Financial Aid Verification Process
Each year, students and their families apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additional documentation is requested by the financial aid office to ensure the information provided on the FAFSA is accurate. Federal regulation requires the financial aid office to ask you for this information before offering federal aid under the financial aid program rules 34CFR, Part 668. Because this information is used to determine need-based aid, reporting this information accurately is crucial. If verification results in a change in your FAFSA a new BW Offer Letter will be sent.
If your FAFSA is selected for verification and you wish to receive federal, state and/or certain types of institutional financial aid, you are required to go through the verification. Failure to complete the process will prevent BW from releasing these funds to the student's account.
Once
you
have
been
selected
you
will
be
notified
by
both
BW
and
the
US
Department
of
Education.
-
New,
first-time
students
should
be
notified
by:
-
An
email
or
letter
Student
Aid
Report
(SAR)
from
the
US
Department
of
Education
-
A
letter
mailed
to
their
home
-
An
email
notification
listing
the
documents
needed
-
Missing
documents
will
be
identified
on
the
financial
aid
self-service
tool
in
MyRecords
-
An
initial
financial
aid
offer
with
a
verification
statement
at
the
top
of
the
letter,
as
well
as
a
special
notice
inserted
with
the
offer
letter
documents
-
An
email
or
letter
Student
Aid
Report
(SAR)
from
the
US
Department
of
Education
-
Returning
students
should
be
notified
by:
Requested Items
Verification requires validation of both household and tax information. The following documentation may be requested to confirm the information on the FAFSA:
-
BW
Verification
Worksheet
(form
#3)
-
Tax
Information
for
the
specified
year
-
IRS
Data
Retrieval
Tool
-
available
through
the
FAFSA
process
-
A
signed
copy
of
the
IRS
Form
1040
-
IRS
Tax
Return
Transcript
-
IRS
Form
4506-T,
box
7
-
Verification
of
Non-Filing
-
IRS
Form
4506-T,
box
7
-
Wage
statements
-
IRS
Data
Retrieval
Tool
-
available
through
the
FAFSA
process
For the items specifically requested from you, please visit the financial aid self-service tool in MyRecords.
Verification FAQs
- How will the financial aid office notify me if my FAFSA is selected for verification?
- Who determines which students are selected for verification?
- What should I do if selected?
- What will happen if I don't submit the required verification documents?
- Can my financial aid change as a result of verification?
- What if the information on my FAFSA is wrong? Do I need to change it?
- How will I know when verification of my FAFSA has been completed?
- What documentation is needed to complete the verification process?
- I can't download my tax return transcript. Is there a way to simplify this process?
- Is everyone eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA?
- What if the semester billing deadline passes before verification can be completed?
- What can I do to make sure the verification information I provide is accurate and complete?
Federal ID Code
BW's Federal ID Code: 003014