91´ÎÔª

Five things you know need to know about verification: 

1. Verification is a federally required process that confirms the accuracy of the answers on your FAFSA. 
2. If selected for verification, you must create an account via UM's Verification Gateway portal. 
3. You must submit all required documents, signatures, and answer any questions regarding your FAFSA answers. 
4. Allow seven to 10 business days for the verification process to be completed once all required documents have been submitted. Once verification has been completed, Student Financial Services will be notified. 
5. Student Financial Services will be notified if there was any change to the Student Aid Index. If any change was made, the award offer will be adjusted. The student would then be notified of any revision to the award offer. 

If you have any questions about the verification process or need assistance finishing your task with Inceptia, contact Student Financial Services. We are happy to be a liaison between Inceptia and the student and/or parent. 

Historically, verification has been random and 30 percent of files have been selected for verification. Due to the FAFSA Simplification and the implementation of the Direct Data Exchange with the IRS for the 2024-25 academic year, fewer files are now selected for verification.

UM partners with Inceptia to expedite the verification process. Verification Gateway (VG) from Inceptia is an online portal to guide students and parents through verification.

If your FAFSA application is selected for verification by the U.S Department of Education, you will receive an email from VGCS@inceptia.org, or postcard from Inceptia, containing the 91´ÎÔª’s unique website link to start the verification process.

We encourage you to begin the verification process within seven days of receiving notification from Verification Gateway to ensure you receive your financial aid in time for payments. Failure to complete the verification process could result in the delay or denial of your financial aid.

Follow these steps to complete your verification:

1. Access our school’s unique website link in the email from VGCS@inceptia.org or listed below.
2. Create your account and choose preferences for text messages and e-signatures. If you are a dependent student, your parent also needs to create their own account and complete each of these steps.
3. Complete your Task List.
4. Confirm your signature and review your information.
5. Sign your account.

If you have questions about verification, call Inceptia at 833-932-1877 or email VGCS@inceptia.org.

When you are selected for verification, UM is required to confirm your completion of high school. In order to verify your receipt of a high school diploma or its equivalent, you must provide proof that you have received one of the following high school completion documents directly to:

91´ÎÔª
Office of Admissions
Gilkey Building
950 Arthur Ave.
Missoula, MT 59812

Acceptable Forms of Documentation

High school diploma:

• Submit your official high school transcript which indicates completion of degree.

Recognized equivalent of a high school diploma:

• Submit your General Educational Development (GED) Certificate.
• A state certificate received by a student after the student has passed a state-authorized examination that the state recognizes as the equivalent of a high school diploma

Homeschool:

• A transcript or the equivalent, signed by the parent or guardian, that lists the secondary school courses completed by the applicant and documents the successful completion of a secondary school education.
• Secondary school completion credential for homeschool (other than a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent) provided for under state law.

Alternative Documentation

Students who are unable to obtain the documentation listed above may still be eligible if they meet one of the conditions below. Contact Student Financial Services if this applies to you.

• An academic transcript of a student who has successfully completed at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
• For a student who enrolls before completing high school, a transcript indicating the student has excelled in high school. The student must no longer be enrolled in high school, must satisfy your school’s written policy for admitting such students, and must be starting a program that leads at least to an associate’s degree or its equivalent.

As part of the verification process, students and parents may be required to submit their federal income tax return data to Student Financial Services. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool allows users to transfer tax information directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. This information is then forwarded to the schools listed on the FAFSA, which in turn satisfies the requirement to provide tax data.

Note: If after using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool a family alters any of the income data, the data will be invalidated and a tax transcript will be required in its place.

Not everyone is able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The alternate way of providing the required data is to provide either a signed copy of that tax year's federal return (i.e. 1040 Form and supporting tax schedules) or an IRS tax return transcript.

For information on the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or requesting an IRS Return Transcript refer to the .

The FAFSA uses tax data from the prior-prior tax year. If a family selected for verification still has not filed their taxes by the extension deadline (Oct. 15) then they will need to submit documentation to Student Financial Services showing that the IRS authorized an extension past the six-month October deadline, which includes:

• A copy of the IRS’s approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for the tax year;
• Verification of non-filing from the IRS dated on or after the October extension deadline;
• Copies of all their W-2 forms (or equivalent) for the tax year employment income; and
• If self-employed, a signed statement with the amounts of their AGI and U.S. income tax paid for that tax year.

Students who filed an amended tax return are required to submit a signed copy of their federal tax return and all applicable schedules to Student Financial Services. Alternatively, they can provide a IRS tax return transcript and record of account or account transcript downloaded from . 

Some students are required to present themselves in person and submit a copy of their valid government ID to Student Financial Services. If a student is unable to present themselves in person, they must submit assign copy of the Identity Verification and Statement of Educational Purpose that was signed in front of a notary public and a copy of the valid government ID presented to the notary public mailed to:

91´ÎÔª
Student Financial Services
32 Campus Drive
Aber Hall Fifth Floor
Missoula, Montana 59812-1254

These items cannot be faxed or emailed to the office. We must receive the original copy. The date of the student signature and the date of the notary’s signature must match. This form and process is extremely strict. 

For grants to appear on the bill as a pending credit, verification documentation must be submitted by the following dates:

• prior to July 1 for the autumn semester
• prior to Nov. 1 for the spring semester 
• prior April 1 for the summer semester

To receive loans or an FSEOG grant, the verification process must be done prior to the time a student ceases attending in an academic year.

For the Federal Pell Grant, students have up to 120 days after they cease to be enrolled in the academic year to complete verification.

Understand that completing verification includes the time required for the school to submit corrections to the federal processor. Students need to also allow time for Student Financial Services to determine award eligibility.

Inceptia, a division of National Student Loan Program (NSLP), is a nonprofit organization committed to offering effective and uncomplicated solutions in verification, financial aid management, financial education, and repayment wellness. Their mission supports schools to illuminate paths toward educational and financial success for students and families.