Federal Verification

Verification is a process used to confirm the information you reported to the U.S. Department of Education on your FAFSA form. In most cases, the U.S. Department of Education requests verification – Southeastern facilitates the process and will request documentation required by federal student aid program rules. If any discrepancies or inconsistencies are noted, Southeastern will update your FAFSA to ensure your eligibility for federal student aid funds is calculated accurately. Additional documentation may be requested to reconcile incomplete or inconsistent information. 

What Happens if my FAFSA is Selected for Verification?

If your application is selected for verification, you will be notified in your Student Aid Report (SAR) after submitting your FAFSA (your SAR will be accessible to you via email or mail upon FAFSA completion). We receive the same note, and will provide you with instructions on how to proceed. An email will be sent to your Campus Webmail instructing you to check your LEONet To Do List for items needed to complete your file review. Once all the required documents are received, the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships will complete your FAFSA Verification review within 12-15 business days during peak times. If any discrepant information is found, your FAFSA will be corrected and re-submitted to FAFSA CPS for reprocessing. Your need-based aid awards will also be recalculated using the corrected FAFFSA and EFC calculation. A financial aid award offer notice will be emailed to you with instructions on viewing your corrected aid offer on LEONet.

Does verification selection mean I incorrectly completed my FAFSA?

Not necessarily. Each year, the U.S. Department of Education selects a certain percentage of FAFSA applicants for verification. This is not an indication that there is anything wrong with your FAFSA application.

What is the deadline to submit completed documents?

Verification documents should be submitted as instructed within 30 days of receiving notification of outstanding requirements and no later than July 1 to ensure timely processing prior to the fee payment deadline for the fall semester each academic year. Processing of submitted documents is approximately 12-15 business days during peak times.

A financial aid offer will not be extended to you until verification is complete. 

Certain aid programs are limitedly funded. Failure to submit the requested documents in a timely manner may result in loss of priority funds.

Once you are no longer enrolled or the aid year is over, it may be too late to disburse any financial aid. To avoid any delays in your financial aid, please complete your verification requirements in a timely manner.

How do I view my outstanding verification documents?

  1. Log on to LeoNet
  2. View your To Do List on the right side of your LeoNet homepage
  3. Click on each item to view details regarding what and how to submit

How do I prepare and submit my documents?

Detailed instructions on how to submit your verification documents can be found at Financial Aid Forms