Verification Process
Verification is the process used to verify the accuracy of information students provide when they apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Department of Education selects approximately 30% of FAFSAs for this process either randomly, or because of inconsistent information. A school’s financial aid office may also select a FAFSA for verification to clarify possible discrepancies.
Verification applies to the PELL Grant, subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and the Federal Work-Study program.
Review the questions and answers in the dropdown accordion below, which includes details about how to complete the process. If you still have questions, contact the EFSC Financial Aid Office at 321-433-7339 or by email: finaid@easternflorida.edu.
1. EFSC will notify you. Check your mail, student email, and your myEFSC message center regularly for verification-related requests.
2. You may also see a note on your FAFSA Submission Summary saying that your FAFSA has been selected for verification.
3. EFSC's Financial Aid Office will be sending out communications to students regarding verification information.
If your FAFSA has been selected, you will have to submit a Verification Form and certain financial or other documentation to the Financial Aid Office.
Documents requested will vary and can depend on whether you are a dependent or an independent student. The verification form for both types of students can be downloaded from our forms page.
Upon review, additional documentation will be needed, so continue to check your Message Center in the myEFSC Portal.
It’s highly recommended that you complete your verification as soon as possible so you can get details about your financial aid package. Your aid will NOT be offered until your file is complete, so you may be negatively affected due to decreased funding availability the longer you wait to submit your documents.
YES. If the requested documentation has not been received by the end of the current academic term, the student will be notified that their file is no longer being considered for the awarding of federal financial aid.
Undergraduate students under the age of 24 are considered dependent for federal student aid purposes unless they are married, have dependents other than a spouse for whom they provide more than half of their support, are an orphan or ward of the court, or are a veteran or active-duty member of the U.S. Armed Force.
If a student who is under the age of 24 does not satisfy one of these criteria, the odds of being considered independent are unlikely.
Living away from your parents or being self-supporting does not on its own, affect dependency. If you believe, however, that you should be considered independent due to a special circumstance, please contact the EFSC Financial Aid Office.
After the Financial Aid Office reviews your submitted documents, if we do not find errors on your FAFSA, verification will be completed, and you will receive an award letter indicating the amount of your financial aid awards.
If you cannot find original tax documentation, you can contact your tax professional for copies, go to any IRS Office and ask for copies of your tax information, call the IRS to request your tax information at 800-908-9946, or you can request or review/print applicable tax information at this IRS transcript website.
Verification documents can be submitted in the following ways:
- Download, complete and sign the dependent or independent form based on your status, then scan, and upload using the Financial Aid Document Upload Tool in the myEFSC Portal under Financial Aid Forms & Upload.
- Submit documentation in person to any EFSC campus Financial Aid Office.
Expect the processing time of your verification to take up to two weeks from the date all requested documentation has been received, but be aware that the EFSC Financial Aid Office experiences seasonal changes in processing volume which may affect processing times.
It’s highly recommended that you complete your verification as soon as possible so you can get details about your financial aid package. Your aid will NOT be offered until your file is complete, so you may be negatively affected due to decreased funding availability the longer you wait to submit your documents.
If you choose to not complete the verification, that is your choice, however, participation in the verification process is not optional if you want to receive federal financial aid.