The U.S. Department of Education has published in the Federal Register the finalized verification requirements for FAFSA applicants in the 2025–2026 academic year (90 FR 34486). The updated notice supersedes the notice published on September 4, 2024 (89 FR 71893).
These updates were previously announced on June 6 (APP-25-16) and are now officially published.
Key changes include:
- The Statement of Educational Purpose is no longer required for the 2025-2026 award year.
- The Department has added two new methods for institutions to use when verifying identity, namely a video call between the student and institutional personnel, and documentation that the student had his or her identity verified by a third party using a method satisfying the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Identity Assurance Level 2 (NIST IAL2) standard.
- Additionally, for a confined or incarcerated individual enrolled in an eligible prison education program, the Department will consider their identity to be verified if the individual’s identity was verified by an authorized official at the correctional facility where the individual is confined or incarcerated.
These acceptable documentation changes for identity verification are in the Supplementary Information chart, under Identity and apply to all students who were selected at any time throughout the 2025-2026 award year.
To view the Federal Register publication, click here.
Additional Resources
- In addition to the Federal Register publication, on July 22nd, the Department also updated the September 2024 Dear Colleague letter: (GEN-24-10) 2025–2026 Award Year: FAFSA Information to be Verified and Acceptable Documentation
- The Department has also updated the FAQ for Identity Verification, see: Program Integrity Questions and Answers – Verification
Upcoming College Aid Services Webinar Training
- On Tuesday August 19, College Aid Services will present the webinar – The New Rules: How to Handle V4/V5 and Conflicting Information. Register here.