Adding potential transfer schools to FAFSA mid-year for athlete considering switch

Yes, absolutely add those potential schools to his FAFSA right away! You can list up to 10 schools total on the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and there's no penalty for adding schools he might not attend. Each school will still be able to prepare a financial aid package based on his SAI score. This way, when he makes his decision, the financial aid process will already be underway at whichever school he chooses. You can add schools by logging into studentaid.gov, going to the FAFSA form, and selecting the "Make FAFSA Corrections" option.

Add them add them add them!!!! I didnt do this when my kid transferred and we had to RUSH everything last minute it was a nightmare. The financial aid offices needed like 3-4 weeks to put together his package and we almost missed housing deadlines because of it.

Adding additional schools to your son's FAFSA is definitely recommended in this situation. When you add schools to the FAFSA, each institution receives your son's financial information, including his SAI (Student Aid Index). This allows them to begin preparing potential financial aid packages. Here are some important points to consider with mid-year transfers: 1. Athletic scholarships at new schools may be prorated for the spring semester only 2. Some institutional scholarships have early deadlines, so adding schools sooner rather than later is beneficial 3. Your son should contact the financial aid offices at potential transfer schools to inquire about any additional forms they might require (some schools need the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA) 4. If any of these schools are out-of-state public institutions, be aware that residency requirements for in-state tuition may be different One additional note: if his athletic situation involves NCAA or other athletic association considerations, make sure he's working with compliance officers at both his current and potential schools to understand eligibility implications for transferring mid-year.

I tried calling FSA about a similar situation (my daughter was considering a mid-year transfer) and spent literally 3 hours on hold before getting disconnected. So frustrating! I ended up using Claimyr.com to get through - they held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. Their video demo (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) shows how it works. The agent confirmed we should add all potential schools ASAP and explained that each school would be able to see his SAI score as soon as they were added.

My son is also an athlete who transferred mid-year last year, and we DID NOT add the schools to his FAFSA ahead of time. HUGE mistake!!! When he decided to transfer in November, we had to scramble to update everything, and the new school didn't have enough time to put together a decent aid package. We lost out on about $4000 in institutional grants because we missed priority deadlines. Learn from my mistake and add those schools ASAP!

Thank you all for the advice! I've gone ahead and added all three potential schools to his FAFSA today. One follow-up question: should I also be contacting the financial aid offices at these schools directly to let them know he's considering transferring? Or will they automatically start processing once they receive the FAFSA information?

jsyk the athletic scholarship stuff can be really tricky with transfers!! my nephew lost half his aid when he transferred cuz they said it was too late in the recruiting cycle or something?? make sure ur talking to both athletic departments not just financial aid

Wouldn't adding all these schools be confusing? What if they all start sending him financial aid packages and then he doesn't even go there? Seems like it would create a lot of paperwork and confusion. Maybe just wait until he makes a final decision?

One more thing!! Make sure ur son knows that his current school CANT see the other schools on his FAFSA!!! my daughter was worried her coaches would find out she was looking to transfer and get mad but the schools cant see where else you sent your fafsa too!!

wait add the schools to the 2024-2025 FAFSA? isn't that for next year? shouldn't you be adding them to the 2023-2024 FAFSA if he's transferring in the middle of this school year?