Adding schools to FAFSA after it's been processed - still possible?

Yes, you can definitely add schools even after your FAFSA has been processed! Log into your studentaid.gov account, select the current FAFSA application, and choose the option to 'Make FAFSA Corrections.' Then navigate to the School Selection section and add the new school's code. You won't need to redo the entire application. The school should receive your FAFSA information within 3-5 business days after you submit the change.

Actually this happened to me last semester, and I thought it would be easy but it wasn't! I had to call FSA to get it sorted out because the website kept giving me an error when I tried to add a school. Apparently there's some glitch that happens for some applications. If you get an error message, don't panic but you'll probably need to talk to someone at Federal Student Aid.

I went through this exact situation last year. You can add up to 10 schools total on your FAFSA. If you already have 10 listed, you'll need to remove one before adding your new school. Important: if you're removing a school, make sure they've already received and processed your information first! Otherwise, you might miss out on aid from that school.

If you're trying to reach FSA by phone to help with this, I'd recommend using Claimyr.com - it saved me HOURS of waiting on hold. They call FSA for you and then connect you once an agent picks up. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. I had to call about adding schools after SAI calculation and was connected in about 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait.

DONT WAIT ON THIS!!! ive worked in my schools financial aid office for 2 yrs and theres a DEADLINE for schools to access ur fafsa info even after u add them. some schools stop accepting fafsa additions by march even tho the official deadline is later. check with the financial aid office at the new school ASAP!!

my brother had this exact problem and we found out that some schools have weird internal deadlines for scholarships that are different from their FAFSA deadlines. make sure u check both! also sometimes the school needs ur CSS profile too not just FAFSA

Just to clarify a few things: 1. Adding schools after receiving your SAI won't change your aid eligibility. Your SAI remains the same. 2. Schools typically have three important dates: priority deadline (for maximum aid consideration), regular deadline (for normal aid packaging), and final deadline (absolute cutoff). 3. Check if the new school requires supplemental forms beyond FAFSA (CSS Profile, institutional forms). 4. After adding the school, it's a good idea to contact their financial aid office to confirm they received your information. Good luck with the scholarship application!

Wait I'm confused about something - doesn't adding schools late put you at the end of the line for aid consideration? I always thought schools gave out financial aid on a first-come basis until they run out?

Pro tip from someone who just went through this process last month: after you add the school through the FAFSA correction system, take a screenshot of the confirmation page! I had an issue where the school claimed they never received my FAFSA info, but having that screenshot helped prove I submitted it correctly. Also, if you're applying for merit-based scholarships at the new school, some require you to submit your FAFSA by a certain date to even be considered - so definitely call them tomorrow to confirm their specific requirements. The correction process is usually pretty smooth though, so don't stress too much about it!

Just wanted to share my recent experience since I'm seeing some mixed info in the comments! I added a school to my FAFSA last week after it was already processed, and it was actually super straightforward. Logged into studentaid.gov, clicked "Make FAFSA Corrections," went to the school selection section, and added the new school code. The whole process took maybe 5 minutes. Got a confirmation email the next day saying the school received my info. The key thing I learned is to make sure you have the correct federal school code - you can look it up on the Federal Student Aid website. Also, don't forget to submit the correction after adding the school (I almost closed the page without hitting submit!). Hope this helps ease some anxiety for anyone else in this situation!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to jump in with a quick update - I successfully added the school to my FAFSA this morning and it was actually much easier than I expected! Following the advice here, I logged into studentaid.gov, went to "Make FAFSA Corrections," and added the new school code. The whole process took about 10 minutes including double-checking the federal school code. I also took a screenshot of the confirmation page like someone suggested. Already called the school's financial aid office and they confirmed they should receive my info within 3-5 business days. They also mentioned I'll need to submit the CSS Profile by next Friday for full scholarship consideration, so I'm tackling that next. Thank you all SO much for the help and advice - this community is amazing! 🙏

Congratulations on getting it sorted out! 🎉 Your success story is really reassuring for anyone else who might be in a similar situation. It's great that you took the proactive step of calling the financial aid office right away - that's exactly what I would recommend. The CSS Profile deadline is definitely important to keep in mind, especially for private schools and merit scholarships. Make sure to gather all your tax documents beforehand since the CSS Profile requires more detailed financial information than the FAFSA. You're clearly staying on top of everything, so I'm sure the scholarship application will go well! Thanks for sharing your positive experience - it really helps other students see that this process doesn't have to be overwhelming.