Verification Policy

New Mexico State University adheres to the following verification principles developed by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). To ensure that Financial Aid funds are awarded to eligible students in an equitable and consistent manner, all institutions must develop policies for verification of family-reported information. While institutions vary widely by type, and students served, minimum standards for verification must exist for all institutions. Verification procedures will be uniformly applied to all financial aid programs that  require a demonstrated financial need as the eligibility criterion.

Who Processes the Verification?

New Mexico State University will verify applicants selected for verification by the Central Processing System (CPS) and/or NMSU. In addition, we will resolve all comments on the ISIR, and conflicting documentation. The NMSU Financial Aid Staff may question any aspect of an application.

Which Items Require Verification?

For applicants selected for verification, the NMSU financial aid office will verify the items specified in the 34 CFR Part 668.56. The specific items that need to be verified for all Title IV applicants include:

  • Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
  • US Income Tax Paid
  • Income Earned from Work (wages)
  • Certain Untaxed Income
    • Untaxed Portions of Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Distributions
    • Untaxed Portions of Pensions
    • IRA Deductions and Payments
    • Tax-exempt Interest Income
    • Education Tax Credits (American Opportunity Tax Credit and Lifetime Learning Tax Credit).
  • Child Support Paid
  • Number of Household Members
  • Number of Household Members in College
  • Identity/Statement of Education Purpose

Additional items will also need to be verified by the NMSU Financial Aid Staff  when/if there is conflicting documentation on file or if other questionable items exist on the application.

Applicants' Responsibilities

It will be the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all documents requested are submitted with proper signatures. If an applicant’s dependency status changes during the award year, please contact the Financial Aid Office before making changes to the FAFSA. Household size and number in post-secondary education can only be updated during the verification process.

Required Documentation

Documentation requested must be submitted with all necessary information, including wet (physical) signature(s). Some exceptions to documentation may be made in conjunction with what is allowed by Federal Regulation. The  Federal Department of Education has instituted some changes to the verification process regarding  income-tax return data as follows:

  • When completing the income sections of the FAFSA, the applicant is given the option to use the  Direct Data Exchange (DDX) tool to collect income data reported directly to the IRS. If the applicant decides not to use the DDX and the application is chosen for verification, the applicant and the parents, if applicable, will be required to submit an IRS Tax Return with applicable schedules or Tax Transcript from the IRS.

Note:  The FUTURE Act requires the Department of Education to access tax information held by the IRS pertaining to FAFSA applicants; you must provide consent to retrieve your Federal Tax Information in order to be eligible to receive any Federal Aid.

  • If the IRS tax information is changed on the FAFSA, the applicant will be required to submit an  IRS Tax Return Transcript. The IRS data can be retrieved by the applicant when a correction is made to the FAFSA, after the first transaction.
  • If the retrieved data is not changed, then an IRS Tax Return Transcript may not be required.
  • Effective January 9, 2019, schools can now accept signed copies of tax returns and self-certification of non-filing to complete verification. What this means is that students selected for verification hav e two options in which to provide theirs, their spouse (if married), or parents' (if considered dependent) tax return information (2021 for 2023-24 or 2022 for 2023-24). They may submit a tax return transcript or you may provide a signed paper copy of the required tax return information and applicable schedules that were submitted to the IRS when faxes were filed.

Child Support Paid

Applicants, who have been selected for verification and who have indicated that child support was paid by an individual listed during the previous tax year,  must confirm the amounts of child support paid,  to whom the payments were made, and the names and addresses of the children receiving the child support. Additional documentation may be requested by the financial aid office.

Confirmation of Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose

Applicants who are required to verify their identity and to sign a statement of educational purpose  MUST appear in person at the  Financial Aid Office with a non-expired, government-issued photo ID (i.e. US passport, driver’s license, or another state-issued ID) to complete the Identity and Statement of Educational Purpose form.

Applicants who are unable to appear in person MUST go to a notary public to sign the Identity and Statement of Education Purpose form. The original form with the notary publics stamp and signature, a long with a copy of the non-expired, government-issued photo ID that was presented to the notary  MUST be mailed to the Financial Aid Office. Faxed copies, photocopies, emailed pdf, etc. are not acceptable.

Time Period

All applicants are encouraged to submit the required forms and documentation as quickly as possible. For Federal Aid recipients, the deadline for submitting verification documents is 120 days from the applicant’s last date of enrollment. This includes making any necessary corrections, submitting those corrections to the Central Processing System, and submitting the new corrected Student Aid Report (SAR) to the institution.

Consequences and Deadlines

If a student fails to provide documentation or information within the required time frame, no Title IV aid will be released.

Federal Pell Grants, Teach Grant, and Federal Direct Loans

For the 2023-2024 academic year, you must submit all required documents to complete the verification process by whichever date is sooner:

  • Within 120 days from the applicant's last date of enrollment
  • By September 21, 2024
  • Federal Direct Loans must also be accepted and originated prior to the applicant's last date of enrollment.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, you must submit all required documents to complete the  verification  process by whichever date is sooner:

  • Within 120 days from the applicant's last date of enrollment
  • By September 19, 2025
  • Federal Direct Loans must also be accepted and originated prior to the applicant's last date of enrollment.

Supplemental Grants - SEOG, SSIG, LEAP, and CAG

  • The deadline for submitting verification documents is 30 days from the start of the semester.  This includes making any necessary corrections, submitting those corrections to the Central Processing System, and submitting the new corrected Student Aid Report (SAR) to the institution.  For the semester start date, see the University Student Records website. Students who have not satisfied or completed their requirements by the deadline date will have their grant canceled for the entire academic year.
  • This affects the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), NM Student Incentive Grant (SSIG), and the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP).

Notification

During peak periods, it may take up to (21) business days for documents to be reviewed. Students may track the documents by logging onto their myNMSU account to see the updated status after the five days have passed. If additional information is required, email notifications will be sent to your NMSU email address.

Referral Procedures

NMSU  must report any credible information indicating that a Title IV aid applicant, school employee, or third-party servicer may have engaged in fraud or other criminal misconduct in connection with the Title IV programs, for investigation to the  Office of Inspector General (OIG). (Note:  Fraud is the  intent to deceive , not merely a mistake.)

Common misconduct incidences include but are not limited to:

  • Claims of independent student status
  • False claims of citizenship
  • Use of false identities
  • Forgery of signatures of certifications
  • False statement of income

Prior to notifying the  OIG, the  Financial Aid Office will consult with the  NMSU’s  Office of General Counsel regarding any incidents of suspected fraud.  If strong suspicion, with evidence, exists that a person intended to commit fraud, the  Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can be contacted at  1-800-MISUSED.

If it is determined that a student has received funds that they were not entitled to receive, the student must repay the amount. If a repayment is not made, the overpayment may be referred to the  US Department of Education.

 

Click the following link to find the needed forms: