FAFSA Verification
Fri: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Verification Process
The U.S. Department of Education requires universities to verify the accuracy of information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Verification is the process of confirming that information reported by the student and parent(s) or spouse on the FAFSA is accurate. Each year, a percentage of student who complete the FAFSA applicants are randomly selected by the U.S. Department of Education for verification. A student may also be selected by the Coppin State University.
If selected for verification, students will initially be notified on their FAFSA submission summary. In addition, the Office of Financial Aid will notify the student via alerts on their Student Financial Planning (SFP) portal if additional documentation is needed.
Students who are selected for verification must provide all required documentation and verification must be complete before any financial aid will be released to students. Failure to provide all required documentation before the last day of classes for the semester may result in the cancellation of the student’s financial aid awards.
Please remember to write the student’s name and Campus ID on all verification documents prior to uploading to your SFP portal. To safeguard your personal information, please upload ALL verification documents to your student portal. Please do not email verification documents to the Office of Financial Aid.
Verification of Income Data
- If you are selected for the verification process, our office will send you an email and post alerts on your SFP Portal specifying the documents required.
- When all necessary documentation is received, our office will compare the submitted paperwork to the information provided on the FAFSA. If there are any discrepancies, our office will make the corrections, and you will receive notification if your financial aid has changed. The revised awards will be available on your SFP Portal.
- Occasionally, our office must request additional documentation because the originally submitted documents do not provide all of the necessary information to complete the verification process. In these situations, you will be notified via e-mail that additional documentation needs to be submitted to our office.
Verification of Citizenship
If your citizenship status is not verified by the Department of Homeland Security when you initially complete your FAFSA, you will be required to submit documentation to the Office of Financial Aid verifying your citizenship status.
U.S. citizens flagged for verification of citizenship on the FAFSA should contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to update their federal records to prevent repeated future requests. Use the link provided above and contact the SSA to find out how to update your record.
Acceptable Documentation for FAFSA Verification of Citizenship
For our office to verify citizenship, one of the following original documents must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid in person:
If you are an U.S. citizen born in the United States, examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Your birth certificate
- Your U.S. passport
If you are a U.S. citizen born outside the United States, examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Your Certificate of Citizenship
- Your U.S. passport
- Your Certificate of Naturalization
If you are an eligible non-citizen, examples of acceptable documentation include:
- Your Alien Registration Receipt Card (Form I-551 or I-151)
- Your passport stamped, “Processed for I-551 . . . valid until ___”
- Your Departure Record (I-94)
General Verification FAQs
Verification is the process used to check the accuracy of information submitted by students on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are selected for verification, we must verify this information before you are offered financial aid.
If there are differences between your self-reported FAFSA information and the information you/your parent(s) provided as part of the verification process (including your federal tax return), we may update your FAFSA and recalculate your financial aid eligibility.
The U.S. Department of Education chooses student applications for verification and requires that universities check the accuracy of the information provided on the FAFSA or the renewal application.
Yes, you did already answer these questions or provide the information on the FAFSA. Verification is a process where we make sure that you have filled out the FAFSA correctly.
Yes, you must complete and submit the requested verification documents for your financial aid to be disbursed. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or denial of your financial aid.
Please submit the requested verification document(s) by June 1 to be considered for all available financial aid programs. A financial aid offer cannot be created until all of the requested documents have been received and verification has been completed.
All required forms and documents for verification must be submitted before the conclusion of the semester to be considered for federal aid according to federal regulations.
For detailed information on how to complete the verification process through your Student Financial Planning Portal (SFP), please visit our SFP Verification Process page.
The Student Financial Planning portal is a web application provided to all enrolled to students to apply for, review/accept, and receive aid, with alert notifications for required actions, discrepancies and to expediate the verification process.
The length of time for verification can vary depending on the volume of students. Due to the high volume of students being verified in the spring and summer, it can take up to three to weeks for verification to be completed.
If additional information is needed during the verification process, you will be notified via email. If you need to update your contact information, please visit coppin.edu.
If the FAFSA has determined that you are a dependent student, yes, your parent information is needed to complete verification.
If you and your spouse did not file U.S. taxes, please submit both of the following documents:
- The Student Non-Filer Status/Low Income Worksheet
- This worksheet can be found on our (Forms) page.
- The IRS Verification of Non-Filling Letter o You can request this letter on the IRS website or by completing IRS Form 4506-T.
If you worked in the U.S., we will also need all copies of the W-2 forms (if applicable). In the case that you or your spouse worked in a foreign country and earned foreign income, we will need a copy of the foreign taxes or a signed statement from the foreign employer, verifying the gross annual income earned. Please make sure all documents are translated to English and the currency is converted to U.S. dollars.
If your parents live in the U.S. and did not file taxes they will need to submit both of the following documents:
- The Parent Non-Filer Status/Low Income Worksheet
- This worksheet can be found on our page (Forms Page).
- The IRS Verification of Non-Filling Letter o You can request this letter on the IRS website or by completing IRS Form 4506-T.
Please complete and upload the student’s SFP portal all copies of W-2 Forms (if applicable). If other documentation is needed, you will receive an email request.
Please provide copies of each parent’s foreign taxes or a signed statement from each parent’s foreign employer stating the annual gross income earned. Please submit a signed and dated statement that:
- Certifies that your parent(s) does not have a Social Security Number, an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or an Employer Identification Number; and
- Lists the sources and amounts of earnings, other income, and resources that supported your parent(s) for the associated tax year.
Please make sure all documents are translated to English and the foreign currency is converted to U.S. dollars.
The parent who lived in the U.S., needs to submit a copy of their U.S. federal tax information and the parent who lived abroad will need to submit a copy of the foreign taxes or a signed statement from their foreign employer, stating their annual gross income earned.
For the parent who lives abroad please submit a signed and dated statement that:
- Certifies that the parent does not have a Social Security Number, an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or an Employer Identification Number, and
- Lists the sources and amounts of earnings, other income, and resources that supported the parent for the associated tax year.
Please make sure all foreign documents are translated to English and the currency is converted to U.S. dollars.
For any parent that works for an international organization and is not required to file U.S. taxes or is not required to pay U.S. taxes, the parent should submit a letter from the employer stating the parent’s gross annual income earned. Also please visit the IRS website to request Verification of Non-filing Letter from the IRS for each parent in the household.
For any student or parent that files a federal tax extension, the student/parent must submit:
- A copy of the IRS Form 4868, and
- All copies of W-2 form(s) from employers; and/or
- If one or both of your parents own a business or is self-employed, submit a signed statement listing the adjusted gross income (AGI) and taxes paid.
Individuals who filed an amended tax return must submit the following documents to the institution:
- A transcript obtained from the IRS that lists tax account information of the tax filer for tax year; and
- A signed copy of the IRS Form 1040X that was filed with the IRS.
Individuals who are victims of IRS tax-related identity theft must submit:
- A Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) transcript obtained from the IRS; and
- A statement signed and dated by the tax filer indicating that they were victims of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS has been made aware of the tax-related identity theft.
Tax filers may obtain a TRDBV transcript and inform the IRS of the tax-related identity theft by calling the IRS’s Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) at 1-800-908-4490.