Regulatory Overview
Per 34 CFR § 668.51, the Department of Education requires that students selected by CPS (Central Processing System) undergo verification of their FAFSA data if they will or have received subsidized financial assistance.
Exemptions & Requirements
There are certain instances in which verification is not required (see below); however, none of the exemptions excuses the school from the requirement to resolve conflicting information.
- Death of a student
- Not an aid recipient
- Applicant is only eligible to receive unsubsidized financial assistance. Please note that a student cannot avoid verification by accepting only unsubsidized aid.
- Applicant verified by another school
- Post enrollment- the applicant was selected for verification after ceasing to be enrolled at the institution.
OFAS Authority & Discretion
The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships (OFAS) must verify any information that may be considered incorrect or conflicting on any application. Students with applications that contain any information of the sort are considered to be selected for verification by the institution, even though it may be verifying varied data compared to Selected applications.
OFAS may, at its discretion, require a student to verify any FAFSA information and to provide any reasonable documentation in accordance with consistently applied school policies. Regardless of whether OFAS or FPS selected the application, all other verification requirements, such as deadlines and allowable tolerances and interim disbursement rules, apply equally to all students who are being verified.
Notification & Correction Process
Initial Notification
Students selected for verification by FPS (FAFSA) or CSAC (Dream Application) are initially notified by our office around April/May. Students will receive an email notification to their University Email (U-mail) account directing them to log in to “My Aid Status” Documents Tab, which will contain a link to our online electronic document submission tool.
Important: Of utmost importance is that these documents must be submitted as soon as possible but before any published deadlines. Failure to submit completed documents by published deadlines may result in limited or loss of aid eligibility.
In some circumstances, applications may be selected by FPS or CSAC for verification during or later on in the academic year, at which time OFAS will reach out to the student, explaining the process and deadlines for resolution. See the section “Selected for verification later in the year” for additional information.
Corrections & Award Adjustments
If, during the process of evaluating these documents, it is determined that more information is needed, the student will be notified directly via email and/or phone call by the OFAS.
Any updates, corrections, or changes required to an applicant’s data will be made by OFAS staff. Students will be awarded based on the new, or adjusted, SAI (Student Aid Index). This financial aid eligibility will be presented to the student in the form of an award letter, which contains the final SAI figure and also lists Title IV aid amounts and eligibility. A student receives an email notification to their U-Mail account once their award letter has been determined and posted on My Aid Status.
Verification FAQs
The verification process takes place after students complete their financial aid application and prior to being officially awarded aid. Typically, this process is initiated in April and continues throughout the academic year.
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships informs students via email if they are selected for verification. Students will be directed to log in to “My Aid Status” Documents Tab, which will contain a link to our online electronic document submission tool. Students should review all required documents and pay special attention to deadlines. Failure to submit required documents by the deadline can result in loss of UCSB Scholarship eligibility.
Once all required documents are received, the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships will then compare submitted documents and information to the student’s financial aid application and make revisions as needed. Students will be notified if additional information is required or if documents are submitted incomplete.
Sometimes, changes that a student or administrator makes on an application may trigger the FPS to select a file for the verification process, even after a student has been awarded and had aid disbursed. This is referred to as a new verification selection, and our office will notify a student of the required documents via phone call and email.
Students will be given 30 days to complete submission of the required documents.
Failure to submit required documents by the deadline will result in a complete retraction of any Pell Grant, Cal Grant, SEOG Grant, and any UCSB Scholarship, even if these have already been disbursed. For this reason, it’s important that students submit these documents to our office as soon as possible.
Risk of Aid Retraction:
Failure to submit required documents by the deadline will result in a complete retraction of any Pell Grant, Cal Grant, SEOG Grant, and any UCSB Scholarship, even if these have already been disbursed. For this reason, it’s important that students submit these documents to our office as soon as possible.
Referral of Fraud Cases
OIG Reporting Policy
OFAS policy regarding referral of student or parent to the Office of Inspector General:
All fraud cases and student referrals to OIG are reported by OFAS Director, or other designated staff member, via phone to either the regional office at Long Beach, CA 562-980-4141, or via National Hotline 1-800-mis-used.
Written correspondence may be sent to:
Inspector General’s Hotline
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1500