Financial Aid Office

Permission to Share

If you would like to be able to discuss your financial aid application and/or eligibility with anyone other than your biological parents, please complete the Permission to Share form and send it to our office.

Noncustodial Waiver Petition

Wesleyan adheres to the principal that both biological or adoptive parents have the primary responsibility for providing reasonable financial support to fund their child’s cost of education at Wesleyan University.  Wesleyan financial aid is provided to meet any shortfall that exists when the family’s ability to contribute has been maximized.  Wesleyan does not consider whether a custodial or noncustodial parent is willing to contribute to their child’s education; instead, the Financial Aid Office collects financial information from both parents to evaluate the ability to contribute.  The financial need of students whose parents are divorced is calculated based upon the same principle followed in calculating the need of all other students:  both parents are jointly responsible for the college expenses of their children to the extent of the family ability.  Consideration is made for expenses like child support, separate households and blended families.  

Wesleyan University recognizes that extenuating circumstances in individual cases may make it impossible to obtain information from a noncustodial parent.  If the noncustodial parent’s whereabouts are unknown, if there has been extremely limited or no contact with the noncustodial parent for a significant period of time, or if there are other extenuating circumstances, the collection of noncustodial financial information may be waived.  Students/families with these circumstances may petition to waive the collection of noncustodial information in the financial aid process.  Please review the Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition for more information.  Note:  a letter from a third party (other than a family member, family friend or attorney) who can verify the amount of contact a child has had with the noncustodial parent is required.

Loan Request Form

For students that would like to request additional loan.

Non-Tax Filer Statement 2023-2024

Non-Tax Filer Statement 2024-2025

For students and parents who did not file a tax return.

The US Department of Education selects approximately 30% of FAFSA filers for verification each year. If have been notified by our office or your Student Aid Report (SAR) indicates that you have been selected for verification, you must submit additional documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The Wesleyan Financial Aid Office is here to help you through this process so please contact our office if you have any questions.

The Federal Verification requirements may be different for each student depending on the student’s verification tracking group.  The tracking groups are: V1 – Standard Verification Group, V4 – Custom Verification Group, V5 – Aggregate Verification Group.

Step One (V1 and V4)

Verification Worksheet

Please be sure to complete all columns of the household grid for each household member. Failure to complete each column for a household member will make it necessary for you to submit a corrected worksheet.

Step Two (V1 and V4)

If you filed a tax return in 2021:

IRS Income Verification

Tax filers selected for verification for the 2023-24 year can provide IRS Income Verification by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to transfer income information from the IRS to the FAFSA, by submitting a signed copy of their 2021 tax return, including all applicable schedules, or by requesting a Tax Return Transcript(s) from the IRS. Note: The best way to verify income is by using the IRS DRT. In most cases, no further documentation is needed to verify 2021 income information transferred via DRT if that information was transferred and not changed. Wesleyan strongly recommends using the IRS DRT option when possible.

Option 1 - IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT)
Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to transfer tax return information from the IRS to the FAFSA on the Web is recommended. If you are ineligible or choose not to use the IRS DRT, you may provide a signed tax return or an IRS Tax Return Transcript to verify income information.  

• To use IRS DRT login to the Federal Student Aid website. Click the “Link to the IRS” button in the Student Financial Information or Parent Financial Information section of the online form and check the “Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA form” box. Click the Submit button.

Option 2 – Signed 2021 Federal Tax Returns with applicable schedules to IDOC

• Submit a signed and dated copy of your 2021 tax return to IDOC. If you previously uploaded a copy that was not signed, another copy with a signature will be required to meet federal verification requirements. The tax return must include all applicable schedules that were filed with the return.

Option 3 - IRS Tax Transcripts

• Tax transcripts are available from the IRS free of charge. Tax information electronically filed within the last 3 weeks or submitted by mail within the last 8 weeks may not be available.
• You will need to provide identifying information including tax filing status, Social Security Number and date of birth of the first person listed on the income tax return, and the mailing address from the latest tax return filed.  
• Be sure to choose Tax Return Transcriptwhen selecting the transcript type.  More information can be found at the IRS website by clicking “Get Your Tax Record.”  Married tax filers with separate returns must provide transcripts for both spouses.

If you did not file a tax return in 2021:

Verification of Non-filing

Parents of dependent students and independent students and/or their spouses who did not file and were not required to file a 2021 income tax return with the IRS must provide a Verification of Non-Filing Letter from the IRS or other relevant tax authority dated on or after October 1, 2022 that indicates a 2021 IRS income tax return was not filed. Non-filers must also complete the Non-Tax Filer Statement, listing all sources and amounts of 2021 employment income), and provide copies of all 2021 IRS W-2 forms or equivalent documents issued by each employer.

• To request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter: Follow the instructions provided above for IRS Tax Transcripts, choosing Verification of Non-Filing Letter when selecting the transcript type.

Step Three - Verification of Identity/Statement of Educational Purpose (V4 and V5)

Only students selected for these verification groups are required to complete this form.

Verification Statement of Educational Purpose 

Please be sure to fill out the Verification Statement of Educational Purpose. The statement must be completed and signed in the presence of a Wesleyan Financial Aid Administrator. You must present a valid, unexpired, government-issued photo identification (driver’s license, non-driver’s license, or passport) in the presence of a Wesleyan Financial Aid Administrator. The Financial Aid Office must maintain a copy of the required identification. If you are unable to complete the form in the presence of a Wesleyan Financial Aid Administrator, please contact our office to determine if an alternative option is available.

Unusual Income Verification Circumstances:

Amended IRS Income Tax Returns

An individual who filed an amended IRS income tax return for tax year 2021 must provide:

• A signed copy of the 2021 IRS Form 1040X “Amended U.S. Individual Tax Return” that was filed with the IRS, and one of the following:
• IRS DRT information on the FAFSA on the Web with all tax information from the original tax return; or
• A 2021 IRS Tax Return Transcript (that will only include information from the original tax return and does not have to be signed) or any other IRS tax transcript(s) that includes all of the income and tax information required to be verified.

IRS Tax Extension Granted (Form 4868)

An individual who is required to file a 2021 IRS income tax return and has been granted a filing extension by the IRS beyond the automatic six-month extension for tax year 2021, must provide:

• A copy of the IRS's approval of an extension beyond the automatic six-month extension for tax year 2021;
• Verification of Non-filing Letter (confirmation that the tax return has not yet been filed) from the IRS or other relevant tax authority dated on or after October 1, 2022;
• A copy of IRS Form W–2 for each source of employment income received or an equivalent document for tax year 2021 and,
• If self-employed, a signed statement certifying the amount of the individual’s Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and the U.S. income tax paid for tax year 2021.

Victims of IRS Tax-Related Identity Theft

An individual who was the victim of IRS tax-related identity theft must provide:

• A Tax Return DataBase View (TRDBV) transcript obtained from the IRS, or any other IRS tax transcript(s) that includes all of the income and tax information required to be verified; and
• A statement signed and dated by the tax filer indicating that he or she was a victim of IRS tax-related identity theft and that the IRS is aware of the tax-related identity theft.

Non-IRS Income Tax Returns

• A tax filer who filed an income tax return with Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands may provide a signed copy of their income tax return that was filed with the relevant tax authority. Please note: the tax filer may be required to provide us with a copy of the tax account information issued by the relevant tax authority before verification can be completed.
• A tax filer who filed an income tax return with the tax authority for American Samoa must provide a copy of their tax account information.
• A tax filer who filed an income tax return with tax authorities not mentioned above, i.e. a foreign tax authority, must submit a signed copy of the tax return filed with the foreign tax authority or a tax transcript from a government of a foreign nation or a U.S. territory or commonwealth that has all the filer’s income and tax data to be verified.

Rollovers and verification

• Qualified rollovers from one retirement account to another are not taxable, and they should not be counted as untaxed income.
• If the applicant or parent uses the IRS DRT when completing the FAFSA on the web and transfers an amount greater than zero ($0) for Untaxed Portions of IRA Distributions or Untaxed Portions of Pensions, the individual will be required to answer a question about whether that amount includes a rollover. If the individual answers “yes,” they will be prompted to enter the amount of the rollover.
• If the applicant is selected for verification, Wesleyan will request a signed confirmation of the rollover amount. A rollover may be verified with a statement signed by the tax filer that indicates the amount of the rollover, or with a tax return transcript or federal tax return with the word “rollover” next to the distribution that is signed and dated by the filer. A preparer’s name and PTIN is not acceptable for verification of the rollover.

Request for Reconsideration Form 2023-24

If you are requesting reconsideration based upon a change in income for the 2023 calendar year, please contact your Financial Aid Director for the Anticipated Year Income Worksheet to submit along with the Request for Reconsideration form.

If students have siblings attending college during the same academic year, verification of their enrollment is required.  The form is due by October 1st.

If you have a sibling(s) in college, your parent contribution may be affected if your sibling(s) decides to defer or take a leave of absence, as he/she is technically no longer enrolled. If your sibling(s) is studying remotely, you will not see a change in your parent contribution, assuming the tuition at his/her institution has not changed significantly.

Sibling Enrollment Verification