Can I add or remove schools after submitting my FAFSA? Need urgent advice!

You're definitely not screwed! You can absolutely add schools after submitting your FAFSA. Just log back into studentaid.gov, select the 2025-2026 form, and click on 'Make FAFSA Corrections.' You'll be able to add or remove schools from your list without restarting the whole application. The schools you add will receive your information within 3-5 business days typically. Your mom can relax - this won't affect scholarship eligibility as long as the schools receive your FAFSA before their deadline.

ya u can change schools after. i did it last yr when i decided not to apply to state. just go online and fix it

Adding schools is easy, but there's one important thing to know: you can only list 10 schools total on your FAFSA at one time. If you already have 10 and need to add more, you'll need to remove some first, then wait until your information is processed by those first schools (about a week), then add the new ones. The key is making sure all your priority schools get your info before their deadlines. Also, remember that the order you list schools CAN matter for state aid in some states (though not for federal aid). Some states give preference to schools listed first. What state are you in?

I had the EXACT same issue last year and tried calling FSA to fix it. Spent HOURS on hold and kept getting disconnected. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person at Federal Student Aid. Their service connects you with agents without the crazy wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent was able to confirm my schools were added correctly and explained that certain state grants have different requirements for school listing. Saved me so much stress since I was worried about missing scholarship deadlines too.

BE CAREFUL when making corrections!!!! i tried to add schools last year and accidentally changed some of my financial info WITHOUT REALIZING IT and got selected for verification which delayed my aid for MONTHS!!! triple check EVERYTHING before you submit any changes and take screenshots of what you change. the whole system is designed to trap you into making mistakes i swear

Wait theres a limit to how many schools you can add? Nobody told me that when I did my FAFSA. I only added 3 schools cause those were the ones I knew for sure. Can I really add up to 10? What happens if you apply to more than 10?

Update: I was able to add the two schools! The correction was really easy - just logged in with my FSA ID and only edited the schools list. It let me search by state and school name. Thank you everyone for the help! I'll wait a few days and then check with the financial aid offices to make sure they received my info before the scholarship deadline.

nice! schools get the info pretty fast now. my cousins at UMich and said they got his fafsa in like 2 days when he did it

One more helpful tip - always save the confirmation page when you make FAFSA corrections. Take a screenshot showing the date and time you made the changes. If there's ever a dispute about whether you met a deadline, that proof can be critical. I've seen students run into issues where a school claimed they didn't receive the FAFSA in time, but having that confirmation documentation resolved it immediately.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a junior starting to research the FAFSA process for next year and had no idea you could make corrections after submitting. This gives me so much peace of mind knowing I won't be stuck if I forget a school or change my mind about where to apply. Quick question - is there a deadline for when you can no longer make these corrections? Like, can you keep adding schools throughout the entire academic year or is there a cutoff point?

As someone who went through this exact panic last year, I can confirm everything everyone said is accurate! Just wanted to add one more tip - when you log in to make corrections, the system will ask you to review ALL sections of your FAFSA again, but you only need to actually change the schools section. Don't let the interface confuse you into thinking you need to re-enter everything. Also, once you submit the corrections, you'll get a new Student Aid Report (SAR) within a few days. Keep an eye out for that email confirmation as it will show your updated school list. The relief you'll feel when you see those two new schools listed is amazing! Good luck with your applications and scholarships!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who's been helping students with FAFSA for years - you all have given excellent advice! One thing I'd add for future reference is that when you're making corrections, the system will show you a summary page before you submit. Always double-check that summary to make sure only the changes you intended are reflected. Also, if you're ever unsure whether your corrections went through properly, you can always log back in a day or two later to verify your school list is correct. The peace of mind is worth the extra check! It's great to see this community helping each other navigate these stressful financial aid processes.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a parent going through this process with my daughter for the first time, and I had no idea corrections were even possible after submitting. We submitted her FAFSA two weeks ago and just realized we forgot to include her safety school that offers automatic merit aid based on FAFSA submission. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring - especially knowing that the process is straightforward and schools receive the information quickly. I'm definitely going to have her take screenshots of the confirmation page as suggested, and we'll make sure to verify with the school's financial aid office once they receive her information. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and helping ease the anxiety that comes with this whole process!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm actually dealing with a similar situation right now - I submitted my FAFSA last week and just got accepted to a school I didn't think I had a chance at, so I need to add them to my list. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful, especially the warnings about being careful not to accidentally change other sections when making corrections. It's also reassuring to know that the 3-5 day processing time is pretty reliable. Quick question for anyone who's done this recently - when you log in to make corrections, does the system make you verify your identity again with security questions, or can you just use your FSA ID? I'm always paranoid about getting locked out of my account!