After the FAFSA - Follow-up Documents

Many families have already filed the FAFSA and were happy and relieved to check that off of the list of “things to do” this fall. You need to keep in mind that for many families is only the 1st step in completing the financial aid process. 33% of FAFSAs filed get selected for the verification process. If your FAFSA gets selected, your college(s) will notify the student and will explain what information needs to be submitted to the college financial aid office before they can proceed with packaging a financial offer.

From my experience, if you qualified for Pell, it’s very likely that you’ll be selected for verification. Also, if the parents’ marital status recently changed, the college will probably ask for verification documentation as well because that obviously had a big impact on household income. Students need to be very vigilant with their emails and college student accounts. As I mentioned, a college will not be able to proceed to the next step until they receive the information they need. If you don’t submit this information in a timely manner the student is in danger of losing out on potential aid and may not be able to register for classes.

 Lupe - ICAN Coralville and Davenport Centers