Best strategy for adding schools to FAFSA - order matters?
I'm filling out my FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year and getting to the school selection part. Is there any strategy to how I add my schools? Should I put my top choices first? Or maybe state schools before private ones? Someone told me the order matters for how aid is distributed, but that sounds weird. I have 8 schools I'm applying to (3 state universities, 4 private colleges, and 1 community college as a backup). Does the order I list them affect my financial aid packages at all?
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Sophie Hernandez
For federal aid (Pell Grants, work-study, etc.), the order doesn't matter. All your schools will receive the same FAFSA information and SAI score. But for STATE aid, it sometimes does matter! Some states prioritize funding to in-state schools listed first on your FAFSA. I'd recommend listing your state schools first, then your wish/private schools. Check your specific state's aid policies to be sure.
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Emily Thompson
•Thanks! I'm in Michigan - do you know if order matters here? I'll try to look it up, but the state financial aid website is so confusing.
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Daniela Rossi
It 100% MATTERS what order u list them!!! My cousin listed his safety school first last year and got WAY less aid from his dream school. The financial aid officer told him schools can see where else u applied and if they're not your top choice they give u less money!!
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Ryan Kim
•This isn't accurate information. Schools cannot see where else you've applied through FAFSA. They only see that you've applied to their institution. Some states do prioritize state aid based on the order for in-state public schools, but federal aid is distributed equally regardless of order.
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Zoe Walker
wait i thought u could only list 4 schools on fafsa?? how r u adding 8
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Sophie Hernandez
•You can list up to 10 schools initially on the FAFSA. If you need to add more later, you can remove schools and add new ones after your initial submission. The schools you removed will still have access to your FAFSA information though!
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Elijah Brown
I actually had this same question! I called the Federal Student Aid helpline to ask about the order, and after being on hold for almost 2 hours, they finally told me that for federal aid, the order doesn't matter at all. But they did confirm that some states use the order for state-based aid programs. So frustrating that it's not clearly explained anywhere!
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Maria Gonzalez
•Pro tip if you need to call Federal Student Aid again: I discovered this service called Claimyr that gets you through to a live FSA agent without the crazy wait times. Saved me hours when I had to call about my verification issues! Just go to claimyr.com and they'll connect you. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Wish I knew about it when I was first applying!
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Natalie Chen
So my dad works in higher ed and he told me schools can see all the other places you applied, but they can't see the order. But he also said some schools might give better financial aid packages if they know you've applied to their competitors, especially if they're trying to boost enrollment. So maybe listing competitive schools could actually help?
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Ryan Kim
•I'm a financial aid counselor, and I can confirm that schools absolutely CANNOT see the other institutions where you've sent your FAFSA. The only exception is for state agencies that administer state-based aid programs. Some states do use the order for state grant eligibility, but schools themselves only see that you've sent your information to them specifically. Your dad may be thinking of the CSS Profile (used by many private schools), which is different from the FAFSA. Even with CSS, schools don't see your complete list.
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Emily Thompson
I just checked the Michigan Student Aid website, and it looks like Michigan does use the FAFSA order for some state grants! It says they prioritize the first in-state public university listed for the Michigan Competitive Scholarship. So I'll definitely put my top Michigan state school first. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Daniela Rossi
•see i TOLD u the order matters!!! nobody ever believes me but i was right
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Ryan Kim
•You're making the right decision for Michigan state aid! Just to clarify for everyone: the order matters for SOME state-based aid programs, but not for federal aid (Pell Grants, federal loans, etc.) and not for how individual colleges create their institutional aid packages. Each state has different rules.
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Zoe Walker
my sister did community college first then transferred and saved like thousands of $$ so maybe put that 1st?
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Sophie Hernandez
•That's a great strategy for saving money overall, but it's not related to the FAFSA school listing order. Your sister saved money by attending a less expensive school first, not because of how she listed schools on her FAFSA. For the OP, if they're planning to start at a 4-year school, they should list their preferred in-state public university first (for Michigan state aid purposes).
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Elijah Brown
I got so stressed about this last year I ended up just listing them alphabetically lol. But seriously, one thing I learned - if you're applying to more than 10 schools total, you'll need to go back and edit your FAFSA later to add the others. Just don't forget to do that! I almost missed a deadline because I didn't realize I needed to manually add my last two schools.
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Emily Thompson
•Good point about going back to add more! I'm only applying to 8 so I should be fine, but that's really helpful for anyone with more schools. I think I'm going to list my top Michigan state university first, then the other Michigan schools, then private schools in order of preference. Thanks again everyone!
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Hannah White
Just want to add one more thing that might help - when you do submit your FAFSA, make sure to check each school's financial aid portal afterward to see if they need any additional documents. Some schools require verification or have their own supplemental forms even after you submit FAFSA. I learned this the hard way when one of my schools almost didn't process my aid package because I missed their deadline for additional paperwork. Good luck with your applications!
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Zoe Alexopoulos
•This is such important advice! I almost made the same mistake with my CSS Profile schools last year. Some of them wanted tax transcripts and additional forms within just a few weeks of the FAFSA submission. It's definitely worth making a spreadsheet with all your schools' deadlines and requirements so nothing falls through the cracks. The financial aid process is stressful enough without missing deadlines!
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Amara Adeyemi
As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others have said - the order only matters for state aid programs, not federal aid. Since you're in Michigan, definitely put your top Michigan public university first to maximize your state grant eligibility. I'd suggest ordering them: 1) Top choice Michigan public school, 2) Other Michigan schools, 3) Out-of-state/private schools by preference. Also, don't stress too much about the exact order of your private schools - focus more on meeting all the deadlines and making sure you complete any school-specific requirements. The FAFSA is just the first step!
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Amara Oluwaseyi
•This is really helpful advice! I'm also going through the FAFSA process for the first time and it's pretty overwhelming. The ordering strategy you mentioned makes a lot of sense - prioritizing state aid first, then organizing by preference. I'm curious though, do you know if there's a difference in how quickly schools process FAFSA information based on when you submit? Like if I submit in December vs February, will that affect my aid package or just the timing of when I hear back?
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