FAFSA Verification Policy
Before qualifying for Federal Financial Aid programs, the U.S. Department of Education requires some students to verify the information they reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Each year, the Department of Education determines which FAFSA responses must be verified and which groups of students are selected. Not all students are chosen for verification, and students who are selected may be required to verify different types of information.
The South Dakota Board of Regents Enrollment Services Center oversees FAFSA verification for SDSU. If a student’s FAFSA is selected for verification, the student will receive an email from ESC with instructions on how to access the required verification forms and a list of necessary supporting documentation. All completed verification forms and documentation must be submitted directly to ESC. If the submitted materials are incomplete or insufficient, ESC will contact the student to request additional information. Students are not eligible for federal financial aid until the verification process has been fully completed.
Once ESC receives all required forms and documentation, staff will compare the submitted information to the responses listed on the FAFSA. If the documentation matches the FAFSA, no changes will be made and the student’s financial aid offer will be based on the original FAFSA information. If the documentation does not match, ESC will update the FAFSA to reflect the verified information provided, and the student will be notified by email once the FAFSA has been corrected.
If a FAFSA is corrected as a result of verification, the student’s financial aid offer will be based on the verified FAFSA data. Students who received an aid offer prior to verification may see their offer adjusted after the process is complete, which could affect aid that has already been accepted or disbursed. The SDSU Financial Aid Office will notify students if their aid offer changes due to verification.
For some students, FAFSA verification may result in a higher Student Aid Index and a reduction in financial aid eligibility. In certain cases, students may be required to return federal financial aid funds that were previously received. Students who owe a refund are not eligible for additional financial aid until the issue is resolved with the SDSU Financial Aid Office. Failure to repay required funds in a timely manner may result in ineligibility for future financial aid, possible loan default status and referral to the U.S. Department of Education for collection and documentation of ineligibility.
