Verification

Verification is a process required when students' FAFSA is selected by the U.S. Department of Education or Allen for review.

If a student's file is selected for verification when applying for federal aid, Allen's Financial Aid Office is required to verify the data on your application. Our office complies with this regulation by requesting proof and clarification of specific information supplied by the student and the parent (if applicable) on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

If your application is selected for verification, required documents will be posted as missing Financial Aid requirements on your MyAllen portal by clicking the View Financial Aid Document Tracking link on the Finances tab.  

Please complete and submit the noted verification worksheet along with any other forms displayed in the Missing Documents list.  Verification forms are also available on the Financial Aid Forms page. 

During the verification process, you may be required to submit tax documents to verify your income information. 

Do not submit additional documentation if it has not been requested by our office.

Priority Dates and Deadlines to Submit Verification Documents

  • If verification documents are not provided at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the semester of attendance, the student should be prepared to pay for classes or sign up for a payment plan. If a student does not submit verification documents the financial aid file will become inactive. Students are allowed to reactivate their file provided all verification documents requested are provided by the last day of the semester attending.

Dependent vs. Independent

Students who apply for federal financial aid are classified as either dependent or independent. Dependent students are required to provide parental information on their application. Independent students must list information for a spouse (if applicable).

For information on determining dependency status, check out the Federal Student Aid’s dependency status page. 

If you are considered dependent, but believe you should be considered independent due to extenuating circumstances, please contact our office for assistance.