Know what to submit and by when to ensure timely payment of your federal aid.
The federal government selects approximately 30% of our student population for verification, which requires families to submit additional documents in order to verify their eligibility for federal financial aid.
How do I know if I’m selected?
You will be notified by the federal government after you submit a FAFSA. In addition, our office will notify you of verification requirements via email. This process is in addition to other application documents required by Occidental to review institutional aid eligibility.
What’s required?
If you were selected for verification, you may be asked to submit any (but not all) of the following:
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Verification Requirements |
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For instructions on how to obtain a Tax Return Transcript or use the Data Retrieval Tool through the FAFSA, please download our Verification Instructions.
When are these requirements due?
Fall enrollment - All verification requirements are due by June 1st in order to ensure that your aid appears on your student account in time for the first bill of the semester.
Spring enrollment- All verification requirements are due by December 1st in order to ensure that your aid appears on your student account in time for the first bill of the semester.
What happens after I submit my verification requirements?
After you submit all verification requirements, our office will review your information and finalize your financial aid offer.
If any of the verification documents that you submit are incomplete, incorrect, or cause other issues, we will send you an e-mail indicating how to correct your information. You will not be able to receive an official aid offer letter or have your federal aid credited to your account until all issues are resolved and your application is complete and accurate.
What happens if I don’t submit my verification requirements on-time?
If verification requirements are missing, you will not receive a financial aid offer. If you are selected for verification after receiving your financial aid offer, your next disbursement will be delayed and possibly prevent you from enrolling.
If you do not complete the verification process 45 days after the first day of the semester, you become ineligible for federal and institutional financial aid and your financial aid application is placed in an inactive status. You can re-activate your aid by completing the verification process up to 45 days before the end of the academic term.
Consequences for providing false/misleading information
If it is determined that you purposely provided false or misleading information in an effort to receive federal financial aid, you may be fined, be sentenced to jail, or both. The student may also be referred to the Judicial Counsel for possible violations of the Occidental College Code of Student Conduct. The student and the parent(s) may also be referred to the U.S. Department of Education Inspector General.
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