Federal Verification

Helping You Complete Your Application

After filing a FAFSA form, students may be selected, by The Department of Education, for review in a process called Verification. Under federal regulations, the Griffin Financial Aid Office is required to verify the accuracy of the information reported on your FAFSA form.

In compliance with federal guidelines there are certain data elements that we are required to verify. In order to do so, we may need to collect additional documentation and/or have you transfer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Verification FAQs

Sibling Verification

If you report that your parents are paying college costs for your sibling(s) on your financial aid application, part of your financial aid award is based on those costs. Our office will ask you to verify these costs at the beginning of the fall semester by having a college official (like a financial aid officer or registrar's staff member) fill out a Verification of Sibling Enrollment Form. 

Once the form has been completed, your sibling's college can return it to us through our Sibling Verification Uploader, or by regular mail.

Managing Your Outside Awards

Helping You Meet Your Need

When you receive scholarship funds from sources outside Harvard, they must be reported to OARS so we can incorporate them into your financial aid package. For students who are receiving Harvard scholarship, our policy is to use the full amount of your outside awards to replace your term-time job expectation. If you have outside awards that exceed your term-time job expectation, the remaining amount would replace an equal amount of Harvard scholarship. Since outside awards are additional resources that reduce your financial need, they cannot be used to replace your parent contribution.

Contact information for outside donors

Outside award donors often request special handling or additional information before they remit their funds. The following contact information may be helpful as you arrange for your outside awards to be sent to Harvard.

Contact Information

Taking a Leave of Absence

We are here to help you plan. Taking time away from Harvard—a semester, a year, or more—may impact your financial awards or loan repayment. Before you make a decision, it may be helpful to review our checklist below.

The guidelines for securing a Leave of Absence from Harvard are outlined in the Handbook for Students. It is important that you review this section of the handbook and meet with your Resident Dean to discuss the logistics of leaving school. We will help you in any way we can.

Leave of Absence Financial Checklist

There are often financial issues you need to settle and/or consider as you leave Harvard. This financial checklist contains specific information about financial aid and the repayment of any student loans, as well as information about what you will need to do in order to return to Harvard.

This checklist should be used to supplement the information provided by your Resident Dean and the Handbook for Students.

Leave of Absence Checklist