If you have been notified by the FAFSA CPS (Central Processing System) that your FAFSA was selected for verification: please wait for communication from Cedarville regarding whether or not you need to complete verification with us. For further explanation of this specific situation, see #4 below.
Deadline for completing verification: by August 1st or within 60 days, whichever is later (see #11 below).
1. What is verification?
Verification is a review process which documents select data elements of a student's FAFSA. Each year approximately 30% of FAFSAs filed across the nation are selected for verification. In this FAFSA review, the financial aid staff compares the FAFSA with information provided in the required verification documents, including IRS tax data. If discrepant information is discovered, Cedarville will update the FAFSA and send the corrected FAFSA to CPS for reprocessing. Additionally, financial aid awards will be recalculated using the updated FAFSA and its EFC calculation.
Note: If you are selected for verification, you cannot receive any of your federal and need-based aid until the verification process is completed.
2. How are FAFSA records chosen for verification?
A student's FAFSA record can be selected based on:
- verification selection criteria determined by Cedarville University each year (required as part of our participation in the US Department of Education's Quality Assurance Program)
- irregularities of data
- random selection
3. What happens if I am selected?
Any student selected for verification is required to submit the appropriate documentation to validate the information provided on their FAFSA. Once all required documents are received, the financial aid staff will complete the verification review. Any discrepancies found during the verification review process will be corrected on the FAFSA and reprocessed through the FAFSA CPS. Additionally, the student's financial aid package will be recalculated using the updated FAFSA and its EFC calculation.
4. How will I be notified if my FAFSA record has been selected for verification?
Cedarville participates in the Quality Assurance Program, which is supervised by the US Department of Education. This program allows Cedarville to use our own verification selection criteria regarding FAFSA verification. Cedarville's financial aid office will notify students when their FAFSA is either ‘Waived from Verification’ or ‘Selected for Verification.’ This information is also communicated at the top of the student’s eAward.
WAIVED: The student’s FAFSA was initially 'Selected for Verification' by CPS; however, it was not selected by Cedarville’s criteria. In this situation, our office will notify the student that their FAFSA has been 'Waived from Verification' by Cedarville.
SELECTED: The student’s FAFSA was 'Selected for Verification' by Cedarville as the FAFSA data met our selection criteria. Our office will notify this student that their FAFSA was 'Selected for Verification.'
We request that you wait to submit any verification documentation until you receive an official request for verification documents from the financial aid office.
Note: Prematurely sending verification documentation to the financial aid office may result in the FAFSA being selected for verification when otherwise you could have been WAIVED from this process.
5. What documentation will be required in the verification process?
Dependent Students
- Verification Worksheet (dependent)
- Must be signed by both student and parent
- Use the IRS data retrieval tool on the online FAFSA to transfer IRS tax information directly from the IRS data to the FAFSA.
- See below for further information
Independent Students
- Verification Worksheet (independent)
- Must be signed by both student and spouse (if applicable)
- Use the IRS data retrieval tool on the online FAFSA to transfer IRS tax information directly from the IRS data to the FAFSA.
- See below for further information
6. Why should I use the IRS data retrieval tool?
The benefit of utilizing the IRS data retrieval tool is that is greatly simplifies and expedites the verification process. By using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you will not be required to submit a Federal Tax Transcript or copies of your Federal Tax returns to the financial aid office.
7. How do I use the IRS data retrieval tool?
Please refer to our IRS data retrieval tool instructional guide for more information.
8. What if I can’t use the IRS data retrieval tool?
Some students (and parents) may not be able to use the IRS data retrieval tool. Students who cannot use this tool must submit the following:
- Dependent Student
- 2011 Federal Tax Transcript or signed copy of student’s 2011 Federal Tax Return (include all schedules)
- 2011 Federal Tax Transcript or signed copy of parent's 2011 Federal Tax Return (include all schedules)
- Independent Student
- 2011 Federal Tax Transcript or signed copy of student’s 2011 Federal Tax Return (include all schedules)
- 2011 Federal Tax Transcript or signed copy of spouse's (if applicable) 2011 Federal Tax Return (include all schedules)
9. How do I request a federal tax transcript?
You can request a free federal tax transcript online at www.irs.gov or by calling 1-800-908-9946.
Note: A tax filer is limited to one request for a federal tax transcript per tax year. Therefore, if you utilize this option, when you receive your tax transcript you should keep the original and only send a copy of your tax transcript to Cedarville for verification purposes.
10. How can I submit the required verification documents?
Documents can be submitted using any of the following options:
- E-mail: finaid@cedarville.edu (scan the document(s), save as a PDF, and send as an email attachment)
- Fax: (937)766-7639; Attn: Verification
- Mail: Financial Aid, 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314
11. Is there a deadline for submitting and completing verification?
Those selected for verification should complete verification by August 1st or within 60 days of being selected, whichever comes later. If you do not complete verification within these guidelines, you may forfeit access to campus-based federal funds (SEOG and/or Perkins Loan) as well as institutional need-based aid.
All required verification documents should be submitted soon after federal tax returns are finalized and submitted for processing; this includes the information about use of the IRS data retrieval tool (see #5-8 above). Additionally, verification should be completed before the student arrives for the start of the school year. This ensures that the student is able to evaluate all aid options in a timely manner which also will allow;their aid to disburse to their student account as part of the normal payment process.
Note: If a student or their parents have a unique tax situation which requires filing for a tax extension, please notify our office.
12. Can I elect NOT to complete the verification process?
Yes, you can elect NOT to complete the verification process. However, making this decision means that you forfeit access to all federal aid, need-based state aid, and Cedarville's institutional need-based aid. All financial aid in these categories will be placed on hold.
Should this decision be reversed at a later time, then the verification review would proceed after all required documents were received. Once verification is successfully completed, all aid for which the student is still eligible would be reinstated.
13. What if I have questions about this process?
Contact the Financial Aid office via e-mail or by phone (800-444-2433).