Verification Process
The federally mandated verification process uses documentation to confirm that the information provided on the FAFSA is correct. Verification ensures that eligible students receive all the federal financial aid to which they are entitled. Below are answers to commonly asked questions about the verification process.
How will I know if I am selected for verification? Answer
If you are selected for verification by the federal processor, there will be an asterisk next to your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on your Student Aid Report (SAR). You will also be informed of having been selected for verification in the SAR Acknowledgement letter. You can view your SAR online or view a sample SAR.
If you are selected for verification by the WPI Office of Financial Aid, you will be notified of any additional documentation that is required. If you have a Federal Pell Grant estimated in your financial aid award, you will be selected for verification. Federal Pell Grant recipients are welcome to submit verification documents prior to being notified by WPI, if not selected by the federal processor.
Why was I selected for verification? Answer
Reasons vary; it may be that your FAFSA was incomplete or contains estimated or inconsistent information. You may have also been chosen randomly. Verification is a federal regulation. Students selected for verification are not being punished; rather verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid by reporting false information and ensures that eligible students receive all the aid for which they qualify.
How will I know what additional documentation is required for verification, and where and when to send it? Answer
If your SAR indicates you were selected for verification or if the WPI Office of Financial Aid determines that your application needs to be verified, you and your parent(s) will be required to provide supporting documents to the WPI Office of Financial Aid.
The Department of Education has changed the verification process. As a result, depending on certain financial indicators, the category of verification you were selected for and the specific documentation required will vary. You will receive a letter from the WPI Office of Financial Aid outlining your requirements. Below is a breakdown of each verification category.
Category: Standard Verification or V1 Expand
What is required?
- For tax filers, successfully utilize the IRS’s Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA (preferred option). Step-by- step instructions for using this tool are available or provide a copy of a 2012 federal tax return transcript.
- For non-tax filers, provide a copy of 2012 W-2 statement(s).
- If anyone in your household received SNAP benefits in 2011 or 2012, provide a signed statement indicating receipt of such benefits.
- If anyone in your household paid child support to another household in 2012, provide a signed statement indicating the amount of child support paid, to whom it was paid and for whom it was paid.
Category: SNAP Verification or V2 Expand
What is required?
- If anyone in your household received SNAP benefits in 2011 or 2012, provide a signed statement indicating receipt of such benefits.
Category: Child Support Paid Verification or V3 Expand
What is required?
- If anyone in your household paid child support to another household in 2012, provide a signed statement indicating the amount of child support paid, to whom it was paid and for whom it was paid.
Category: Custom Verification or V4 Expand
What is required?
- You must appear in person (at the Office of Financial Aid, second floor, Bartlett Center), present a valid government-issued photo ID and a signed statement of educational purpose (to be submitted in person upon your arrival on campus).
- If anyone in your household received SNAP benefits in 2011 or 2012, provide a signed statement indicating receipt of such benefits.
- If anyone in your household paid child support to another household in 2012, provide a signed statement indicating the amount of child support paid, to whom it was paid and for whom it was paid.
Category: Aggregate Verification or V5 Expand
What is required?
- You must appear in person (at the Office of Financial Aid, second floor, Bartlett Center), present a valid government-issued photo ID and a signed statement of educational purpose (to be submitted in person upon your arrival on campus).
- For tax filers, successfully utilize the IRS’s Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA (preferred option). Step-by- step instructions for using this tool are available or provide a copy of a 2012 federal tax return transcript.
- For non-tax filers, provide a copy of 2012 W-2 statement(s).
- If anyone in your household received SNAP benefits in 2011 or 2012, provide a signed statement indicating receipt of such benefits.
- If anyone in your household paid child support to another household in 2012, provide a signed statement indicating the amount of child support paid, to whom it was paid and for whom it was paid.
To avoid delays, all verification documents should be mailed only to our processing center:
WPI Financial Aid Processing Center
PO Box 850
Randolph, MA 02368
If the federal processor selects your application for verification, you do not have to wait for the Office of Financial Aid to request additional documentation from you. It is your responsibility to review your SAR, which will list the specific verification category you were selected for, to determine if you are selected and submit additional documentation to the Office of Financial Aid by the first day of class of the first semester you are entering for that academic year or within one month of the date of the request, whichever is later.
If the WPI Office of Financial Aid selects your application for verification, you will be informed that you have been selected and that additional documentation is required. Be sure to provide documentation by the deadline to avoid delays in crediting your financial aid to your student account.
If I am selected for verification, am I required to submit additional documentation? Answer
Yes. Participation in the verification process is not optional. If a student who is selected does not submit the required documentation by the established deadline, he or she will not be eligible to receive federal financial aid as a WPI student, and all federal student aid will be canceled prior to the second term of the entering semester.
Should the verified financial information differ significantly from the original information provided on the FAFSA, your aid may be adjusted, in which case you will be notified within two weeks.
