Financial Aid Verification

Verification

  • Verification is a process to confirm the information you provided on the FAFSA. You may have been selected because your FAFSA was incomplete, the data you provided was not consistent with previous years, or you were chosen randomly.
  • If you were selected for verification by the Federal Processing Center, there are certain documents that will need to be submitted before you are eligible to receive some types of financial aid including loans, grants and some scholarships. If you are selected, you MUST turn in the information requested as soon as possible.

Required Verification Documents 2012-2013
Please choose one of the following forms according to how your FAFSA was filed:

You will also be required to do one of the following in regards to your 2011 taxes

All forms can be submitted via email, fax or mail:

Email:
Verification@drury.edu 		 Fax:
(417) 873-6909 
Phone: (417) 873-7312		 Mail:
Financial Aid Office
Drury University
900 N Benton
Springfield, MO 65802

Important websites and phone numbers
File the FAFSA online or by phone at 800-4-FEDAID
Check on or request selective service registration
Request copies of tax returns or transcripts online or by phone at 800-908-9946

Verification FAQs

What is verification?
Verification is the Federally regulated process of checking the accuracy of the FAFSA data provided by the student and if applicable, the student’s parents.

What documentation is required for verification?
For the 2012-2013 school year, the following documentation needed is:

  • Verification Worksheet
  • 2011 Tax Return Transcripts (for student and additionally for parents if the student is considered dependent) or use the IRS data retrieval tool to upload tax information directly to the FAFSA
  • Additional documentation may be required after initial review of a student’s file

How do I determine who is a member of my household?
FAFSA defines members of your household as the following:

Dependent Student- Your parents' household size should include yourself, your parent(s), and the number of children (other than yourself) who will receive more than half of their support from your parents between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. Also include the number of people who are not your parents' children but who live with your parents and receive more than half of their support from your parents, and will continue to receive more than half of their support from your parents between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013.

Independent Student-Your household size should include yourself, your spouse (if married) and children and other people (not your children or spouse) who will receive more than half of their support from you (and your spouse) between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013. You may also include any unborn children if they will be born during the school year.

Support includes money, housing, food, clothes, medical and dental care, gifts, loans, payment of college costs, etc.

If I get married or divorced after I have filed my FAFSA, do I file a new FAFSA under my new name?

Select the answer that describes your marital status as of the day you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If your marital status has changed or will change since the time the application was initially submitted, check with your financial aid counselor.

“Married / remarried” does not mean living together unless your state of legal residence recognizes the relationship as a common law marriage.

According to the Defense of Marriage Act (1996), “…the word ‘marriage’ means a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.” Therefore, same-sex unions are not considered marriages for federal purposes, including the FAFSA.

What happens if the information I, or my parents, reported on the FAFSA is inaccurate?
The FAFSA form must be completed with accuracy and the information supplied is subject to verification by the school, state, or U.S. Department of Education. In addition, failure to provide requested documentation may result in loss of financial student aid as the school cannot disburse funding prior to completion of the verification process.
As stated within FAFSA FAQs, if you get federal student aid based on incorrect information, you will have to pay it back; you may also have to pay fines and fees. If you purposely give false or misleading information on your application, you may be fined $20,000, sent to prison, or both.

What if I have already finished verification for the school year at a different school?
Drury University must conduct its own verification process according to Federal regulations and guidelines.

How long will the verification process take?
Once all completed documents are received, verification can take between 1-2 weeks. Incomplete documents will delay the process of verification, and will also delay the processing of any loans.

Additional documents that need to be on the website, but do not necessarily need to be on the Verification webpage:

Additional Forms that may be required
Please fill out these only if requested by the Financial Aid department