What is Federal Verification?

Federal verification is a process used to confirm data you provided on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Verification ensures that the information students and parents report is accurate. Verification prevents ineligible students from receiving aid and helps make certain that eligible students receive the aid they are qualified for. The U.S. Department of Education may select your FAFSA for verification, and the Office of Student Financial Planning at Juniata may also select your FAFSA should they find any conflicting information.

Institutional Responsibility: Juniata College requires students whose FAFSA is selected for federal verification to submit supporting documentation to verify specified data elements of their FAFSA unless the student qualifies for a federal exclusion. The process that is used is as follows:

  • The Office of Student Financial Planning will email the student with the verification worksheet along with any other requested documentation, and a copy of this correspondence will also be uploaded to the student’s enrollment portal.
  • Upon receipt of all requested verification documents, the Office of Student Financial Planning will complete federal verification in accordance with federal and institutional policy.
  • If any discrepancies are found, the Office of Student Financial Planning will make the appropriate corrections to the student’s FAFSA data via the FAFSA Partner Portal or FAA Access, and a revised FAFSA will be generated.
  • Should the completion of the verification process and any FAFSA revisions alter the student’s federal aid eligibility, the student will be notified via email.

Student/Family Responsibility: If Juniata College requests documents or information from a student, the student should provide the specified documents or information within 30 days to expedite review and processing of federal aid.

Verification Documentation

Deadline and Failure to Submit Documentation 

A student whose FAFSA information has been selected for verification must submit all documentation required for verification to the Office of Student Financial Planning by specific deadlines according to the type of federal aid received and the period of enrollment.

Students must provide verification documentation at least five business days prior to the last day of the student’s enrollment. Direct Loans must be originated prior to the last day of the student’s enrollment. Failure to submit the required documents by the deadline will result in the student’s ineligibility for financial aid for the award year.

Returning students who fail to submit verification documents never become complete, therefore, federal aid is not awarded to these students. Juniata College will not disburse any federal aid until a student’s file is complete. Since federal verification is not required for the disbursement of institutional funds, Juniata will award merit scholarships prior to a student completing federal verification.

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Referral of Fraud Cases

The Juniata College Office of Student Financial Planning will report any suspected fraud or falsified information (on the part of the student, the parent, and preparer of financial aid applications or related parties) to the Office of the Inspector General.

Examples of such information include false claims of independent status, false claims of citizenship, use of false identities, forgery of signature or certificates, and false statements of income.

Office of Inspector General Hotline and Address:

  • 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733)
  • To submit a complaint online at any time, go to https://oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline and click on the appropriate link.
  • Office of Inspector General U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-1500