<p>I've been reading previous threads about being pulled for FAFSA verification, so I understand that 30% are pulled for this. And I know the schools don't necessarily have to do anything about it. I'm confused because our son, who is applying to schools this year, was *d as soon as we submitted the FAFSA, while our daughter, who is a college sophomore this year wasn't. and never has been. Both have the same info, both have the same EFC. Our financial circumstances have changed since last year's FAFSA due to unemployment, so our numbers our obviously a little different. But our daughter's school re-worked her financial aid package last July to account for this change in income, so would that have not flagged her? If anyone would have been *d, I would have thought it would be her, not the child applying this year. Our son is applying to different schools than she did, and one is a CSS Profile school. Would that make a difference? Or am I just being overly analytical (wouldn't be the first time!) and it was just the luck of the draw?</p>
<p>Wait until your son’s schools begin processing received FAFSAs. You may not need to do anything. Some (smaller) schools verify all their students. Some process the 30% selected randomly, and some set up their own guidelines for selecting students. No need to be concerned, just prepared.</p>
<p>No, I understand that some schools verify everybody and some schools don’t. But since this was generated by FAFSA with an * after our EFC, I’m just wondering why our son would be chosen and our daughter wouldn’t, given that we’ve filed for her before, our income is much different than before, and she’s getting a Pell grant now. I would have thought FAFSA would be all over that, lol.</p>
<p>Selection for verification can be for conflicting information but can also be random. Sounds like yours is random.</p>
<p>That’s what I thought. I went over everything on our taxes and the FAFSA and it all adds up. Just weird our daughter wasn’t *d and our son was. Thanks!</p>
<p>We filed 7 FAFSA’s with no verifications necessary. Then last year 3 D’s filed and it was the oldest, who was starting grad school, who had to go through verification. I didn’t know 30% are verified so I guess we were lucky it hadn’t happened sooner!</p>
<p>I do believe that from all the posts about this that it’s random. But if I’m wrong someone will chime in.</p>
<p>Selection for verification IS random. Yes, some selection can be triggered due to info provided, but there are many, many applications selected “just because.” It’s how the feds make sure folks stay on the straight & narrow. ;)</p>
<p>And isn’t the verification process simply providing tax returns or am I missing some component of this process?</p>
<p>It’s simply providing the supporting documentation for your FAFSA - so yes, your tax returns and copies of your W-2s. I had to do the verification process all four years of college, and it’s not difficult, just copies of what you used to fill the form out in the first place.</p>
<p>My son’s entire college application process has been so different from my daughter’s (and so much more stressful) that I shouldn’t be surprised we were pulled for verification. Just another bump in the road to getting into college, for him, I guess!</p>
<p>I had to do it the last 3 years with my son, just had them ready after the first. : )
Now, with my twins applying already 2 schools asked for verification and my fafsa was just “will file”. With twins though they just pick one. I will hopefully have the IDOC done soon and after we dig out of the snow, deliver it to the postoffice.</p>
<p>^^Generally it is quite simple. However, wait for your college to notify you. They will tell you exactly what they need. Just as an aside, they may never contact you. It sounds to me like the colleges have some leeway as to what they verify as long as they verify about a third of the FAFSAs…so wait to be notified by the schools to send the information.</p>
<p>I was figuring if they need something, they’ll let us know. I’m not sure how- I imagine they all have a different method of communication. Only one school to which my son was accepted set up an email account for him, which we check occasionally. The other schools have “admitted students checklists” we can access with a username and password but I don’t know if financial aid info will show up on those. I’ll just have to keep an eye out, I guess. </p>
<p>One more question - since the schools will be notified that we’re tagged for verification, will this delay hearing about their individual financial aid packages? He’s already received scholarship offers from a couple of schools but that’s all so far. I know it’s still a little early for some schools.</p>
<p>With regard to delay, I don’t think so. Most finaid letters with all the info arrive in mid-March to mid-April in my small experience. If you read a bunch of threads you’ll see that there are already posts from people who have gotten questions from the colleges. I suspect that the finaid offices are busily pulling all that “stuff” together as most finaid forms for entering freshman have deadlines that have ocurred or rapidly approaching. And in my experience the colleges wrap up the incoming freshman and then move on to the upper class persons. The only time I was verified the request came via snail-mail and I returned the copies of the tax forms via snail mail. My soon to be entering college son is keeping an eye on his e-mail box or at least I keep reminding him to keep an eye on his eyemail box and to not delete anything until he has completely read the e-mails. We were not *ed this year, but know that we could still be verified at the choice of the colleges so just watching to be sure nothing more needs to be done.</p>