Adding all 5 colleges to FAFSA before getting financial aid packages - must we commit first?

You definitely want to add ALL the schools to your FAFSA before committing anywhere. Each school will then send you their financial aid package based on your FAFSA information. This is exactly how the system is designed to work - so you can compare offers before making a decision. The schools don't require a commitment before sending financial aid packages. In fact, they expect you'll be comparing offers from multiple institutions. Make sure you've added all 5 schools to your FAFSA (you can have up to 10 schools listed). Each school will receive your SAI (Student Aid Index) and use that, along with their own financial aid policies, to create an aid package for your son.

congrats on the 5 acceptances! my daughter got into 4 last year. you definitely list all schools on the fafsa and they all send you packages. we actually got them at different times, some came like RIGHT away and others took weeks which was stressful

Not only should you add all schools to FAFSA, but also check if any of these colleges require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Many private institutions and some public universities use CSS Profile for awarding their institutional aid. It has more detailed financial questions than FAFSA. The timeline varies by school - some send aid packages shortly after acceptance, others might wait until March-April. If you haven't received packages yet, call their financial aid offices directly. They can often tell you status and timeline. Remember that financial aid packages can be negotiated if you received better offers from comparable schools - it's called a "professional judgment review" or "appeal.

You absolutely list all the schools BEFORE committing!!! That's literally how the system works. You get all the financial aid offers, then decide where to go based on what you can afford. We did this last year with my daughter. Added 7 schools to her FAFSA. Got wildly different packages - one state school offered almost nothing while her top private choice covered 70% of costs! Never would have known if we'd committed first.

One thing to watch out for - make sure you're looking at the ACTUAL cost after aid, not just the sticker price. When we went through this, some schools that seemed more expensive initially ended up being cheaper after scholarships and grants. Also pay close attention to what's being offered as grants (free money) vs loans (you pay back). Some schools make their packages look good but they're mostly loans. And definitely add all schools to your FAFSA! The whole point is comparing offers before deciding.

I've been trying to contact Federal Student Aid for 3 weeks about my son's FAFSA verification and kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to a real person in 20 minutes instead of waiting hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Just sharing in case you run into any FAFSA issues while waiting for your aid packages. With 5 schools, you might need to contact FSA if there are any verification requests or if one school isn't getting your information.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you understand what each financial aid package actually means!!! My first kid, we thought College X gave us the best deal but we didn't realize their "university scholarship" required maintaining a 3.7 GPA and was only guaranteed for freshman year!!! Meanwhile College Y offered less money but it was GUARANTEED for all 4 years with just a 2.0 requirement. Renewal terms are SUPER important and most people overlook them completely.

Another thing - some colleges will send you a financial aid package with your acceptance letter, others will send it separately a few weeks later. Don't panic if they come at different times! And FYI the May 1st decision deadline is standard but you can sometimes ask for an extension if you're still waiting on financial aid info from a school.

also did any of your son's schools require special scholarship applications beyond just the fafsa? my daughter missed out on some department scholarships because we didnt know there were separate applications due in february :

One final tip - after you receive all the financial aid packages, create a simple spreadsheet to compare them side by side. Include: 1. Total Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, board, fees, etc.) 2. Total Gift Aid (grants, scholarships - money you don't repay) 3. Self-Help Aid (work-study, student loans) 4. Parent Loans offered (Parent PLUS loans) 5. Remaining Gap (what you'll pay out of pocket) This makes it much easier to see which school is truly the most affordable when you account for all factors. Sometimes a school with higher tuition actually has a lower net cost after aid.