After FAFSA corrections are processed, do I need to notify schools?

just went thru this last month. dont need to call schools they get notified automatically but it takes FOREVER for them to process

Once your FAFSA corrections are processed by Federal Student Aid, the updates are automatically sent to all the schools you listed on your application. There's no need to contact the schools directly about the correction itself, as they'll receive the updated information electronically. However, if your correction significantly impacts your SAI (Student Aid Index) and you're concerned about upcoming financial aid decision deadlines, it might be worthwhile to send a brief email to each school's financial aid office. Let them know you've submitted corrections that may affect your aid eligibility and ask if they need any additional information from you. Keep checking your studentaid.gov account for confirmation that the corrections were fully processed. The status should change from "processing" to "processed" when complete.

OMG I went through the EXACT SAME THING last month!!! We accidentally included my husband's 401k in our assets and it made our SAI like $8000 higher than it should have been!! I was FREAKING OUT thinking my son wouldn't get any aid!!! So what I did was call all three schools after the correction was processed and just explained the situation. Two of them were super nice about it and said they'd make sure they used the updated info, but one school was like "we just use whatever info we have at the time of review" which was TOTALLY UNFAIR!! Definitely call the schools if your deadline is coming up soon!!! Don't leave it to chance!!!

While the schools will automatically receive your corrected FAFSA information, the processing timeline can vary significantly between institutions. Some schools may incorporate updates within a few days, while others might take 2-3 weeks to process corrections, especially during peak periods. If your daughter's financial aid deadline is May 1st, I would recommend taking these steps: 1. Wait until the FAFSA correction shows as "processed" on studentaid.gov 2. Email each school's financial aid office with your daughter's name, ID number, and a brief explanation of the correction (specifically mention the retirement account correction and how it impacts your SAI) 3. Follow up with a phone call 3-5 days after emailing if you haven't received confirmation Most schools understand that corrections happen and will work with you, but being proactive is key when you're up against a deadline.

my daughter had same issue last yr. schools get auto updated but they dont always check! call them!!

I had a similar situation last year when applying for my son's financial aid. After submitting FAFSA corrections, I tried calling the financial aid offices at his top schools but kept getting transferred around or sent to voicemail that was never returned. So frustrating! I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) from another parent dealing with FAFSA issues. They have this service that gets you through to a real person at Federal Student Aid much faster. I used it to confirm exactly when my corrections would be sent to schools and got documentation I could forward to the financial aid offices. The video demo shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ After getting confirmation from FSA about my correction timeline, the schools were much more responsive about ensuring they'd use the updated information for his aid package.

I work in college admissions and here's the thing - most financial aid offices are DROWNING in applications right now. While yes, schools automatically receive your corrected FAFSA data, whether someone notices the change depends on their workflow and how close they are to finishing your package. My advice? Send a formal email AND make a phone call to the financial aid office. Specifically mention: 1. Student's full name and ID number 2. Date correction was submitted 3. Nature of correction (retirement account incorrectly reported) 4. Approximate impact on SAI ("reduced by several thousand") Be polite but persistent. The squeaky wheel gets the grease in financial aid offices, especially during peak season.

ok we had a correction last year but it didnt change anything about our aid so maybe it depends on how big the difference is?? idk

To summarize what everyone's saying, here's the best approach: 1. Wait for studentaid.gov to show your correction as "processed" (not just "submitted") 2. Contact each school's financial aid office via both email AND phone 3. Document everything - who you spoke with, dates, and what was said 4. Be specific about the correction (retirement account reporting error) and approximate SAI change 5. Reference your daughter's May 1st deadline in your communications Schools are required to use the most current FAFSA data for awarding aid, but with thousands of applications to process, significant changes sometimes need to be flagged for attention, especially if they occur close to decision deadlines.

I'm new to the FAFSA process and this thread is incredibly helpful! My family is just starting to fill out our FAFSA for next year and I'm already worried about making mistakes. The retirement account issue you mentioned sounds like something we could easily mess up too. Quick question - when you say "retirement account reporting" what specifically should we be careful about? Are there certain types of retirement accounts that shouldn't be included as assets? I want to make sure we get it right the first time instead of having to go through the correction process like you did. Also, it sounds like the key takeaway is to be proactive with the schools if corrections are needed, especially with tight deadlines. Thanks for sharing your experience - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice that's so valuable!

Just want to add my experience from last year - we had a similar retirement account mixup and I was panicking about the May 1st deadline too. Here's what worked for us: After the FAFSA correction showed "processed" on studentaid.gov (took about 4 days), I sent a brief email to each school's financial aid office with my daughter's student ID and explained we had corrected an asset reporting error that significantly lowered our SAI. I then followed up with phone calls 2-3 days later. Most schools were really understanding and confirmed they'd use the updated information. One school even expedited their review process when I explained our timeline concerns. The key was being specific about what changed (retirement account incorrectly reported as asset) and polite but persistent. Don't stress too much - schools deal with FAFSA corrections all the time, especially during peak season. Just make sure you follow up proactively rather than assuming they'll catch the update automatically. Good luck with your daughter's aid packages!

I'm going through this exact situation right now! My son is a high school senior and we just realized we made the same retirement account mistake on our FAFSA. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful - it sounds like the key is being proactive once the correction is processed. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who called the schools, did you find it better to call the main financial aid number or try to reach a specific counselor? Our state flagship has been impossible to get through to on the phone, but some of the smaller private schools have been more responsive. Also, has anyone had experience with schools actually changing an aid package after getting corrected information? I'm hoping our mistake correction will qualify my son for more aid, but I'm not sure if schools revisit packages they've already finalized or if we missed the boat. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't find in the official guides!