Verification is a process to confirm the information you provided on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Verification selection can be because your FAFSA data was incomplete, estimated, inconsistent, or was federally selected for verification. The U.S. Department of Education selects some students for the verification process. We will select others if we find conflicting information.
The verification process can be confusing and we want to make it as easy as possible. We will ask you to provide documentation to confirm the information on your FAFSA. This will include a verification worksheet and your tax return and W2s. If you are a dependent student, we may also request a copy of your parent's tax return and W2s.
The Verification Deadline
You are strongly encouraged to submit all requested documentation by July 1st in order to receive a timely award with all possible funding. Verification past this date could compromise our ability to process State and Federal aid by the first day of classes.
The verification review process can range from 2 - 6 weeks. Please submit copies of the requested documentation within 14 days of the request. Federal and State aid will not be disbursed until the Verification process is complete.
The last date to submit verification documents is the last day of the term or your last day of enrollment in the academic year, whichever is earlier.
- Federal Pell Grant Recipients: The deadline is 120 days from your last date of enrollment or August 31, whichever comes first. This includes making any necessary corrections to the FAFSA, submitting those corrections to the federal processor, and receiving confirmation in return. Overpayments of Federal aid will be reduced from your financial aid award and returned to the Department of Education in accordance with regulations. If funds disbursed prior to being selected, aid will be adjusted, if necessary, and returned to the Department of Education in accordance to regulations.
- Federal Loan Applicants: Graceland University requires verification to occur before disbursing Federal aid. A federal loan application cannot be originated for a period of enrollment that has already passed.
Failure to submit all requested documentation will result in the forfeiture of your financial aid eligibility. You have the right to waive your verification which will limit your Federal and State aid eligibility.
Required Documents
- There are multiple types of Verification that will require different types of documents. These could include completion of the Verification Worksheet, Tax Transcripts, Signed copy of tax returns, Documentation of High School Completion, or Identify Verification. You will receive an email and letter specifying what documents are needed for the process.
How to Avoid Verification Processing Delays
We strongly recommend that students submit all documents within 14 days of receipt of the verification notice.
Submit all documents at the same time to:
Graceland University
Student Financial Services
1 University Place
Lamoni, IA 50140
You may fax documents to our office at (641) 784-5242
- Remember to make photocopies for your records.
- Respond to each section of the Verification Worksheet. If a section or part of a section does not apply to you/your parent(s)/your spouse, write “N/A” or “-0-,” as appropriate. Do not leave sections blank.
- All tax forms should be signed by the filer(s).
After Verification is Complete
- If the data reported on your FAFSA is confirmed, Student Financial Services can determine your eligibility for financial aid. We will notify you to check your financial aid eligibility on My Graceland.
- If we find differences between the data reported on your FAFSA and the information that you submitted to us, we may make corrections to your FAFSA. You can monitor your FAFSA verification status on www.fafsa.ed.gov. We may also adjust any estimated financial aid provided to you.
Expect Emails
Student Financial Services will send an email to your Graceland email account to notify you to review your document requests on Graceland University. All document requests must be completed before any financial aid can be disbursed to your account.
Check your Graceland email weekly for important correspondence. Our office will correspond with you through your Graceland issued email address. Please do not provide sensitive or confidential information in email messages.
To view your aid status, as well as the forms required to complete verification at Graceland University, login to My Graceland.
- Sign on to My Graceland using your user name and password.
- Click on Students. Then click on Setup GUest Access. This shows information about your parent, guardian, or spouse that you may want to give access to. They will not automatically have access unless you choose to give it to them. (You may have granted access previously by filling out the paper authorization form.)
- Click on Edit to change the access for a person listed, or click on Add new person to add someone not already on your list. We recommend entering an email address as this will send instructions to your guest and notify them when you changed their access. If everything looks right and they still cannot get in, clicking on the Submit this information button will refresh their access.
- For further assistance please visit https://my.graceland.edu/ICS/Help/GUest_Access_FAQ.jnz