Each year, a sampling of aid applicants are selected by the United States Department of Education for a process called “verification” to check information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some applicants are selected randomly and some are selected based on their answers. Schools may also select students for verification to resolve conflicting information. Colleges must perform verification for selected applicants using Federal guidelines.
Selected applicants are required to submit to the UMF Financial Aid Office the following:
Dependent Students:
- Dependent Verification Worksheet (supplied by UMF)
- Please select one of the following regarding your and your parent’s income:
- You will need to grant consent and approval on the FAFSA to obtain your Federal Tax Information (FTI) directly from the IRS, even if you are a non-tax filer
- If the Federal Processor is unable to obtain your FTI from the IRS, you can submit a Federal Tax Return Transcript for the year requested by using IRS.gov OR
- A signed Federal Tax Return for the year requested with any attached schedules and W-2’s
Independent Students:
- Independent Verification Worksheet (supplied by UMF)
- Please select one of the following regarding your (and spouse, if applicable) income:
- You will need to grant consent and approval on the FAFSA to obtain your Federal Tax Information (FTI) directly from the IRS, even if you are a non-tax filer
- If the Federal Processor is unable to obtain your FTI from the IRS, you can submit a Federal Tax Return Transcript for the year requested by using IRS.gov OR
- A signed Federal Tax Return for the year requested with any attached schedules
The Financial Aid Office will not disburse aid or certify a Federal Direct Stafford Loan prior to completion of verification.
If, as a result of verification, a student is determined ineligible for aid that has already been disbursed, the student will be required to return funds for which s/he is not eligible. Failure to complete the verification process will result in the cancellation of aid.
Corrections to the FAFSA information as a result of the verification process are made electronically by the Financial Aid Office, and the student is notified of the changes with an FAFSA Submission Summary from the FAFSA Processing System. The student will be notified by UMF of any aid changes with a revised Financial Aid Award Notice.
Deadlines for Receipt of Verification Requests
Student aid applicants who are selected for verification are notified of required supporting documents and requested response timelines. These notifications are made via an initial hard copy letter and via e-mail that directs applicants to a secure site to review the documentation needs which are posted on the student’s To Do List in Mainestreet. Although students who are notified of required documents for verification are asked to submit these as soon as possible, UMF will extend the deadline as far as Federal regulations allow annually.
A Federal Pell Grant applicant selected for verification must complete the process by the final deadline published in the Federal Register which is usually mid-September following the June year-end, for 2024-2025, or 120 days after the last day of a student’s enrollment, whichever is earlier. Campus-based aid (i.e. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Federal Work-study) must complete verification by the same deadline, but the UMF Financial Aid Office urges applicants to provide the required documentation as soon as possible to facilitate timely processing. Pell Grant payments that are being disbursed in a subsequent payment period, can only be paid on coursework that was completed in the term.
Federal Direct Loan applicants can complete verification by the same deadline as above as long as their loan was certified prior to their last date of attendance.
Contact Us
If you have questions, please contact us. We look forward to helping you.
Merrill Center Student Services
University of Maine at Farmington
224 Main Street
Merrill Hall
Farmington, Maine 04938
tel 207-778-7100
fax 207-778-7555
TDD/TTY 207 778-7244
umfaid@maine.edu