Federal verification is a process of checking the accuracy of the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students are selected for federal verification by the federal processor. For the 2025-2026 academic year, students who are selected for verification will be placed in one of the following three verification groups. The verification group determines which FAFSA information must be verified.
Verification Tracking Groups
- Standard Verification Group (V1): Tax filers (student, student spouse, parent, and parent spouse/partner, as applicable) must verify the following: adjusted gross income, income earned from work, U.S. income tax paid, untaxed portions of IRA distributions, untaxed portions of pensions, IRA deductions and payments, tax exempt interest income, education tax credits, foreign income exempt from federal taxation, and family size. Non-tax filers (student, student spouse, parent, and parent spouse/partner, as applicable) must verify the following: income earned from work and family size.
- Custom Verification Group (V4): Students must verify the following: identity and statement of educational purpose (SEP).
- Aggregate Verification Group (V5): This group is essentially a combination of V1 and V4. Tax filers and non-tax filers must verify the items listed in the Standard Verification Group (V1). Students must also verify their identity and sign a statement of educational purpose.
The federal verification requirements will be requested on student’s PROWL account. Financial aid staff are required to review the information submitted for verification with the information student reported on the FAFSA. If the information submitted for verification conflicts with the information reported on the FAFSA, LMU is obligated to make corrections to the student’s FAFSA before financial aid eligibility can be accurately determined and funds awarded.
Who is required to complete federal verification?
Most students selected for verification have been randomly selected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Processor. However, there are other potential reasons for being selected for verification:
- The submitted FAFSA application had incomplete data.
- The data on the FAFSA application appears to have contradicting data.
- The FAFSA application has estimated information.
- LMU Financial Aid may select students for federal verification in connection with the review of an appeal.
It is required that you complete federal verification to receive the following: All federal financial aid (Pell, FSEOG Grants, Work-Study), all Cal Grants or other state-funded financial aid, LMU Grant, LMU Need-Based Scholarships, or LMU Institutional Loans.
The links below provide details on what is required to complete federal verification.