Financial Aid
Verification
Page Content
Dependent Students
By federal aid definition, dependent students are:
- Not over the age of 24
- Not working on a master's or doctorate degree
- Not married
- Does not have children for whom the student provides more than half support
- Not an orphan or ward of the court
- Not a veteran
Both parent(s) and student must complete a verification worksheet, provide copies of IRS tax transcripts for both parent(s) and student, and all other documentation as requested.
When submitting the worksheet, please be certain that all sections are completed,
the student has signed, and the parent has signed. All paper forms must have physical
signatures, electronic signatures will not be accepted.
Instructions on how your parent can sign the online verification worksheet can be found here.
The verification process for 2024-2025 (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025) requires us to review the student's and parent's 2022 tax information. An IRS Tax Return Transcript can be obtained online, by phone (1.800.908.9946), or by completing IRS Form 4506T-EZ.
Instead of requesting an IRS Tax Return Transcript, some individuals may be eligible to utilize the Direct Data Exchange (DDX) on their FAFSA to automatically populate tax information with the IRS. We highly recommend using the tool for several reasons:
- It’s the easiest way to provide your tax data
- It’s the best way of ensuring that your FAFSA has accurate tax information
- You won’t need to provide a copy of your or your parents’ tax return transcript to our office
If the student did not file taxes, an IRS Tax Return Transcript is not required. When the completed Dependent Verification Worksheet is received, a financial aid counselor will waive the Student Tax Transcript item on the Student's SOAR To-Do List. If the student earned income, but was not required to file taxes, that income must be listed on the Verification Worksheet under the Student Income Information page.
If the parent did not file taxes in the requested tax year, a Wage & Income Transcript is required from the IRS and can be obtained online.
Independent Students
By federal aid definition, independent students are:
- You are working on a degree beyond a bachelor’s, such as a master’s or doctorate
- You have a child or children, or other legal dependents, who receive more than half their financial support from you
- You are married (or separated but not divorced)
- You are at least 24 years old
- You are a veteran of the United States Armed Forces
- You are currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training
purposes
If, at any time since you turned 13, both your parents were deceased, your were in foster care, or were a ward of the court - You are an emancipated child as determined by a court judge
- You are homeless or at risk of homelessness as determined by the director of a HUD approved homeless shelter, transitional program, or high school liaison
The student (and spouse if married) must complete a verification worksheet, provide copies of IRS tax transcripts, and all other documentation as requested.
When submitting the worksheet, please be certain that all sections are completed, the student has signed, and the parent has signed. All paper forms must have physical signatures, electronic signatures will not be accepted.
The verification process for 2024-2025 (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025) requires us to review the student's (and spouses if application) 2022 tax information. An IRS Tax Return Transcript can be obtained online, by phone (1.800.908.9946), or by completing IRS Form 4506T-EZ.
Instead of requesting an IRS Tax Return Transcript, some individuals may be eligible to utilize the Direct Data Exchange (DDX) on their FAFSA to automatically populate tax information with the IRS. We highly recommend using the tool for several reasons:
- It’s the easiest way to provide your tax data
- It’s the best way of ensuring that your FAFSA has accurate tax information
- You won’t need to provide a copy of your or your parents’ tax return transcript to our office
If the student (or spouse if applicable) did not file taxes in the requested tax year,
a Wage & Income Transcript is required from the IRS and can be obtained online.
Special Note: Please make sure all signatures (student, spouse, and parents) are on all documents given to our office. We are unable to process your applications if signatures are missing. We recommend that you submit all verification documents through the document upload tool in your SOAR account.
In very limited situations Federal law may allow a school to consider a dependent student independent (for financial aid purposes) when unusual conditions exist and a dependent student is unable to provide parental data on the FAFSA. Circumstances may include...
- Your parents are incarcerated
- You have left home due to an abusive family environment
- You do not know your parents location, are unable to contact them, and you are not adopted
Not all situations are considered unusual. The following would not be considered valid situations:
- You do not live with your parents or you are self-sufficient
- Your parents refuse to contribute to your college expenses
- Your parents do not claim you (the student) as an exemption on their income taxes
Contact The Office of Financial Aid for more information regarding this process.
Financial Aid awards may be reevaluated due to special circumstances:
- Divorce of Student or supporting Parent
- Death of Spouse or supporting Parent
- Loss of income or unemployment of student, spouse, or supporting Parent
- Excessive and unusual family medical expenses not covered by insurance
- Other exceptional circumstances
All requests to revise your award must include supporting documentation (copies of check stubs, medical expenses, etc., and/or thorough written explanation). Students who do not meet one of the above guidelines or students failing to provide proper documentation will have their requests denied.
Contact The Office of Financial Aid for more information regarding this process.