Aid Adjustments, Verification and Requirements

Financial Aid Adjustments

There are Special Circumstances and Unusual Circumstances which may result in a Financial Aid adjustment.

• Special Circumstances – financial situations such as job loss or a reduction in income
• Unusual Circumstances – conditions that may result in an adjustment to a student’s dependency status (i.e. human trafficking, refugee or asylee status, parental abandonment or other situations)

If you have such circumstances, please contact us for more information. An appointment will be scheduled to discuss your circumstances.

Adjustments are reviewed and made on a case-by-case basis:

• Not all circumstances will result in an adjustment and not all adjustments will result in increased aid
• Supporting documentation will be requested as part of the adjustment review to substantiate the circumstance
• If you already qualify for the maximum amount of need-based financial aid, a Special Circumstance adjustment will not be made
• In some cases an adjustment may be possible but will not be enough to qualify you for a Federal Pell grant or Federal Subsidized loan

FAFSA Verification

Verification is a process intended to improve the accuracy of the data submitted on the FAFSA. You may be selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education or your school. If you are selected for verification, the Office of Financial Aid will ask for the Required Forms and documentation needed to verify your FAFSA data.

• 2024-25 Verification Forms (for students attending fall 2024. spring 2025 and summer 2025)
• 2023-24 Verification Forms (for students attending fall 2023, spring 2024 and summer 2024)

If there are differences between your FAFSA data and your documents, corrections to your FAFSA may be necessary. Verification processing time varies depending on the volume of verification files and the time of year. Turn in your documents as early as possible to complete your file.

Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (2023-24) or the Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (2024-25) if eligible. Unchanged IRS  tax information often reduces the time to complete verification.

• Students and parents selected for verification in 2024-25 who were unable to use the IRS DRT should turn in their 2022 Tax Returns or Tax Return Transcripts
• Students and parents selected for verification in 2023-24 who were unable to use the IRS DRT should turn in their 2021 Tax Returns or Tax Return Transcripts

Tax Return Transcripts are available for order on the IRS webpage Get Transcript. You may also request a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS  by calling 800-908-9946.