Verification Process

FAFSA Verification

 

Students selected for verification must provide documentation to support the information on the FAFSA.  Verification Deadline for the 2022-2023 Academic Year is June 30, 2023. Note: Students who fail to submit all documents required to complete verification by the published deadline will be ineligible for federal financial aid.

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What is Verification?

Verification is a process used to confirm that the data reported on your FAFSA is accurate.  You will be asked to provide documentation to support the information you reported on the FAFSA.

If you are selected for verification, you will be required to submit documentation such as Federal Tax Transcripts, W2s, and a verification worksheet by the deadline presented.  Financial aid will NOT disburse to your account until your documentation is submitted and reviewed.

Why Was I Selected?

Your FAFSA may be selected for verification at random, or because you supplied incomplete or inconsistent data on your application.  Verification is a federal regulation and ensures that eligible students receive all the aid for which they qualify.  If you were selected, you will get a notification in your student email and you will see a Requirement in your mySUNYorange portal showing as "ProEd" (our verification provider).  You will also receive emails and texts from ProEd encouraging you to complete the process.

What Do I Need to Do?

The required documents will be listed on your ProEd Student Dashboard.  You can find the link to the SUNY Orange ProEd Student Portal under your Requirements Tab on mySUNYorange, and in the email you receive from the Financial Aid Office. 

If you have any questions, please call [insert FAO phone number].

Tips

In order to expedite the process we encourage the following:

• Submit documents within 30 days of receiving the first notice from the Financial Aid Office. The faster you submit your verification documentation, the faster we will disburse your aid.
• Read the instructions carefully and submit all required documents up front. Incomplete files cause significant delays for you and for other students, as we must dedicate more resources to following up with you and requesting additional documents.
• Provide accurate information. Corrections take more time to process, and providing accurate information the first time will speed up the verification process. If possible, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on FAFSA to import your financial information directly from the IRS.
• Check your mySUNYorange portal and SUNY Orange email. Sometimes we ask for more documentation in order to ensure the accuracy of your financial aid application information. Check your SUNY Orange email and Requirements tab on mySUNYorange frequently. The faster you respond, the faster we will disburse your aid.

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SUNY Orange highly recommends, and encourages, that student and parents utilize the ease of the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) when completing your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  DRT allows students and parents to access their IRS Tax Return Informaton needed to complete their FAFSA, and tranfer the data directly into their application from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What happens if I don't complete FAFSA Verification?
You will be unable to receive most forms of financial aid — including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Work Study, Federal Direct Loans and the Excelsior Scholarship — until the verification process is completed. 

If you don’t submit or correct all required documentation, SUNY Orange's Office of Financial Aid will revise your financial aid package and only disburse the aid you’re eligible to receive. Once you complete the verification process, the other forms of aid may be reinstated.  

Please note that some aid — including Federal Work Study and the Federal SEOG — depends on the availability of funds. 

Q. Am I eligible?
To be eligible for Federal Student Financial Aid at SUNY Orange, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
• Be accepted for admission and admitted to an eligible degree-seeking or certificate- seeking program at USA.
• Be enrolled for at least the minimum course load required for the requested aid program. All loan programs (including alternative loans) require an enrollment of at least Audit classes do not count.
• Meet and maintain all requirements under the SUNY Orange's SAP Policy and not be in default on a prior student loan or owe a repayment on any Title IV aid.
• Be registered for Selective Service if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.

Q. When should I apply for Financial Aid?
You must apply for Financial Aid every year. The best time to apply is as soon as possible on/after October 1 for the next aid year and before the end of December (Fall, Spring & Summer semesters). The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed by the aforementioned deadlines in order to remain eligible for federal financial aid.  You can complete your FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/

Q. Why was I selected for Verification? Did I do something wrong? Why was I selected over another student?
No, you did not do anything wrong.  Verification is a random selection by the U.S. Department of Education. If selected, before SUNY orange can disburse federal financial aid, verification must be complete.  Some students get selected every year, some get selected once, and some never at all.  The formula used by the U.S. Department of Education is not public knowledge.

Q. I've already submitted my FAFSA, but I need to make some changes. How should I make them?
If you have your FSAID and Password from the Department of Education, you can make your changes online at https://studentaid.gov/  Do not make changes after verification has been completed.  Please contact our office first!  If you have a Student Aid Report (SAR), you can make the corrections on that and mail it to the Department of Education.

Q. I've already submitted my FAFSA, but I need to add a school. How do I do that?
If you are NOT planning to attend your (current) attending school, please remove the school ID# from the FAFSA.
If you have your FSAID and Password from the Department of Education, you can make your changes online at https://studentaid.gov/ 

If you have your Student Aid Report (SAR), you may call the Department of Education at 1-800-433-3243. Give them your name, Social Security number, the DRN number and the transaction number from your SAR (in the upper right corner of the front page), and the name of the school you want to have added to your FAFSA. If you no longer have your SAR, you may also call to request a duplicate.

Q. How long will it take before I get my Financial Aid Offer?
It may take up to 15 business days, if selected for verification, after you complete your file before you'll find out your finalized eligibility. Ensure the fastest processing time by turning in all requested information in a timely manner.

Q. Is it too late to apply for Financial Aid?
You can apply for Financial Aid anytime during the current school year as long as the school receives a valid FAFSA from the Federal Processor before the last day of the current school year. However, some funding is limited and/or may not be available when your award is finalized.

Q. If it is asking for parent signature on the FAFSA, how do they sign?
Your parent should create a FSAID prior to electronically signing. Once you parent completes  and receives notification, they will be allowed to electronically sign with their FSA ID. You can create an FSAID at FSAID.ED.GOV

Q. When I fill out the FAFSA, how will I know if I am a Dependent or Independent?
It will depend on how you answer the questions to the worksheet below- If you answer Yes to any of the questions, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered to be an independent student and do not have to provide information about your parents on the FAFSA. However, if you answer No to every question, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered to be a dependent student, and you must provide information about your parents on  the FAFSA. Use the worksheet below to review if you will be considered independent or dependent status.

https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/fafsa-dependency.pdf

Q. What information am I required to Verify?

Verification Tracking Flag	Verification Tracking Group Name	FAFSA information you are required to verify
V1	Standard Verification Group	Tax Filers: Adjusted Gross Income U.S. Income Tax Paid Untaxed Poertions of Individual Retuirement Account (IRA) Distributions Untaxed Portions of Pensions IRA Deductions and Payments Tax Exempt Interest Income Education Tax Credits Non Tax Filers: Income Earned from Work Proof of non-filing Tax Filers and Non Tax Filers: Number of Household Members Number in College
V4	Custom Verification Group	High School Completion Status Identity/Statement of Education Purpose
V5	Standard Verification Group	Tax Filers: Adjusted Gross Income U.S. Income Tax Paid Untaxed Poertions of Individual Retuirement Account (IRA) Distributions Untaxed Portions of Pensions IRA Deductions and Payments Tax Exempt Interest Income Education Tax Credits Non Tax Filers: Income Earned from Work Proof of non-filing Tax Filers and Non Tax Filers: Number of Household Members Number in College High School Completion Status Identity/Statement of Education Purpose

If you have any questions, please contact the SUNY Orange Financial Aid Office at finaid@sunyorange.edu.