Why did you get selected for Verification?
The federal government selects Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
for the verification process. Colleges and universities are then required to verify
that the data reported by students and their parent(s) is correct. In some instances,
our review may result in a change to the student’s financial aid eligibility.
Your signature on the FAFSA indicates your willingness to provide documentation
if it is requested. Participation in the Verification process is not optional
if you wish to receive federal student aid, including federal student and parent
loans.
What programs are affected?
a. Federal Pell Grant
b. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
c. Federal TEACH Grant
d. Federal Work Study
e. Federal Direct Stafford Loans
f. Federal Perkins Loan
In order to be considered for the Federal Pell Grant, the deadline to submit
all requested information is 120 days after the student’s last date of
attendance during the 2017-2018 academic year (or the 2017-2018 federal deadline,
whichever comes first). To be considered for all other federal aid programs,
including Federal Direct Student Loans and the Federal PLUS Loan for parents,
the deadline is 30 days prior to the last day of the semester the student last
attends during the 2017-2018 academic year. Students and their families are
strongly encouraged to submit all requested information to the One Stop for Student Services as quickly as possible.
How do I complete the required Verification Process?
- Complete the 2017-2018 Verification Worksheet available at www.kent.edu/financialaid/forms.
Do not leave the answer to any question blank.
- If you did not originally use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you
filed the FAFSA, you may submit a correction and use the tool instead of submitting
a signed copy of a 2015 federal tax return or an IRS Tax Return Transcript. Log on to your FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov. We strongly encourage you to use this option. Some tax filers may not be able to use the
Tool. If that applies to you, you must submit the signed federal tax return or IRS Tax Return Transcript.
A Federal IRS Tax Return Transcript can be obtained online or by mail, free
of charge, by visiting www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-908-9946. Be sure to
request a “Return Transcript” and not an “Account Transcript.”
Federal financial aid policies do not allow us to accept copies of state tax
returns.
If you filed an amended tax return for 2015, you must provide a copy of your
tax transcript (which will include only information from the original tax return)
and a signed copy of the 2015 IRS form 1040X that was filed with the IRS.
-
If you or your parent/stepparent has a 2015 tax extension beyond the automatic
six month extension, you may submit IRS form 4868 for tax year 2015, a copy
of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond six months, and a copy of
all 2015 W2’s. Additionally, you must submit an IRS Non-Filing Letter
dated after October 1, 2016.
If you were a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft, you may provide a Tax
Return DataBase View (TRDBV) Transcript, obtained from the IRS and a statement
signed and dated by the tax filer indicating that he or she was a victim of
IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS is aware of the tax-related
identity theft.
If you filed a foreign 2015 tax return or a tax return with Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please contact the
One Stop for Student Services for further instructions.
- Submit any other required documentation as indicated on your Verification
Worksheet or your FlashLine account.
What happens after Verification is complete?
- A financial aid professional will compare information on this worksheet
and any required supporting documents with the information submitted on the
2017-2018 FAFSA (and the 2016-2017 FAFSA if received and required). Please allow
up to 7-10 business days for this review.
- If additional documentation is requested after reviewing the worksheets and
supporting documents, we will request the additional information on the student’s
FlashLine account under Financial Aid Messages. A notification will be sent
to your Kent State email account. It is the responsibility of the student to
check their FlashLine account on a regular basis.
- Kent State University will electronically submit any corrections necessary
to the 2017-2018 FAFSA (and the 2016-2017 FAFSA if received and required).
- The federal Department of Education will reprocess the FAFSA if corrections
are necessary. The student will receive an updated electronic Student Aid Report.
- If the student’s financial aid eligibility changes for 2017-2018 (or
2016-2017) as a result of corrections, the financial aid awards will be updated
and the student will be notified by an email to their Kent State email account.
Please contact the One Stop for Student Services if you have any questions or concerns.