Verification Process
Effective May 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is waiving the collection of most verification requirements for eligibility for Federal Title IV financial aid programs for the 2022-23 Application/Award Year. Exceptions include collection of Statements of Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose, if required.
In individual situations, Georgia Tech will continue to require various forms of documentation on a case by case basis related to:
Verification is the process established by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to check the accuracy of a student’s financial aid application. This process requires applicants to provide documentation such as federal tax forms to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). Our office then compares the data provided on the original application with the documentation and makes any necessary changes.
Our office is required to submit all changes resulting from verification to the Federal Student Aid Processor. These changes are as a result of the documentation submitted for the verification process. The corrections may change your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which could affect the amount of aid for which you are eligible. When corrections are made, you, the student, will receive a new electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education. The revised SAR will highlight the data that was changed and states that the changes were made by your school.
Students only need to provide verification and tax documents upon request. You will be initially notified via email if you're selected for verification review.
2022-23 Verification Process
To simplify and streamline the verification process, the DOE has implemented a “Prior-Prior Year” (PPY) policy. With PPY, the income reported on the FAFSA will be from “two years prior” to the application year for the 2022-23 award year. That will be tax data from your 2020 Tax Return.
By using earlier income data, families will have their completed tax information available by the time they are ready to apply for financial aid. This will make it easier to fill in application forms, and increase the likelihood that families will be able to import their 2020 income directly from the IRS using the online Data Retrieval Tool.
Selected for Verification?
If you are selected for verification, you will need to provide the specific documentation requested based on academic year and your dependency status. Financial aid awards are not final and will not be disbursed until the verification process is complete.
Follow these steps to view your required verification documents:
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Log into OSCAR
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Select Secured Access Login
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Select Student Services & Financial Aid
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Select Financial Aid
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Select My Requirements and Eligibility
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Select 2022-23 Aid Year
Log into OSCAR
Option 1: Submit documents via portal
OSFA has implemented a secure portal for students and parents to upload required documentation (such as tax forms) to complete the federal aid process for the 2022-23 academic year. Find additional instructions on accessing the portal in OSCAR under My Requirements and Eligibility.
- You must authenticate your account before you can login.
- Once you have an account, login to upload required documents.
Go to Portal
Option 2: Submit documents via mail or fax
Georgia Institute of Technology
Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid
225 North Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30332-0460
Fax: 404.894.7412
Once all requested documents are received, we will review them accordingly. If discrepant information is found, corrections will be made and additional time will be needed for processing.
Important Priority Deadlines
There are priority deadlines in place to assure that your verification is processed in time to be considered for limited institutional funds.
- October 1 Federal IRS Data Retrieval Tool Available
- January 31 Verification deadline for Incoming First-Year Students
- January 31 Verification deadline for all other Returning/Transfer students
Consequences for Failing to Meet Verification Deadlines
If the priority deadline is missed, we will continue to perform verification of your financial aid application. However, there are consequences, which include:
- Institutional funds offered on an initial award letter may be canceled.
- Federal funds (Pell Grant, Federal Work Study, Loans) offered on an initial award letter will be canceled until all requested verification documentation is received, reviewed and the FAFSA determined to be valid.
- Students completing verification after the deadline may be able to receive the Federal funds listed above on a reimbursement basis, contingent on meeting all other eligibility requirements.
