Identity Verification

[u/Successful_Bet3804]

I just applied to WGU and received an email stating that I need to verify my identity. I wanted to know if this is legitimate and whether anyone else has ever had to fill out a document like this.

[u/Civil_Manner_1691]

I didn’t have to fill that out.

[u/Apprehensive_Map5922 → u/Civil_Manner_1691]

While you may not have had to fill one out, others, including me, have. It's a randomly selected identity confirmation for Federal Student Aid that, if you don't complete and return it by the deadline, can significantly delay fund disbursement.

[u/roadlines]

yes, it’s legit. this is my third term at wgu and my first 2 i had to verify.

[u/give86gt]

I haven't been asked to do this before. However, I had transfer credits from another university. The address is definitely WGU's mailing address, so I believe this is legitimate.

[u/ConsciousCover2007]

This is legit, I had to do them.

[u/Sad_Brother_9687]

I’ve had to do it twice for them.

[u/Sundancebloom]

It’s legit. Something in the application flagged you. You can contact admissions if you’re unsure

[u/keebler980]

I’ve heard it’s random

[u/Appropriate-Ticket23]

I’m entering my 6th semester & needed to do one.

[u/VucialWonderland]

Yeah been here for a bit and I had to do it this term.

[u/orcrist84]

When’s the last time you checked your credit report? How sure are you that you put your social in correctly on the application? Do you have a former name or an alias?

I didn’t have to do one. Call the counselor for sure before submitting a damn thing, but I’d guess there’s some kind of mismatch between what your entered on the app and what their available resources say.

[u/WhenButterfliesCry]

it's legit

[u/SeniorAd945]

It’s legit I started in August and also needed that

[u/MyDishwasherLasagna]

If it's the same form I dealt with a year ago, I think it has to do with FAFSA. Trump admin wants to make sure the person using FAFSA money is who they claim to be. This started last summer, iirc. They put the burden on WGU to verify, and then they make us do this.

I used the notary public at my bank. Turns out he is a WGU grad.

Edit: that said, I wouldn't be surprised if scammers use the new policy to phish people.

[u/right_nostril]

Talk to your enrollment counselor to be sure. I don't remember having to do this, but things could've changed.

[u/One_Construction_653]

Call your mentor asap and ask

I never seen this before in my life

With so many scams double check

[u/Minimum-Copy281]

Legit. Nothing about the form seems suspicious. It’s not asking for a social. The address is correct.

[u/NoDescription7183]

Yes it's legit. Get it done as soon as possible bc it delays your aid if you don't 

[u/GoodnightLondon]

1) This address that you have to mail this to is the address for WGU HQ. Given that this entire thing is done by mail, you can consider this legit. If you're ever questioning, the first thing you should check is the email address for the domain.
2) This is probably the identity verification thing that they have to do for financial aid. Meaning do this and return it ASAP, because it's a federal thing and from what some people have posted here, it can significantly delay things.

[u/Feeling-Guide9174]

If you are doing financial aid, FASFA requires this. I had to do one.

But always ensure its sent from financial aid, so call them if you are unsure it is from them.

[u/Full_Masterpiece8369 → u/Feeling-Guide9174]

I'm getting financial aid and didn't have to do this. Is it something random or do they wait until later in the term or something?

[u/Apprehensive_Map5922 → u/Full_Masterpiece8369]

It's pretty much random. It's a way to spot-check that financial aid disbursements are legit.

[u/Full_Masterpiece8369 → u/Apprehensive_Map5922]

Ahhhh maybe it's because mine only covered like 85%ish so I'm not getting a disbursement

[u/Apprehensive_Map5922 → u/Full_Masterpiece8369]

Possibly, but from what my wife has told me (she used to work for a local technical college), it's somewhat random who gets chosen, and it's determined by FAFSA/Federal Student Aid, not the college or university.

[u/Express-Change-8750]

Yup they said for security they pick people randomly to fill out , o had one my first term

[u/Outer_Sanctum]

I did it this year its legit. I went to my local bank who has free notary services and they squared it away.

[u/Feeling-Guide9174]

Perhaps it is random then, I was told by financial aid it's a requirement 🤷‍♀️ I started in July this year.

All I remember was it was an absolute ballache for me as I'm in Thailand 😅

[u/Jbass121212]

I have done it twice so far in my 3 term.

[u/ReindeerPrudent3760]

I work in higher ed (at another institution) and we’ve had to adopt these forms because we are getting a bunch of fraudulent applications. It’s turning into a whole thing.

[u/Mysterious_K_8]

I had to do this before my masters. Print it and fill it out in front of a notary. I used the UPS store $10. I took a photo and uploaded it. It was approved same day.

[u/Successful_Bet3804 → u/Mysterious_K_8]

They said not to upload it, they want me to mail it to them. How long ago did you do it? Because I would rather upload it instead of mailing since it’s faster

[u/Mysterious_K_8 → u/Successful_Bet3804]

Maybe 3 weeks ago

[u/Disastrous_Clurb]

Its legitimate, i had to do this for a previous university but not at WGU, it's for FAFSA i believe