corner of all information that you submit to Financial Aid Services, and keep in mind that none of the documentation will be returned.
You will normally have 60 days to submit all requested documentation, and if you fail to do so, your aid award could be canceled. Once your documentation has been received and reviewed, Financial Aid Services will finalize your award. If we find incorrect information reported on the FAFSA, we will first recalculate your eligibility and then finalize the award.
Freshman and Transfer Student Verification
If you are an entering freshman and meet the UMass Amherst March 1 FAFSA deadline, you will receive your financial aid award before May 1, the Candidate's Reply Date. Some entering freshmen are subject to verification. If you are one of them, your financial aid offer will be tentative.
Similarly, transfer students will receive their financial aid award prior to June 1, which is their Candidate's Reply Date. If you are a transfer student selected for verification, your aid offer will be tentative as well.
Once Financial Aid Services receives all of the documentation it needs to complete the verification, it will be reviewed and your tentative reward will either be finalized or adjusted.
Returning Student Verification
If you are a returning student selected for verification, you must submit all required documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The verification process must be completed before you will be granted your award.
