Verification Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Verification is the review process used to make sure the information you entered on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate.

The U.S Department of Education selects students for verification. UMass Lowell may also select applicants for verification to correct any potential conflicts in information.

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, per federal guidelines, we are required to collect all necessary documentation from you and your parents or spouse (if married). In order to confirm the data that was reported. The Financial Aid Office (FAO) will submit correction directly with U.S Department of Education should there be information that needs to be updated.

If the FAO suspects that a student or other individual has misreported information and/or altered documentation to increase student aid eligibility or to fraudulently obtain federal funds, it must report those suspicions and provide any evidence to the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General.

Watch the What Is Verification video.

When a FAFSA is selected for verification, the Financial Aid Office will send out a notifications to you via email with instructions to log in to your Financial Aid Portal to view, complete, upload and e-sign required documentation.

It is your responsibility to submit the required verification documentation to their Financial Aid Portal within 30 days from the date of your notification and federal guidelines.

If you fail to submit verification documents and complete the process, you will not be eligible for Title IV aid. Incomplete verification may result in cancellation of your financial aid.

If you are a DEPENDENT student you will need to complete and upload the following documents to your Financial Aid Portal:

• Complete Dependent Verification web form
• Complete or upload all additional documents that may be requested (for example: IRS Tax Return Documents)

If you are an INDEPENDENT student you will need to complete and upload the following documents to your Financial Aid Portal:

• Complete Independent Verification web form
• Complete or upload all additional documents that may be requested (for example: IRS Tax Return Documents)

Additional documents may be required after initial submission of documents. Periodically log in to your Financial Aid Portal to review verification status and check your UMass Lowell (UML) email for notifications.

The FA-DDX is the IRS Data Direct Exchange tool allows that allows FAFSA contributors to consent for the exchange of federal tax information into your FAFSA. The process enables the FAFSA to retrieve income and tax data directly from the IRS.  Contributors will not see the financial information that is pulled over on their FAFSA.

Watch the What is the 2024-2025 Direct Data Exchange Video.

All FAFSA contributors are required to consent to the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) for a student to be eligible for financial aid, even if they do not file taxes or are not eligible to use the Direct Data Exchange. If the student or required contributor refuses consent to use the FA-DDX, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.

In some cases contributors will not be able to use the DDX:

• If the parents of a dependent student file separate tax returns
• If an applicant’s parent has a change in marital status after the end of the tax year on December 31
• If anyone has filed an amended tax return
• If the applicant or applicant’s parents have filed a foreign tax return.

In certain case scenarios, the financial aid office may need to request a copy of your income tax return form 1040 or an IRS tax transcript to verify income and tax information or to clarify any discrepant information.

The IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter provides proof that the IRS has no record of an income tax return form 1040 filed for the year you requested. Non Tax filers can request this IRS Verification of Non-filing of their tax return status from the IRS online, by phone or by mail.

Please note that if you encounter any log-in issues when trying to request this letter online using the “Get Transcript ONLINE” option, you should still be able to request the letter on-line by using the “Get Transcript by MAIL” option.

Watch the IRS Get Transcript Online Tutorial video.

You may check the status of documents submitted in your Financial Aid Portal. Once successfully submitted you will see a 'Congratulations' message.

You will be notified via your UML email account should additional documents be required but we also encourage you to periodically log in to your Financial Aid Portal to review verification status for any changes that may occur.

Generally, once all of the requested verification documents are received, the verification review process can take up to 10 business days to complete. If additional information is needed to resolve any further discrepancies, the review process may take longer.

Some of the reasons additional information may be requested include, but are not limited to:

• Required documentation is incomplete
  • Missing signatures
  • Missing Pages
  • Not legible
  • Discrepancies found that need to be resolved

You will be notified via your UMass Lowell (UML) email account should additional documents be required but we also encourage you to periodically log in to your Financial Aid Portal to review verification status for any changes that may occur.

The Financial Aid Office will submit corrections directly to the U.S Department of Education should there be information that needs to be updated. If the corrections result in a change to your 2023-2024 Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or 2024-2025 Student Aid Index (SAI), your financial aid will be adjusted based on the changes. An email will be sent to your student email account letting you know about the changes. You can also see these changes on your SiS Student Center.

No. Changes made to the FAFSA after verification is complete will not be accepted by the school. If you have any questions contact The Solution Center.