FAFSA Verification Process at UNCW

Every year, at least one-third of the FAFSAs submitted to our school are selected for a process called "verification." During verification, our office is required to compare information submitted on the student's FAFSA with tax and asset information for the student and the dependent student's parent.

Our office contacts students selected for verification to request additional information required. We typically ask for the following documentation:

• A completed verification worksheet, available in the "Forms" section of the financial aid website. Please be certain all sections of the form are complete, even if the amount is zero.
  • Dependent students and their parent(s) complete a "Dependent Verification Worksheet." The parent and student must sign the dependent verification worksheet.
  • Independent Students complete and sign an "Independent Verification Worksheet."
• An IRS Tax Return Transcript, available from the IRS website. We are no longer allowed to use copies of IRS tax returns for verification purposes.
• In place of an IRS Tax Return Transcript, students/parents may go back to the FAFSA website and use the IRS Data Retrieval tool to update federal tax information. Updated FAFSA information will be received in our system, electronically, for processing.