Verifying your FAFSA
The federal government randomly selects a number of FAFSAs to undergo the verification
process. This is a quality assurance tool utilized by the Department of Education
to ensure students are consistently awarded the correct types and the correct amounts
of aid.
Deadlines
Be sure to remember these important deadlines for the FAFSA and verification!
November
21
Last day to turn in verification documents for Fall 2025 only loans
April
11
Last day to turn in verification documents for Fall 2025 Pell Grant
April
24
Last day to turn in verification documents for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 loans
July
10
Last day to turn in verification documents for Summer 2026 loans
The verification process
If you are selected for verification, Missouri State University will compare the information
from your FAFSA to the corresponding items from your tax return, and any errors on
your FAFSA will be corrected by our office. If clarification is needed, you will be
contacted through your MSU email account.
Your role in verification
You will be notified of what documents our office needs in order to complete your
verification. Generally, the documents that will be requested are:
- A copy of your and your parent(s) federal Tax Return or Transcript
- Copies of all your and your parent(s) W-2’s, if you are a dependent student
- If you did not file a tax return, a Verification of Non-Filing Letter from the IRS, unless you are a dependent student (your parents are listed on your
FAFSA)
- A completed copy of either the Dependent Verification Worksheet or the Independent
Verification Worksheet
You and your parent(s) should submit these documents to our office as soon as you
can upon receiving notification that you were selected for verification. The sooner
we receive your verification documents the sooner we can complete your verification
and award financial aid. You will not be eligible to receive any financial aid until
the verification process has been completed.
Contact the office of student financial aid at 417-836-5262 if you have any questions.
Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
Every FAFSA is subject to verification, but the time it takes can be reduced by transferring
your IRS data directly to your FAFSA. You may use the Data Retrieval Tool either during
the initial application or during a correction. Doing so may also reduce the amount
of paperwork requested from you or your parents.

2024-25 and 2025-26 deadlines for federal loans and grants
Description |
Turn in documents for federal loans by: |
Turn in documents for Pell Grant by: |
Attended through Fall 2024 |
November 22, 2024 |
April 19, 2025 |
Attended through Spring 2025 |
April 24, 2025 |
August 22, 2025 |
Attended through Summer 2025 |
July 11, 2025 |
August 22, 2025 |
Attended through Fall 2025 |
November 21, 2025 |
April 11, 2026 |
Attended through Spring 2026 |
April 24, 2026 |
August 21, 2026 |
Attended through Summer 2026 |
July 10, 2026 |
August 21, 2026 |
*Estimated to allow 2 weeks for processing. Date must be adjusted if the last day
enrolled is prior to end of semester, such as in a withdrawal.