Financial Aid Eligibility Verification
Verification is a review process that a school must use to confirm that data reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is accurate for those students selected by the U.S. Department of Education. The school has the authority to contact the student for documentation that supports income and other information reported on the FAFSA.
NOTE: If a student is selected for Verification, that student should not make any additional corrections to the FAFSA unless specifically advised by the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office. If a student makes an unauthorized correction themselves, this could cause delays in the Verification process.
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The University of 杏吧原创 - Fort Smith (杏吧原创) partners with ProVerify to process verification. If your FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education you will receive an introductory email at your 杏吧原创 email address.
Below is additional information concerning the Verification process at 杏吧原创.
Once a student (and parent, if dependent) has signed and submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using their , the student will be notified immediately if they have been selected for Verification in their Student Aid Report (SAR). It can take an additional 5-7 business days for the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office to receive the completed FAFSA.
When the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office receives a FAFSA that has been selected for Verification the following steps take place:
Step 1鈥擳he student will be notified of the required documentation via their 杏吧原创 email account. The requirements will also be viewable in the student鈥檚 account.
Step 2鈥擳he student will receive an introductory email at their 杏吧原创 email address explaining how to use the ProVerify system to complete their required documents for Verification.
Step 3鈥 The link in the introductory communication will invite you to access the ProVerify system and do the following:
- Confirm your identity (authentication).
- Create a secure password
- Access your Documents and begin the verification process (this includes the completion of online forms).
Step 4鈥 Upon receipt of all required documents, the automated verification process will begin. Students will be notified via email or text if there are any questions or if any additional documentation is required.
Step 5鈥 Once verification has been completed the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office will complete the awarding process and send you an award notification.
In addition, you can monitor the status of your financial aid by logging into your My.杏吧原创 account.
Any necessary corrections to financial information or household size will be made by the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office through the Verification process.
Any necessary corrections to student demographic information, dependency questions, or parent personal or marital information will be expected to be made by the student and/or parent.
Any corrections made to the FAFSA may take an additional 5-7 business days to be processed and returned to 杏吧原创, if our federal school code (001110) is on the FAFSA.
If you cannot answer 鈥淵es鈥 to the FAFSA dependency questions and are therefore required to include your parent information; however, due to extenuating circumstances such as abuse or abandonment you cannot or should not have contact with your parent you may complete a Dependency Appeal Form and the Independent Verification Worksheet. If your dependency appeal is approved, the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office may use Professional Judgment to override your dependency status for FAFSA purposes. This would require additional action each year the student is seeking aid at 杏吧原创. You must meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to request the Dependency Appeal Form.
If your family鈥檚 financial situation has changed since you completed your FAFSA such as parent losing a job due to business closure or layoff, or a parent has become deceased, or your parents have divorced/separated, you may complete a Special Circumstance Appeal and the Verification Worksheet. If the appeal is approved, the 杏吧原创 Financial Aid Office may use Professional Judgment to adjust the finances reported on the FAFSA to re-evaluate your financial aid eligibility. You must meet with a Financial Aid Advisor to request the Special Circumstance Appeal Form.
NOTE: If you choose to pursue a Dependency Appeal or a Special Circumstance Appeal, you must first complete the Verification process. This will include completing the appropriate Verification Worksheet and providing additional financial information. See instructions on the appropriate forms. This may delay your financial aid award.