Financial Aid Verification

Verification is a process where the information on a student's FAFSA is compared against supporting documentation for accuracy. This is to ensure that a student's federal aid eligibility is calculated accurately.

The Department of Education or the Financial Aid Office may, at any time, select your application for verification based upon the information you have provided. Participation in the verification process is not optional. The documents required will vary based on each student. Your myMadisonCollege To Do List will detail the specific items you must verify, as well as provide links to any required forms. You will not receive financial aid until all documentation is received and reviewed. Once documentation is submitted, the Madison College Financial Aid Office will compare information from your FAFSA with the information provided.

  • Verification Reasons

    The Department of Education has criteria to select a student for verification that is reviewed and adjusted each academic year. Based on this criterion, there are several reasons why you may be selected for verification. Some of the most common reasons are:

    • The data on your submitted FAFSA was estimated, incomplete, or is conflicting; or
    • The IRS Data Retrieval Tool was used, but you then changed some or all of the data.
  • Items Subject to Verification

    You and/or your parents may be asked to submit documentation or clarification of information. These could include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

    • Adjusted Gross Income
    • Taxes Paid
    • Income Earned from Work
    • Certain Untaxed Income Items
    • Number of family members in the household
    • Number of family members enrolled in college
    • Receipt of Food Stamps/SNAP Benefit
    • Child Support Paid
    • Citizenship status
    • Compliance with Selective Service registration requirement
    • Documentation to support your independent status
    • Any other inconsistent or conflicting information (including name, date of birth, social security number, etc.)
  • Notification of Verification Requirement

    Typically, you can expect to receive an email notification that you have been selected for verification within 10 – 14 days after the Financial Aid Office has received your FAFSA results from the federal processor. (Note: Madison College does not begin receiving FAFSA results until mid-April for the upcoming academic year. Students must also be formally admitted into an eligible program for the financial aid process to begin).

    If you receive a “Missing Information for Financial Aid” or an “Additional Information Required for Financial Aid” notification in your student email you will need to follow the steps outlined in that communication to complete your application, including submitting all required information.

  • Conflicting Information

    If there is any conflicting information between what is supplied on your FAFSA and what is submitted to the Financial Aid Office, you may need to submit additional information to clarify the situation. The Madison College Financial Aid Office may need to make electronic corrections to your FAFSA to have your information reprocessed.

  • Verification Time Frame

    Deadline to Submit Documentation

    In order to receive financial aid you must submit all the required documents by December 1st for the Fall term, May 1st for the Spring term, and August 1st for the Summer term. (Note: Paperwork submitted after this deadline will still be processed for Federal Pell grant eligibility only for up to 120 days from your last date of enrollment including processing times listed above).

    Failure to submit any documents in a timely manner and/or provide accurate information will significantly delay the processing, awarding and potential disbursement of financial aid funds.

    Review of Documentation

    The Financial Aid Office processes information in the order it is received. Allow 2-3 weeks processing time from when documents are submitted. Processing time may increase during peak periods (April through August) or if additional information is required.

    • If electronic corrections are required due to conflicting information, allow for an additional week of processing time.
    • After official review, the Financial Aid Office will contact you by email regarding your next steps.