Federal Financial Information Verification Policy
Your application for Federal Student Financial Aid may be selected by the U.S. Department of Education or GCU for review in a process called verification. Verification is a systematic means of comparing various financial and informational documents with the information you provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The following information is an outline of the policies and procedures that govern the verification process, your responsibilities, and the appropriate deadline dates for the Federal Student Aid Programs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the GCU Office of Financial Aid.
Our Verification Policy: Students selected for verification will be notified of the requirement to submit specific documentation of items included on the FAFSA. It is the policy of GCU to withhold the disbursement of Federal Student Financial Aid until the verification process is considered completed. This policy ensures that the information provided on your Student Aid Report to our office and your aid eligibility determination are correct before any funds are awarded to you.
Verification Completion: The verification process will be considered complete once the following have been accomplished:
- You fully complete and submit to the GCU Office of Financial Aid the Verification Form along with copies of your (and spouse if married) federal transcripts.
- You submit copies of any other documents as requested by the GCU Financial Aid Office.
- The GCU Office of Financial Aid has completed comparison of federal processor results with the documents requested.
- If verification reveals that data provided by the federal processor is accurate, you will receive an award letter from the GCU Office of Financial Aid.
- If verification reveals that data provided by the federal processor is incorrect, the GCU Office of Financial Aid will electronically correct your data with the federal processor. As a result, you will receive notification of the corrections, either by mail or e-mail, from the federal processor. After we receive the corrected information, you will receive an award letter.
The Consequences of Failing to Complete Verification
Under the Stafford Loan and Work-Study programs, GCU will withhold disbursements of Stafford Loan, discontinue your employment under the Work-Study Program, and withhold certification of any further Stafford Loan applications.
In all cases, GCU will take the necessary steps to secure repayment of aid funds already disbursed to you for which you have been determined to be ineligible.