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What is Verification?

Students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be asked to provide additional documentation to verify the data reported in the application. This process is called Verification.

If a student is selected for Verification, AU will notify the student in writing. The notification will provide information on documentation that is required and the submission process. To view this information on the student portal, select the option for “Finances” on the left menu and then click on the “Financial Aid: My Documents” link.

Once the Office of Financial Aid receives the required information, staff will review the documents and compare the data to the information submitted on the student’s aid application. If necessary, the office will make corrections or contact the student for further information. Should corrections to the student’s aid application result in a change to the financial aid offer, the office will update the student’s portal and notify the student via e-mail.

2022-2023deadlines and dates

  • All documents should be submitted within two weeks of the date of the initial Verification notification.
  • Late submission of documents may result in a loss of aid eligibility.
  • For AU institutional need-based aid consideration, all requested documents must be received by August 1, 2022for the 2022-2023award year.
  • As a final deadline for 2022-2023federal financial aid processing, all requested documents must be received by April 1st, 2022, or prior to your last day of enrollment, whichever is earlier.

2023-2024deadlines and dates

  • All documents should be submitted within two weeks of the date of the initial Verification notification.
  • Late submission of documents may result in a loss of aid eligibility.
  • For AU institutional need-based aid consideration, all requested documents must be received by August 1, 2023for the 2023-2024award year.
  • As a final deadline for 2023-2024federal financial aid processing, all requested documents must be received by April 1st, 2023, or prior to your last day of enrollment, whichever is earlier.

Accessing Required Documents

Admitted and current students can view outstanding requirements and print documents by:

  1. Going to
  2. Selecting "Financial Aid" from themenu
  3. Clicking on “Required Documents" from the "Financial Aid" drop down menu at the top of the screen.

Document Submisson

Students and parents/guardians can submit documents in one of three ways: electonically, via fax, or by mail. In order to protect you information, documents cannot be submited via email.

Electronically (Preferred)

Admitted and current sudents can submit documents electronically:

  1. Open a browser and go to go.american.edu/verification
  2. Type in the student’s full AU email address Ex: student@american.edu
  3. Enter the student’s AU portal password.
  4. Complete the Verification form by:
    1. Selecting the submitted buttons next to the documents that will be uploaded
    2. Attaching the documents using the icon at the bottom right hand corner of the form
    3. Selecting the documents to be uploaded from the files on the computer/device. Once uploaded the documents will appear at the bottom of the form.
  5. Clicking submit

Prospective students and their guardians also have the option to submit Verificationdocuments electronically. Instructions to set up an account for first-time registrants are as follows:

  1. Go to
  2. If prompted to log in, selectcontinue without log in
  3. Select the Guest option from the menu items at the top of the page
  4. Under the “Don’t have a Guest Account?” heading, click the “guest registration” link
  5. Follow the instructions to create a guest account; be sure to retain the login information for future use.
  6. Log in using the e-mail address and password entered to create the Guest account.
  7. Select the Student Services & Academics box
  8. Click on the Financial Aid icon
  9. Select the Verification forms option
  10. Check the parent box
  11. Enter the student’s Name and AU ID (if available)
  12. Check the submitted button next to the form(s) to be uploaded
  13. Check the acknowledgement box
  14. At the bottom right hand corner of the form, click the attachment icon to upload documents

Once you have created a Guest account on , you can submit documents electronically using the following steps:

  1. Log in to the using the e-mail address and password entered to create the guest account.
  2. Once logged in, select the the Student Services & Academics box
  3. Click on the Financial Aid icon
  4. Select the Verification forms option
  5. Check the parent box
  6. Enter the student’s Name and AU ID (if available)
  7. Check the submitted button next to the form(s) to be uploaded
  8. Check the acknowledgement box
  9. At the bottom right hand corner of the form, click the attachment icon to upload documents

Faxing Documents

The studentor parent(s) can submit documents via secure fax to 202-885-1025. Please be sure to include the student's name and AU ID# on all documents.

Mailing Documents

The student or parent(s) can submit documents via the post office to the following address:

American University
Office of Financial Aid
4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016-8001

Please be sure to include the student's name and AU ID# on all documents.