Can I add SCSU to my FAFSA after correction period opens?
I'm totally stressed about my FAFSA school list right now! I originally listed only Trident Technical College when I submitted my 2025-2026 FAFSA back in January because that was my plan. But last week I got my acceptance letter from South Carolina State University and I've decided to go there instead! 🎉 The problem is, I heard we're going to get a correction period soon where we can fix errors on our FAFSA forms, but I'm not sure if adding a completely new school counts as a "correction." Has anyone done this before? Will I be able to add SCSU during the correction window, or do I need to do something else? Getting really worried about missing out on financial aid since SCSU wasn't on my original application.
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Mia Green
Yes, you'll definitely be able to add schools during the correction period! That's actually one of the most common updates students make. When the correction window opens (should be in the next few weeks according to the FSA announcements), you'll log in to your studentaid.gov account, select the option to make corrections to your 2025-2026 FAFSA, and you'll see a section specifically for adding/removing schools. Just make sure you have SCSU's federal school code ready - I believe it's 003446. Congratulations on your acceptance to South Carolina State! Make sure you also reach out to their financial aid office directly to let them know you've added them to your FAFSA, as sometimes they need to know to look for your information in their system.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Thank you so much! That's such a relief to hear. I was worried I'd somehow miss out on financial aid by not having SCSU on my original form. I'll definitely contact their financial aid office too once I've added them. Do you know how long it typically takes for the school to receive my FAFSA info after I add them during corrections?
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Emma Bianchi
u can add as many schools as u want during corrections its no big deal ive done it twice already this year lol
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Thanks! Did you have to wait long after adding schools for them to get your info? I'm worried about missing deadlines.
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Lucas Kowalski
Just to clarify something important - you can add up to 10 schools TOTAL on your FAFSA. So if you already listed 10 schools, you'll need to remove one before adding SCSU. Most people don't list that many, but just FYI in case you were applying to a bunch of places. Also, when you make this change, your SAI (Student Aid Index) won't change - it's just adding SCSU to the list of schools that can access your financial information. So no need to worry about recalculations or anything like that.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Oh that's good to know! I only had Trident on there so I still have plenty of room to add SCSU. And thanks for explaining about the SAI - I was a bit confused about whether adding a school would change anything about my aid eligibility.
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Olivia Martinez
Are you sure we can add schools during corrections??? When I called the Federal Student Aid hotline last year about this exact thing they said I couldn't and had to submit a whole new FAFSA!!! I spent HOURS on hold just to get that info and then had to redo everything again. The system is SO BROKEN and they give different answers to everyone!!!
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Lucas Kowalski
•That advice was definitely incorrect. You've always been able to add schools during the correction period - it's literally one of the main reasons the correction period exists. Unfortunately, the call center reps sometimes give out wrong information, especially during peak periods. The 2025-2026 FAFSA has actually streamlined this process even more compared to previous years. You absolutely do NOT need to submit a new application to add schools.
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Charlie Yang
dont wait for the correction period if ur in a hurry!! u can actually add schools right now if u call FSA directly. might take a few tries to get thru but worked for me when i needed to add clemson last minute
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Grace Patel
•This is actually great advice. While waiting for the official correction period is fine, you can call Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243 to request adding a school to your existing FAFSA. However, be prepared for very long wait times - they're especially swamped this time of year with these requests. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an agent in minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works in their demo video here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It was seriously helpful when I was trying to add a school after getting a late acceptance. Saved me from taking an entire afternoon trying to get through to FSA.
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ApolloJackson
Congrats on your acceptance! 🎓 Just make sure when you add SCSU you also check if they have any school-specific financial aid deadlines. Some schools have priority deadlines for certain scholarships or grants, and you might need to submit additional forms besides just adding them to your FAFSA. When I transferred schools I missed out on some institutional aid because I didn't realize they needed extra paperwork. Definitely call SCSU's financial aid office directly too!
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Sophia Rodriguez
•That's a really good point! I hadn't even thought about SCSU-specific deadlines. I'll definitely call their financial aid office tomorrow to check if there's anything else I need to do. Really hoping I haven't missed anything important 😬
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Lucas Kowalski
One more thing - when you add SCSU, double-check that your dependency status and household information is still correct. If anything has changed since you initially submitted (like if your parents' marital status changed or someone new is in your household), you should update that during the correction period too. That COULD affect your SAI and ultimately your aid package.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•Thank you! Everything is still the same with my family situation, but I'll double-check all my information when I go in to make the correction. I really appreciate everyone's help with this!
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Olivia Martinez
Just curious - are you going to completely remove Trident from your FAFSA or keep it as a backup? When my brother was deciding between schools, his financial aid advisor recommended keeping all schools on the FAFSA until you're 100% committed (like, deposit paid and everything) just in case something falls through.
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Sophia Rodriguez
•That's actually really smart! I think I will keep Trident on there just as a backup. I'm pretty set on SCSU but you never know what might happen. Thank you for the suggestion!
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