Completing the Verification Process

Have you been selected for verification? Verification is the process of reviewing and confirming the data reported on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®). It is one of the main reasons why CTU’s financial aid office may need more documentation to complete your financial aid award and determine your eligibility for federal student aid. The financial aid office may not know up front which documents you must complete to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. The documentation requirements are dependent upon your unique financial situation, which a school does not know until you submit your FAFSA, and if you are selected for verification.

Either the U.S. Department of Education System or a school’s financial aid office can select an application for review. In most cases, this review is part of a random process of application data checks for consistency and accuracy required by the U.S. Department of Education for students seeking to determine their eligibility for federal student aid. If you’re a newly enrolled or current student, Colorado Technical University’s financial aid advisors are available to help you navigate the verification process.

About the Verification Process

What is financial aid verification?

There are many steps you must complete when it comes to enrolling in college and applying for federal student aid. Verification is the process of reviewing and confirming the data reported on your Federal Student Aid Application (FAFSA^®) is accurate. Not all applications are selected for this process.

Most applications are randomly selected for verification by either the U.S. Department of Education or a school’s financial aid office for routine data checks for consistency and accuracy. When filling out the FAFSA, it’s important to be consistent and accurate when you are providing details such as tax information, income, and family size.

If your application is selected for verification, this does not mean someone believes the data on your FAFSA is incorrect or false. As part of its federal student aid program and eligibility determination, the U.S. Department of Education requires verification checks on information submitted on the FAFSA. You may need to submit some additional information to CTU’s financial aid office, and CTU’s financial aid advisors can help outline the steps necessary to complete the verification process.

What do I have to do to complete the verification process?

All selected students must be verified in order to receive Federal Student Aid. If you are selected for verification, CTU’s financial aid office will contact you and outline the next steps required to complete the verification process. In most cases, for subscribed users, students will receive a push notification from the CTU Mobile app. Also, students can log in to CTU’s virtual campus and look for information about their FAFSA application in the Financial Aid tab.

CTU’s verification worksheet can help you expedite the review process, correct any inconsistencies, and know which documents you must submit to complete the verification process. The worksheet is customized for your specific verification category and specifies what additional documentation and information is needed to complete verification. Students are able to access the CTU verification worksheet and upload most documents through the CTU Mobile app or CTU’s virtual campus portal.

If you are not able to access this worksheet through CTU Mobile or the virtual campus portal, please contact CTU Financial Aid at 866-813-1836 or by email at 850CTUFinancialAid@careered.com. Campus students please call 855-733-8023 or email at StudentFinance@victorybreastimaging.com.

What documents do I have to submit to complete the verification process?

After submitting your FAFSA, you should receive a FAFSA^® Submission Summary, the summary of the information you submitted on your FAFSA. This information is used to calculate your Student Aid Index (SAI), which helps determine the types and amount of aid you may receive. Please review your FAFSA^® Submission Summary and ensure that all data is correct.

Verification applies to the following types of federal student financial aid:

• The Federal Pell Grant
• Campus-based aid programs
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Work Study (FWS)
• Federal Direct Loans

You may be required to verify the following information and submit these additional documents:

• Family Size
• Adjusted Gross Income
• U.S. Income Tax Paid
• Notarized Statement of Educational Purpose*

*CTU will work with students to find and arrange for a notary service

For Dependent Students:

• Verification Worksheet signed** by parent and student
• Student’s taxes (signed)
• Parent’s taxes (signed)

**Check with CTU’s financial aid office if you have questions about acceptable signature forms.

For Independent Students:

• Verification worksheet signed by student
• Student taxes (signed)
• Spouses taxes (signed), if applicable

Tax information requirements are subject to change. For announcements and information on tax information reporting required for submitting a FAFSA, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid announcements page.

The following tax documents are acceptable for verification:

• U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Form 1040 (all copies must be signed)***
• U.S. IRS Tax Transcript
• Foreign Tax Returns – the student is required to report ALL income even if it was not earned in the U.S.

The following tax documents ARE NOT acceptable for verification:

• U.S. E-File Returns (Form 8453)
• Tax Summary
• State Income Tax Return

If you need further assistance regarding the documents required to complete the verification process, please contact CTU Financial Aid at 866-813-1836 or by email at 850CTUFinancialAid@careered.com. Campus students please call 855-733-8023 or email at StudentFinance@victorybreastimaging.com.

***For non-tax filers – please indicate non-filer status on the verification worksheet. Acceptable documents are subject to change based on the award year. Please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid announcements page to verify acceptable documents.

Where do I submit my documents for financial aid verification?

Students and/or their parent(s), if applicable, may submit verification documents to CTU’s financial aid office through one of the following ways:

• Use CTU Mobile to upload and submit documents securely by tapping Upload Document from the menu
• Use CTU’s virtual campus portal and upload documents from the Financial Aid page
• Send printed documents by mail
  
  
  Online students:
  ATTN: Imaging, Verification
  1750 E. Golf Road, Suite 350
  Schaumburg, IL 60173
  
  Campus students: send to your campus for forwarding to CTU’s verification team
  
  
  CTU Colorado Springs Campus
  ATTN: Financial Aid
  1575 Garden of the Gods Road, Suite 100
  Colorado Springs, CO 80907
  
• Send scanned documents using email:
  
  • Online students send to 850CTUFinancialAid@careered.com
  • Campus students send to GroundEphesoft@perdoceoed.com
• Send documents by fax: 866-371-8856

If you need further assistance on how to submit your documents to CTU, please contact CTU Financial Aid at 866-813-1836 or by email at 850CTUFinancialAid@careered.com. Campus students please call 855-733-8023 or email at StudentFinance@victorybreastimaging.com.

How long does financial aid verification processing take once I submit all documents?

Verification processing time varies with each verification case and can take several weeks, so it’s important for you to start the verification process as soon as possible. The process is complete when all requested documents have been submitted, reviewed, and accepted by CTU’s financial aid office. Once CTU’s financial aid advisors receive your verification information, they will review it and submit corrections to the Department of Education, if needed. If corrections must be processed, you will receive an updated FAFSA^® Submission Summary that indicates any corrections that were submitted. Corrections may result in changes to your SAI and federal aid eligibility.

Please note – need-based federal funds (Pell grants, SEOG, Work-Study, Federal Direct loans) may not be disbursed until verification is completed and processed.

Is there a deadline to complete the verification process?

The CTU financial aid office must receive your official FAFSA by the end of the defined award year. Information about the defined award year and deadlines is available in the Financial Aid section of the University Catalog. As soon as the financial aid office notifies you of any additional requested information, it’s very important that you submit the requested information as soon as possible. No federal and/or need-based aid can be awarded until your verification documentation is submitted and processed.

Students can check their Financial Aid progress and find more information about Financial Aid from the CTU Mobile app and/or CTU’s virtual campus.

Do I have to complete the financial aid verification process?

If you want to determine your eligibility to receive federal and/or need-based aid to help pay for school, then you must complete the verification process if selected. Students selected who do not complete the verification process will not have any federal and/or need-based aid awarded or disbursed.

CTU’s financial aid advisors are here to help. If you need assistance, please call CTU Financial Aid at 866-813-1836 or contact us by email at 850CTUFinancialAid@careered.com. Campus students please call 855-733-8023 or email at StudentFinance@victorybreastimaging.com.