FAFSA
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Confused after FAFSA submission - what do I do now that I can see my SAI amount?
I just finished submitting my FAFSA a couple days ago and got an email saying I could log back in to see my SAI amount. I logged in and can see how much aid I might get, but I'm completely lost about what to do next? I selected my 10 schools already during the application. Is there something else I need to do to make sure they get my FAFSA info? Do I need to contact each school separately or do they automatically get notified? This is my first time applying and my parents aren't familiar with the college process in the US.
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USC rejected my financial aid because FAFSA wasn't 'received' until after April 1 despite submitting in January
I'm absolutely fuming right now! Submitted our FAFSA on January 31st for my daughter's freshman year at USC (South Carolina). Just got off the phone with their financial aid office and was told they 'didn't receive it' until April 9th - AFTER their April 1st deadline for aid packages. So now they're saying we don't qualify for ANY financial aid package because of this! How is this even possible when we submitted over TWO MONTHS before their deadline?? Has anyone else had this problem with schools claiming they didn't receive FAFSA data until way after submission? Is there anything we can do to appeal this? Our EFC isn't super low but we were counting on some aid and now they're basically saying 'too bad, so sad' even though we did everything right. I'm seriously panicking about how we'll afford this now.
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I sent both - email first, then followed up with a physical letter mailed to the director specifically (found his name on the school website). I included a brief paragraph about my daughter's academics and extracurriculars, but mainly focused on the FAFSA timeline with documentation. I also mentioned that we had received aid offers from their competitor schools, which might have helped!
That's smart! My daughter did get decent offers from College of Charleston and UNC Charlotte, so I'll definitely mention those in our appeal. I'll work on drafting the appeal letter tonight. Thanks again for the advice!
TBH maybe take this as a sign... my kid went to USC and they were HORRIBLE with financial aid all 4 years. constantly losing documents, changing aid amounts last minute, making us jump through hoops for everything. if they're already doing this before u even start maybe consider somewhere else
That's concerning to hear about your ongoing issues with them. My daughter is really set on their business program, but I'll definitely discuss this with her. Did you find their actual education quality was good despite the administrative nightmares?
FAFSA shows completed but Department of Ed asking for my info months later - confused parent
So my son completed his FAFSA back in January (despite all the new system issues) and everything seemed fine - he got his SAI score and even saw an estimated Pell Grant amount. We were so relieved! My husband and I file taxes jointly, and my son included all our tax info from the IRS retrieval tool. But today, completely out of nowhere, I received an email from the Department of Education saying they need MY information specifically? What is going on? The application has been sitting there as 'complete' for months! Did anyone else have the Department randomly ask for parent info months after everything showed complete? I'm so confused about whether this is legitimate or if I need to do something to protect our information.
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Random question but did your son list both you and your husband on the FAFSA? Maybe only one of you got properly attached to the application and now they're trying to add the other? Just thinking out loud here...
That's an interesting thought! He did list both of us, but maybe something got disconnected in the process. The whole new system seems so glitchy.
After you complete your contributor portion, make sure to take screenshots of the confirmation page. With all the FAFSA issues this year, documentation is your friend. Also have your son log back into his studentaid.gov account about a week after you complete your portion to check that the status has updated appropriately.
Great advice! I'll definitely take screenshots and have him check his account again next week. Thank you!
FAFSA student account renewal question - does my son need a new FSA ID for 2025-2026?
I'm helping my son with his second FAFSA application for the 2025-2026 year and I'm confused about the account setup. Last year we both created FSA IDs and got through the application okay, but now I'm not sure if he needs to create a brand new account for this year's FAFSA or if we just log in with last year's information and start a new application? The studentaid.gov website isn't very clear about this. Anyone gone through the renewal process recently? I don't want to mess anything up by creating duplicate accounts if we don't need to!
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btw be ready for the new confusing stuff this year. they changed the whole system and SAI replaced EFC so everything looks different. and the parent info section takes forever now with all the new questions
That's partially correct. The FAFSA simplification did replace EFC with SAI (Student Aid Index), but the 2025-2026 application should actually have fewer questions than previous years. The forms were streamlined to remove approximately 30 questions that were deemed unnecessary. The contributor sections (what used to be called parent information) might feel longer because the questions are organized differently, but the total question count is lower. The biggest change is that more families can now automatically skip the asset questions if they meet certain income thresholds.
Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! I'll make sure we use the same FSA IDs and just start a new application for 2025-2026. I'm glad I asked before potentially creating duplicate accounts and causing problems. My son will be handling his own account this time around since he's 19 now. I'm definitely not looking forward to the new system changes, but at least I know what to expect now. Thanks again!
FAFSA submitted but no SAI score showing up in summary - normal wait time?
I finally got around to submitting my FAFSA application for 2025-2026 yesterday, and got the confirmation email saying it was received. I checked my account this morning and can see it shows as 'submitted' status, but there's no Student Aid Index (SAI) score in the summary page yet. For people who've already gone through this process, how long did it take for your summary to update with the SAI score? Should I be concerned that something's wrong with my application? This is my first time applying so I'm not sure what's normal. Thanks!
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One thing nobody mentioned yet - after your SAI appears, the next step is for your FAFSA information to be sent to the schools you listed on your application. This usually happens automatically, but sometimes there can be delays in this step too. Once the schools receive your information, they'll use your SAI to determine your financial aid package. If it's been more than 2 weeks since you submitted your FAFSA and you still don't see an SAI, I would definitely contact Federal Student Aid to check if there's an issue they need to resolve. Better to address any problems early in the process!
Eli Wang
Since you asked about timelines in a previous comment - schools typically receive your FAFSA information within 3-5 business days after it's processed. Most schools will start sending financial aid award letters in March/April for the fall semester, though some may send them earlier, especially if you've been accepted through early decision or early action. Regarding your concern about your SAI being higher than expected - that's not uncommon with the new FAFSA system. The 2024-2025 FAFSA uses a different formula than previous years. If you're concerned, you can always schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor at your top choice schools to discuss your specific situation once you receive your aid packages. They can often explain why your SAI is what it is and suggest potential options.
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Nora Brooks
AuthorThat timeline helps a lot, thanks! Good to know about the new formula too - my older cousin did FAFSA a few years ago and she was surprised at my numbers too. I'll definitely talk to the financial aid offices once I start getting packages.
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Cassandra Moon
btw check if any of ur schools have priority deadlines for institutional scholarships!!! some colleges have separate applications for their own scholarships with deadlines BEFORE you even get ur financial aid package. i missed out on applying for some because i didn't know about them until it was too late
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Nora Brooks
AuthorThat's a great point! I think I saw something about scholarships on a couple of the school websites. I'll go through all of them again to make sure I'm not missing any deadlines. Thanks for the reminder!
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