FAFSA Verification

Verification is the confirmation through documentation that the information provided on a student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is correct. The federal government requires colleges and universities to verify or confirm the data reported by students and their parent(s) on the FAFSA. The verification process ensures that eligible students receive all the financial aid to which they are entitled and prevents ineligible students from receiving financial aid to which they are not entitled.

The main reasons for being selected for verification include that you were chosen randomly, the FAFSA you submitted was incomplete, your FAFSA contains estimated information or the data you provided on the FAFSA is inconsistent. Verification is a federal regulation. Students who are selected for verification are not being punished; rather, verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid by reporting false information and ensures that eligible students receive all of the aid for which they are qualified. 

If you are selected for verification after completing the FAFSA, there will be an asterisk next to your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on your Student Aid Report (SAR). You will also be informed of having been selected for verification in the SAR acknowledgment letter, which will be included with your SAR documents.

Millersville University notifies all students via their Max Account regarding outstanding requirements. You can be selected for verification at any time during the academic year so it is very important you check your email and your financial aid requirements on a regular basis. 

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You can view all of your requirements for financial aid in the Financial Aid Requirements widget in the Finances tab of your myVILLE Portal.  logging into your myVILLE Student Portal and selecting Finances > Financial Aid Requirements > Financial Aid Status > Select Aid Year. 

To view specific documents required for verification, click on the Verify - Student Forms requirement. You will be redirected to the Student Forms Portal, where you can create an account, complete the requested information online and submit your documents through secure upload.

student forms Account Set-up

NOTE:  If you have been selected for Verification, you are required to complete the process before any federal financial aid can be processed. If you have not been selected for Verification; the information below does not pertain to you.

You and/or your parents may be asked to submit documentation or clarification of information for one or more of the following data elements on your FAFSA:

• Adjusted Gross Income
• Taxes Paid
• Income Earned from Work (for non-tax filers)
• Certain Untaxed Income Items
• Number of family members in the household
• Number of family members enrolled in college (excluding parents for a dependent student)
• Citizenship status
• Any other inconsistent or conflicting information (including name, date of birth, social security number, etc.)
• Social Security Number
• Date of Birth
• Other discrepancies with student information entered on the FAFSA

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You can view all of your requirements for financial aid in the Financial Aid Requirements widget found in the Finances tab of your myVILLE Portal.

To view specific documents required for verification, click on the Verify - Student Forms requirement. You will be redirected to your Student Forms Portal where you can create an account, complete the requested information online, and submit your documents through secure upload.

student forms Account Set-up

NOTE:  If you have been selected for Verification, you are required to complete the process before any federal financial aid can be processed. If you have not been selected for Verification; the information below does not pertain to you.

The documents required will vary based on each student.

You can view all of your requirements for financial aid in the Financial Aid Requirements widget found in the Finances tab of your myVILLE Portal. 

To view specific documents required for verification, click on the Verify - Student Forms Portal requirement. You be will be redirected to the Student Forms Portal where you can create an account, complete the requested information online, and submit your documents through secure upload.

student forms Account Set-up

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USING THE DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL (DRT) ON THE FAFSA

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Since the FAFSA application asks for tax information from two years prior, your federal taxes should have already been completed and filed with the IRS. In order to move through the Verification process as seamlessly as possible, it would be recommended that you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) upload your tax information into your FAFSA directly from the IRS. 

When you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, the tax information is considered to be already verified so you will not have to submit any documentation, such as Tax Return Transcripts, to our office. Much simpler for you! If your Student Forms Account currently shows that we are requesting tax transcripts, this will be removed about 5-10 business days after you have corrected the FAFSA to use the IRS Data Retrieval. 

To upload your tax information into your FAFSA using the DRT:

• Log into your FAFSA at studentaid.gov/fafsa 
• Click the option to "Make a correction"
• Select "Financial Information" at the top of the page
• Follow the steps to link your information from the IRS
  • You will need to complete this for both parent and student if applicable  

Some students and/or parents will be ineligible or will choose not to use the IRS data retrieval.  In these cases, only the Tax Return Transcript will be accepted as documentation to verify tax information.

• The Tax Return Transcript must be requested directly from the IRS.
  • To request your Tax Return Transcript online or by mail, you can go directly to the IRS website.
  • If you are having difficulties obtaining your Tax Return Transcript(s) you can call 1-800-TAX-1040 for assistance.  
  • Be sure to request the Tax Return Transcript and not the Tax Account Transcript.  

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FOR DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON USING THE DATA RETRIEVAL TOOL OR OBTAINING A TAX RETURN TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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Once you submit the documents to our office, you can continue to check the status of your documents by going to your myVILLE Student Portal and selecting Finances > Financial Aid Requirements > Financial Aid Status > Select Aid Year > Unsatisfied Requirements.

Once we've received all requested documents, the Verify status on your account will go from "Required" to "Document Received, Not Yet Reviewed." Once all of your documents are reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid and accepted/processed by the Department of Education (if changes are made to your account), the Verify requirement status will be updated to "Satisfied".

If any of the documents you have submitted are incomplete or need additional documentation, you will receive a notification to your Millersville email, from our office, letting you know to check your Student Forms Portal for further instruction on how to resolve the information. 

The final step in the verification process, where your account is reviewed by a counselor, can only begin once the Office of Financial Aid has received all of your verification documents. This process can take 5-7 business days.

• The review process by a counselor can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks during the months of March through August.
• After the verification process is complete, you will receive an email informing you that the requirement has been satisfied on your account.

The verification process is a federal regulation and must be completed in order for a student to receive federal aid. If you do not wish to complete the verification process, and therefore not receive financial aid, please notify the Office of Financial Aid in writing that you do not wish to comply with the verification requirements and that you understand you will not be eligible for federal aid, so that we can update your status.

Lyle Hall, 2nd Floor, Room 241

Office Hours:
Standard: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (mid-August to mid-May)                                                                Summer: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (mid-May to mid-August)

Call Center Hours:
Available by Phone: Mon.-Fri. 8:00am to 6:00pm 

Phone: 717-871-5100                           
Fax:  717-871-7980 
Email: fa.mail@millersville.edu

USPS Mailing Address:
Office of Financial Aid
Millersville University
P.O. Box 1002
Millersville, PA 17551-0302

Address for UPS/FedEx:
Office of Financial Aid
Lyle Hall, 2nd Floor
40 Dilworth Rd
Millersville, PA 17551-0302