Before the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the verification process was a Federal Student Aid program requirement, and the United States Department of Education required that a portion of FAFSA filers at each school be verified. When students and dependent students' parents complete and sign the FAFSA, they agree to provide information that will verify the accuracy of their FAFSA data if requested.
However, in May 2022, the Department of Education announced that most students selected for verification for the 2022-2023 academic year will no longer need to complete the verification process in order to receive federal and state aid.
Students previously selected for verification who no longer need to complete this process can see that their verification requirements in the Financial Aid Dashboard of their myIIT portal are waived. If a student is still required to complete verification, they will see requirements in their Financial Aid Dashboard that are incomplete or required. Students are welcome to contact the Office of Financial Aid with any questions regarding their verification status.
Document Submission
If a student has been selected for verification, they will be requested to submit copies of their own and, if appropriate, their parents' federal tax documents. Students can bypass these requirements by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) when they complete their FAFSA to transfer information from their federal tax returns directly to their FAFSA.
A student may also be asked to submit additional information about other factors, including household size, assets, and the number of family members in college.
If a student is selected for verification, no financial aid can be disbursed to the student's account until all requested documents are submitted and reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid.
Students selected for verification can view their required verification documents by logging into the myIIT portal and selecting the “Financial Aid Dashboard." On the Home tab, under "Student Requirements", students will be able to see a list of required documents.
If the required document is a form, students are able to click on the requirement to access the form that needs to be completed and signed through Student Forms.
Upon submission of the required documentation, the Office of Financial Aid will review and update the status of the outstanding requirements. During periods of high demand, it may take between 15 to 20 business days to review submitted documentation. The Office of Financial Aid reviews documents in the order in which they are received. Students who turn in their verification documents early will be verified at a quicker rate.
Award Adjustment
In order to provide estimates of financial aid eligibility to students in an expedient manner, awards are calculated based on the original FAFSA data and mailed before the verification process is complete. If corrections are needed as a result of the verification process, eligibility will be recalculated and awards may be revised. For this reason, student and parent information should be as accurate as possible on the FAFSA.
Verification is complete when the Office of Financial Aid has reviewed all of the requested documentation. If a student fails to provide the required documentation:
- Illinois Tech cannot disburse a Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, or State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant.
- Illinois Tech cannot hire or continue a student's employment in a Federal Work-Study (FWS) job.
- Illinois Tech cannot disburse Federal Stafford or Federal PLUS loan funds to the student.
All documents submitted to the Office of Financial Aid at Illinois Tech are reviewed by authorized staff in the office. Verification forms are completed through our Student Forms platform. Safeguards in place are designed to ensure the security and confidentiality of student and parent information, to protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information, and to protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any student or parent.