What You Need to Know About FAFSA’s New Identity Verification

Ready to file your FAFSA? Have a charged cellphone and government ID ready!

The New FAFSA ID Check: What Families Should Know Before They Log In

If you're gearing up to file the FAFSA this year, there's a new step in the process worth knowing about before you sit down at the computer. Beginning in April 2026, the Department of Education built a real-time fraud detection system directly into the FAFSA. Every submission is now screened automatically; most families won't notice a thing, but a small number will be asked, on the spot, to prove who they are.

How the screening actually works

As soon as a student submits the FAFSA, an automated system scores it for identity fraud risk: "low," "moderate," or "high." The Department hasn't published exactly what triggers a "high risk" score, so there's no reliable way to predict it in advance. Students who land in the "low" or "moderate" categories continue through the normal process with no extra steps, no extra documents, and no delay; this should cover most applicants.

Students flagged as "high risk," on the other hand, are prompted immediately, in that same session, to complete a live automated camera check using a smartphone or tablet and to present one valid piece of government-issued identification. If the check succeeds, the FAFSA is sent to colleges as usual and nothing further is required. If it fails or isn't completed, the submission is rejected, and the student must contact each college's financial aid office directly to finish verification in person.

Why we tell every family to have an ID within reach

Here's the piece that actually matters for your planning: if a student is flagged, the verification window is short, and it cannot be paused and resumed later. There's no option to finish the FAFSA now and come back with an ID tomorrow. An incomplete check simply results in a rejected submission, which then has to be sorted out manually with the college(s), adding real delay right when you're trying to lock in an aid offer.

That's why we recommend every student have valid, current identification and a smartphone or tablet with a working camera (fully charged) within reach whenever they sit down to submit the FAFSA, even if they never expect to be flagged. Accepted documents right now include a driver's license, a U.S. passport, a tribal identification card, or a permanent resident card. A state-issued non-driver ID card and a learner's permit aren't officially on that list yet, though indications in other Department of Education documents suggest they'll be accepted.

If your student doesn't drive and doesn't have a passport, we recommend applying for a state-issued non-driver ID as soon as possible rather than waiting for confirmation; many states require in-person applications, and getting the card back can take up to a month. We keep links to each state's application process on our website at college-matters.com/stateid.

A few questions we're hearing from families

Will every student have to go through this? No. Only applicants scored "high risk" are asked for a live ID check, and since the Department hasn't disclosed what raises that score, we're simply suggesting every family treat the ID and device as standard prep, not just the students they'd expect to be flagged.

Does this delay financial aid for most people? No. Applicants who aren't flagged, or who verify successfully, move through the normal timeline. Delay only shows up for the subset who fail or skip the live check and have to loop back through their college's financial aid office.

Where can we get the most current, official word? StudentAid.gov is the authoritative source, and the Department has continued to update its guidance since the April 2026 launch. If your student does get flagged, the fastest path to resolution is always the financial aid office at the specific college(s) in question.

If you'd like help thinking through the FAFSA, financial aid timelines, or any other part of the process, from freshman year on, we're happy to talk it through with you. Reach out to College Matters whenever you're ready.

Do I Need Tuition Insurance for College?

Surprises can happen — so it may be a good idea to have a plan!

Q: The college that my child is attending is offering the option of buying tuition insurance. Is it worth it?

A: Initially, we get quizzical looks from parents when we recommend that they consider purchasing tuition insurance for their first-year college student. “They’ve worked so hard so far, they’re not going to fail out!”

It isn’t that we’ve lost faith in the student’s ability to succeed in college. It is that we have witnessed times when tuition insurance alleviated a significant financial burden because of unforeseen circumstances.

• Molly was in her second semester when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. She wanted to take a leave of absence to spend some time at home.

• Bryce was a sophomore when he realized that he wanted to change his major, pretty drastically. He was already registered for classes for the spring that would not do him any good in making academic progress toward his ultimate goal and wanted to wait a semester to start again.

• Jordan had a bad fall skiing over winter break — several broken bones and a severe concussion — and was advised not to return to college until their health was back to 100%.

• Julia had always struggled with some anxiety but had everything under control until she had a particularly bad break-up. She needed to take some time to restore her mental health.

• Austin was a recruited athlete. He couldn’t wait to start college until he was cut from the team in pre-season. He couldn't imagine not being a student-athlete and wanted to take a gap year and apply to transfer. But the tuition was already paid.

• Abigail learned in August, just before she started packing the car for her freshman year, that she had come off the waitlist at her dream college.

We realize that not all policies would cover each of the situations listed above, so it is good to read the fine print before making a decision. But regardless, we recommend that it is worth taking a look!

HELP, Typo in my Common App!!

Q: I submitted my Common Application a few weeks ago. When I looked back at it again, I noticed a typo in my activities. What do I do?

A: A college representative was visiting our office a few weeks ago, and we asked the same question of her. "Students need to realize that we are human, too! We are far more understanding than they think!"

Mistakes happen all the time! 

So, what should you do if you discover an error in an application that has already been submitted? If it absolutely needs to be corrected, such as an incorrect essay version or a glaring typo, the student should call the school and ask what their policy is for correcting the mistake. Often, the college will have the student email the change to the general admission email -- an admission staff member can then make the adjustment on their end, sometimes even before the file has been reviewed. If the error is more of an oops than egregious, it can be a harder call. Sometimes, it is better just to let it go. Pointing out the error may draw more attention to it, which could be a bad thing.

"I totally get it! These kids are juggling so much," said the rep. "Even calling us the wrong name in a supplement, I'll let go if the rest of the application is strong."

The Best College Essay Advice You'll Get!

At this time of the year, we often get calls from rising seniors asking for a bit of advice on their essay. “My topic is great, but something is missing.” After an initial read, we concur. What is missing? Them!

The best college essays are rarely the ones with the most “impressive” or “catchy” topic because the topic of every single college essay should be the same: you!

Making that shift away from the life-changer or the dramatic event can make all the difference. When you see yourself as the topic of the essay, you have far more freedom with themes. What small story showcases who you are at your core? How do you think? What are your quirks? Your fears? Your dreams?

Use that story!

Why Can't I Send a Deposit to More Than One College?

When a student sends a college deposit to a school, it indicates their intention to enroll at that institution and secure their spot in the incoming class. Therefore, it is important for students to make a conscious and informed decision about where they want to attend college before making a deposit.

Sending a college deposit to more than one school is considered a violation of the college's policies and is generally considered unethical. This is because it takes up spots that could be offered to other students who are interested in attending that college. It can also cause confusion and complications for the colleges in managing their admissions process.

If a student does send a deposit to more than one school, there is a chance that they could get caught. This is because the colleges participate in a student clearinghouse, where they can compare their lists of students who have submitted deposits. In addition, at the conclusion of the student’s senior year, their school counselor must submit a final transcript to the one institution where they have enrolled. They will not send to more than one!

In summary, it is important for students to make a deliberate and informed decision about where they want to attend college before submitting a deposit, and sending a deposit to more than one school is generally considered unethical and could potentially have consequences if the student is caught.

Can ChatGPT write my college essay?

Like many families, we spent a lot of time over the holidays playing around with ChatGPT and, I’ve got to admit, it was pretty interesting! It was able to write a pretty compelling bio when given my resume and did an amazing job with “explain dark matter to a third grader.” When asked to plan a foodie tour of Madison, Connecticut, however. the results were just plain innacurate.

Logically, I wondered, could the tool really write a compelling college essay? After many attempts, I concluded that it could not.

ChatGPT is a powerful language model that can generate text on a wide range of topics. However, when it comes to writing a college essay that showcases a student's personality, ChatGPT falls short. There are a few reasons why this is the case.

First, ChatGPT is a machine learning model that is trained on a large dataset of text. While it can generate text that is grammatically correct and semantically coherent, it lacks the ability to truly understand the context and meaning behind the words it generates. This means that it cannot fully capture the nuances of a student's personality and experiences in the way that a human writer can.

Second, ChatGPT is not capable of original thought or creativity. It can only generate text based on patterns and structures that it has seen in its training data. This means that it cannot come up with unique and creative ideas for a college essay.

Third, ChatGPT may not be able to write on certain topics that you want to express. The model is trained on a wide variety of text, but it may not have seen examples of the specific experiences or perspectives that a student wants to share in their essay.

So while ChatGPT is a powerful tool for generating text, it is not well-suited for writing a college essay that showcases what makes a student tick, how they think, or how they see themselves and the world around them. A human writer with the ability to understand context, generate original ideas, and express unique perspectives is a better choice for this task.

I've Been Deferred. What Do I Do Now?

Q:  I was deferred from my early action school. I really thought that I would get in. What should I do now?

A:  For many students, deferral seems like being in limbo – “do they want me or not?” Deferrals, however, can sometimes provide a second chance for those who understand the process. 

When a college informs you that your application has been deferred, they are often saying, in effect, that they’d like more information before they make a final decision. Sometimes, they want to know more about you as an applicant: Are you really interested in attending if you get in? Is your upward grade trajectory going to continue? Will you have additional test scores to consider? On the other hand, sometimes it’s the college that wants to do some more data gathering: What is the regular decision pool going to look like? Will they make their targeted numbers? Do they want to avoid taking too many students early? We’ve even heard of admission offices deferring applicants that they simply couldn’t get to read because of an unusually high number of applications.

Of course, you don’t know which scenario is the reason why you were deferred, so it’s probably best to assume the first. Read the deferral letter carefully and follow the directions that they give you. Some schools ask you not to send any additional letters or documentation. Others ask for updates. If they do, sending improved grades in challenging courses is definitely a plus! Be sure that your senior year grades reflect your hard work, and ask your school counselor to send updated marking period grades to the college as soon as they are ready. You can also ask a senior year teacher to write a letter on your behalf if this teacher can comment positively on your continued growth and achievement.

Next, send updates of significant new achievements that occur during your senior year: perhaps a copy of an article you wrote for your local newspaper or an honor or award you received. 

Finally, review the list of colleges to which you applied. Check to be sure that your list is realistic and that you’ll have choices in the spring… and remember that for every student, there are many schools that offer a perfect fit.

HELP, Typo in my Common App!!

Q: I submitted my Common Application a few weeks ago. When I looked back at it again, I noticed a typo in my activities. What do I do?

A: A college representative was visiting our office a few weeks ago, and we asked the same question of her. "Students need to realize that we are human too! We are far more understanding than they think!"

Mistakes happen all the time! 

So, what should you do if you discover an error in an application that has already been submitted? If it absolutely needs to be corrected, such as an incorrect essay version or a glaring typo, the student should call the school and ask what their policy is for correcting the mistake. Often, the college will have the student email the change to the general admission email -- an admission staff member can then make the adjustment on their end, sometimes even before the file has been reviewed. If the error is more of an oops than egregious, it can be a harder call. Sometimes, it is better just to let it go. Pointing out the error may draw more attention to it, which could be a bad thing.

"I totally get it! These kids are juggling so much," said the rep. "Even calling us the wrong name in a supplement, I'll let go if the rest of the application is strong."

Admission officers review an application in under ten minutes! So take a deep breath and relax! Most of the time, they won’t even notice!

Early Action or Early Decision. What's the Difference?

It’s alphabet soup!

It can be confusing! All these acronyms. Here is a quick overview:

Early Decision (ED): Student commits to their 1st choice college and if admitted, agrees to enroll and withdraw all of their outstanding applications to other colleges. ED is binding!!

Early Action (EA): A non-binding plan whereby students apply by an early deadline and receive a decision in advance of RD notification.  

Restricted Early Action (REA): A non-binding option similar to EA, however you may not be allowed to apply EA, ED, REA to other colleges. You must read the fine print to understand the restrictions.

Regular Decision (RD): An application that is submitted during the regular application cycle. This is typically the latest deadline and is non-binding.

Rolling Deadline (RL): Students can apply when the application is available until applications are no longer accepted. Students are notified of a decision as soon as the institution makes up its mind. This is non-binding.

Priority Deadline (PR): Some colleges require applications be submitted by a specific date to be considered for merit or scholarship money.

Ask the Consultant: Should I Add More Reach Schools to My List?

You’ve probably read some headlines or heard rumors that colleges are desperate to meet their enrollment numbers or are struggling financially. Some of the chatter is true, so maybe you’re now thinking that of all the years to apply to college, this is your year to get into your dream school.

According to Georgia Tech Director of Undergraduate Admission Rick Clark, myriad factors could lead to higher acceptance rates in this application cycle. In some ways, this is great for students who might want more options. However, as Clark explicitly covers in his blog, this does not mean that the country’s most selective institutions will all of a sudden be scrambling for more applicants and doubling their acceptance rates. Students and parents should understand that admission is still something that you earn. Millions of students worldwide are competing for these highly selective spots. Colleges want to maintain their high standards.

Schools that were Most Selective before the pandemic are still exactly that. It’s fine to have high aspirations but remember that even though college admissions will look a little different in the COVID-19 era and beyond, it’s important to have a balanced college list. Being realistic hasn’t changed.

To read Clark’s full blog post, use the link here: Georgia Tech Blog.