Verification Process
Every year the U. S. Department of Education (DOE) selects a percentage of financial aid applicants for a review of their financial aid information. This review is known as Verification. If your application is selected for verification, you must submit certain information, as determined by the DOE, in order to receive federal student aid.
Students selected for Verification receive a Missing Information Letter (MIL) from WKU. MILs are emailed to the student’s WKU Topper Mail or to the email account listed on the student’s FAFSA until a Topper Mail is assigned.
The MIL directs students to Inceptia, A verification gateway that processes FAFSA verification for all Western Kentucky University students. Inceptia contacts the student to begin verification and continues its outreach until the process is complete. To avoid financial aid delays, students (and parents of dependent students) should work closely with Inceptia throughout the verification process.
Once Verification is complete, if there are no other outstanding requirements on TopNet, WKU will prepare an official award package based on the verified FAFSA results.
We encourage you to begin the verification process within 7 days of receiving notification from Verification Gateway to ensure you receive your financial aid in time for payments. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or denial of your financial aid.
Follow these steps to complete your verification.
- Access our school’s unique website link in the email from VGCS@inceptia.org or listed below.
- Create your account* and choose preferences for text messages and e-signatures.
- Complete your Task List.
- Confirm your signature and review your information.
- Sign your account.
*If you are a dependent student, your parent also needs to create their own account and complete each of these steps.
The Department of Education determines what documentation is required for FAFSA verification, and it varies by student. However, the basics often include the following:
- a verification worksheet, available as an e-form on Inceptia’s website (must be completed and e-signed by the student; parents of dependent students must also e-sign)
- proof of the student’s income and federal tax information
- proof of the parent(s)’ income and federal tax information (only applies to dependent students)
Helpful Hint : If you log into the student and parents Inceptia account you should see all outstanding requirements and instructions on how to submit. This will be available on your task list.
For FAFSA verification purposes, the DOE requires students (and parents of dependent students) to obtain tax documentation directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Even if you/your parent did not file a federal tax return, you may be required to obtain proof from the IRS and submit it to Inceptia Verification Gateway.
Before submitting any tax forms, log in to the student and parent’s Verification Gateway account and view each outstanding requirement.
Failure to submit DOE-approved documentation may result in significant processing delays, so be sure to follow the instructions or contact Inceptia with questions.
After reviewing the basic information, you/your parent(s) provide, additional documentation is often required by the DOE before Inceptia can complete the verification process. Please respond promptly to requests for additional information and include your WKU student ID when submitting documents. Monitor your email inbox and your Inceptia Verification Gateway account until the status shows “Verification Complete.”
Verification processing should resolve any errors on your FAFSA. Inceptia will either confirm that your FAFSA is accurate or will submit corrections to the federal processor. The processor will recalculate your eligibility for federal student aid programs and send WKU an updated version of your FAFSA. WKU will base your financial aid award on the verified FAFSA results (and will adjust previously awarded aid, if applicable.)
In general, when Verification is complete and all other requirements on TopNet have been satisfied, students can expect an official award notification within two weeks.
Every year the CPS (Central Processing Center) randomly selects students for verification. When a student is chosen for verification, the educational institution is required to verify the accuracy of the data reported on the student’s FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Students selected for verification must submit required documentation to the institution, and that information is compared to the data on the FAFSA. If a discrepancy is found, the institution makes the necessary corrections to the student’s FAFSA through “CPS Online.” Once the corrections have been processed, the CPS will issue the student a new SAR (Student Aid Report), which reflects any changes made to the FAFSA as well as any change in the SAI (Student Aid Index)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
All verification documents must be received by August 1 of the award year to guarantee
a student will be awarded by the Fall semester "fees due date," and by January 1 of
the award year to guarantee that a student will be awarded by the Spring semester
"fees due date." WKU does NOT award federal (Title IV) aid until the verification
process is complete.
Occasionally a student is selected for verification after being awarded Title IV aid.
The student will be subject to all the rules and requirements of verification as those
applicants who were selected before being awarded. If the student's federal Title
IV aid eligibility changes as a result of corrections made through the verification
process, any required return of Title IV funds will be returned to the appropriate
accounts through the Office of Billings and Receivables, and the student will owe
WKU for any remaining balance that may occur due to funds being returned. CPS will
issue the student an updated SAR, reflecting any corrections made to his/her FAFSA,
and SFA will notify the student through WKU email of any changes to his/her Title
IV aid. All Title IV aid changes will also be reflected on his/her TopNet "Account
Summary" (billing account information).