Verification Process

If you have been selected for verification, we will notify you through CalCentral that there are items you need to review. Verification and other requirements are completed through the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website. Newly admitted students, you will be able to access this website and proceed with the verification process after you accept your offer of admission and create a CalNet ID.

• Note: if you have not registered with the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website, you will need to do that first. This is a one time process that matches up your personal information with the aid application we have on file for you. Review the instructions on how to get started from the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website.
• New Students: you will need a CalNet ID to access the verification forms, which is created when you commit to Berkeley and become a Golden Bear! Students that apply for aid using the California Dream Act Application will need to have their AB540 eligibility confirmed by the Residency Office. Be sure to complete your Statement of Legal Residence as soon as possible.
• When you have successfully logged into the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website, you will be taken to a Needs Action task list—select anywhere on the task to expand and get additional information about what is needed.
• Some tasks you will be able to satisfy completely online, while others will require you to download, complete, and upload back to the task.
• To e-sign an online form, you will need to create a pin that you will use to sign all your online forms on the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website. You can also opt out of e-signing your documents—it is up to you!
• Dependent students may have forms that require a parent signature. After you (the student) have e-signed a document, you will have the option to request a parent signature.
• You will need to:
  • Select the parent you would like to sign the document
  • Enter the the parent's email address
  • Confirm their email
  • Select the Send Request button
  • Share detailed registration and e-sign instructions with the parent.
  • Your parent should not use your PIN to provide their signature, instead the password they create functions as their signature.
• Upload any documents needed to complete your tasks.
• Once all documents are completed and all additional information uploaded, you can submit your verification for review.

Yes, there is a chance it may. If the information provided on the verification documents and/or tax returns (source documents) differs from what was reported on the aid application, we will update your aid application to match the source documents. As such, it may change the financial aid you were originally offered.

You will be notified during the aid application filing process if you have been selected for federal verification on your FAFSA Submission Summary. We will also notify you by placing tasks and instructions in your CalCentral account.

To see if you have been selected for verification, go to the My Finances section of CalCentral. Click on the "Details" link in the Financial Aid and Scholarships section of the page. Review your Messages and Tasks for information about your verification status. If selected, you will be provided a link to the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website where you can see what is being requested from you.

If you have been selected for verification, you will see your requirements listed as tasks in your CalCentral account. Typically, we require that you do the following:

• Complete, sign, and upload any documents listed on the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website.
• Obtain a copy of your and your parents' (if dependent) Federal Tax Return from the previous year. If the tax return is not requested on the Berkeley Financial Aid Forms website, you do not have to upload it.
• If you or your parents (if dependent) did not and are not required to file a federal tax return for the previous year, then we need you (or your parents) to submit IRS documents that clearly indicate that the IRS does not have a tax return record on file for that year. This may include a Tax Return Transcript or a Tax Account Transcript that includes a message such as "no record of return filed" or "no transcript on file," or certification from the IRS of non-filing status for that year.

There are several factors that impact how quickly your verification documents can be reviewed, including the time of year in which documents are received. Additionally, due to the changes related to FAFSA Simplification and delays in system functionality at the Department of Education, processing times are longer than anticipated.  We encourage you to submit any requests for additional documentation as soon as you receive them to avoid additional delays.

For AB 540 students, the process is similar, but instead of submitting a FAFSA, you will submit the California Dream Act Application. The California Student Aid Commission also requires us to verify that the information used to complete the application is accurate by collecting supporting documentation from a percentage of students.