Verification of Identity

Some FAFSAs are selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education. The verification process is designed to ensure accuracy in Federal Student Aid applications. Some FAFSA filers are selected randomly, and some are selected based on specific criteria used by the Department of Education. If your FAFSA is selected for verification, the Financial Aid Office must collect additional documents from you and verify some of the information on your FAFSA.

Verification of Identity

Some students whose FAFSAs are selected for verification must verify their identity. Students in this verification group previously needed to complete a specific form, which is no longer required as of June 2025. Instead, students can verify their identity in one of three ways:

Visit the Financial Aid Office
Visit the Financial Aid Office and present an unexpired, valid, government-issued photo identification. A staff member will make a copy of this ID. You can contact us to schedule a specific time to visit the office, or you can simply stop by during our office hours.

Schedule a video call (Zoom) with the Financial Aid Office
Contact us to schedule a Zoom appointment with a staff member. During this Zoom appointment, you will need to present an unexpired, valid, government-issued photo identification. The staff member will take a screenshot of the ID for our records.

Visit a notary
If you are unable to visit the Financial Aid Office or schedule a Zoom appointment with us, you may verify your identity by appearing before a notary and presenting an unexpired, valid, government-issued photo identification. You will need to provide the Financial Aid Office with a notarized statement that you presented this ID, along with a copy of the ID. The notarized statement could look like the following: