Can I add schools to my FAFSA while it's still in 'Review' status?
I submitted my FAFSA about 10 days ago and it's still showing 'Review' status on studentaid.gov. Just found out my daughter wants to apply to 2 more schools that weren't on our original list. Is it possible to add these schools while the application is still processing? Or do I need to wait until it's fully processed? I'm worried about missing priority deadlines for these additional schools if I wait too long. Has anyone done this before? The whole system seems so slow this year!
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Ian Armstrong
yes u can add more schools even while its processing. just log in and click on add school codes. takes like 2 mins
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Molly Chambers
•Thanks! I wasn't sure if adding schools would reset the whole review process. That's a relief!
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Eli Butler
You absolutely can add schools while your FAFSA is in review status. Log into your studentaid.gov account, select the current FAFSA application, and look for the option to update your college selections. You can add up to 10 schools total on the FAFSA. The system will send your information to the new schools within a few days, and it won't restart your processing time for the original submission. This is actually a pretty common situation!
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Molly Chambers
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! Do you know if the new schools will get the SAI score at the same time as the original schools once processing is complete?
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Eli Butler
•Yes, all schools on your list (original and newly added) will receive your SAI score once processing is complete. The review status won't be affected by adding schools. The schools you add now will just be queued up to receive your information once it's processed.
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Marcus Patterson
I tried to do this last month and it RESET my whole application back to the beginning!!! Had to start ALL OVER AGAIN and lost all my information. The FAFSA system is BROKEN this year! Be careful what buttons you click!!!
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Lydia Bailey
•wait what? thats not supposed to happen. you sure you didnt accidentally hit the wrong button? i added schools 3 different times and it never reset anything
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Eli Butler
•That's definitely not the normal experience. Adding schools should never reset your application. It sounds like you might have encountered a rare system glitch or accidentally selected "Start New Application" instead of updating your existing one. The new FAFSA has had some technical issues, but adding schools is a standard function that typically works without problems.
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Mateo Warren
I was in the same boat three weeks ago! You can definitely add schools while it's in review. Go to your FAFSA dashboard, click on the 2025-2026 application, then select "Update Schools." It won't delay your current processing at all. But just a heads-up - the SAI calculation is taking FOREVER this cycle. Mine was "in review" for almost 3 weeks before I got my SAI score. I tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline dozens of times but always got disconnected or was on hold for hours. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person at FSA. They confirmed my application was fine and just in the processing queue. Check out their video demo if you're curious: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - it really helped me stop stressing about whether something was wrong with my application.
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Molly Chambers
•Thanks for the suggestion! I've been trying to call FSA too but can't get through. It's so frustrating not knowing if there's a problem or if it's just slow for everyone. I'll check out that service if I don't see movement in another week.
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Sofia Price
My daughter's application was in review for like 6 weeks last month! We kept adding and removing schools while it was processing and it was fine. The real issue was that her college email wasn't working so we never got notifications when it finally processed. Almost missed priority deadline because of it. Make sure your email is correct too!!
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Molly Chambers
•Oh that's a good point about the email! I'll double-check that right now. 6 weeks seems crazy long though - was that for this year's application?
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Sofia Price
•Yes for the 2025-2026 FAFSA. Started it the day it opened in December and didn't get the SAI score until February! The financial aid office at her top choice school told us everyone is experiencing delays this year. But they still expected us to meet their March priority deadline 🙄
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Alice Coleman
To directly answer your question: Yes, you can add schools during the review period. This will not reset or delay your application processing. Technical details: 1. Log in to studentaid.gov 2. Select "My FAFSA" from the menu 3. Choose the 2025-2026 application 4. Click "Update Schools" 5. Add the new school codes (you can have up to 10 total) 6. Submit the update The FAFSA will continue processing as normal, and all schools (including newly added ones) will receive your information once your SAI calculation is complete. The new schools will show a different "date added" in your dashboard, but this has no effect on how quickly they receive your information. Important: Do NOT start a new application or correction - just use the update schools function.
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Molly Chambers
•This is exactly what I needed - thank you! I'll follow these steps tonight. I appreciate the clear instructions so I don't accidentally reset anything.
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Lydia Bailey
maybe dumb question but why is the review taking so long anyway? mine went through in like 3 days last month
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Alice Coleman
•Processing times are highly variable this year due to the new FAFSA simplification initiative. Standard applications with no flags can process in 3-5 days, while applications requiring additional verification or with potential discrepancies can take 3-6 weeks. Factors affecting processing time include: 1. Whether income data successfully transferred from IRS 2. If family structure matches tax filing status 3. Number of contributors on the application 4. Whether any manual review flags were triggered 5. Overall system volume when submitted The Department of Education has acknowledged the delays and is working to improve processing times, but many applicants are experiencing longer waits than in previous years.
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Lydia Bailey
•oh that makes sense. guess i just got lucky then!
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Ian Armstrong
did u confirm theres no verification holds on ur app? sometimes they dont tell u
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Molly Chambers
•How would I check for verification holds? There's nothing showing on my dashboard about that - just says "in review".
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Eli Butler
•Verification flags typically don't appear until after processing is complete. During the "in review" stage, the system is still determining if verification will be required. Once processing is done, you'll either receive your SAI score or a notification of selection for verification. Right now, there's nothing specific you need to check - just wait for the review to complete.
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Owen Jenkins
When I applied for FAFSA back in January, it took almost 4 weeks to get my SAI score! I was freaking out because my school's priority deadline was approaching. I called FSA like 20 times and either got disconnected or was on hold for hours. The whole system is a mess this year!!! But yeah, I added 3 more schools during that waiting period and it was totally fine. Didn't affect processing at all.
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Molly Chambers
•That's reassuring to hear that adding schools worked fine. I'm hoping mine doesn't take 4 weeks though! Did your schools give you any grace period since the FAFSA delays are affecting everyone?
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Owen Jenkins
•Some did, some didn't. My top choice extended their priority deadline by 2 weeks, but another school stuck firm to their original date. I'd recommend emailing the financial aid offices at these new schools to ask about their policies given the FAFSA delays. Most schools are pretty understanding this year since it's affecting everyone.
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Dmitry Volkov
Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation! I added 4 schools to my FAFSA while it was in review status back in February and it worked perfectly. The key is to use the "Update Schools" function like others mentioned - don't accidentally click anything that says "correction" or "start new" as that could potentially cause issues. One tip that helped me: screenshot your current school list before making any changes, just in case something goes wrong. And definitely reach out to the financial aid offices at those new schools to let them know you're adding them to your FAFSA - some schools appreciate the heads up and might be more flexible with deadlines if they know you're waiting on processing delays that are affecting everyone this year. The whole system has been slower than usual, but adding schools during review is totally normal and won't slow things down further. Good luck!
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Liam Murphy
•This is really helpful advice, especially about taking a screenshot first! I never would have thought of that but it makes perfect sense as a backup. I'm definitely going to reach out to the financial aid offices at the new schools too - hopefully they'll be understanding about the delays. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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Jordan Walker
I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and this thread has been super helpful! My son is applying to college and we're dealing with the same slow processing times. It's reassuring to know that adding schools during review is normal and won't cause problems. I was worried we'd have to wait weeks before being able to add his safety schools. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know we're not alone in dealing with these delays!
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Paolo Longo
•Welcome to the FAFSA world! It's definitely overwhelming the first time around, but you're smart to be proactive about adding those safety schools. The processing delays are frustrating but at least they're affecting everyone equally, so most colleges are being understanding about it. Just make sure to keep track of all the different school deadlines - even if they're flexible about the FAFSA delays, you'll still want to submit everything as early as possible. The community here has been great for navigating all these issues!
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Hannah White
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My FAFSA has been in review for 2 weeks and I just realized I need to add a couple more schools. Reading through all these responses is so helpful - I was worried that adding schools might mess something up, but it sounds like it's totally safe to do. The processing delays this year are really stressful, especially when you're trying to meet all these different school deadlines. I'm definitely going to follow the step-by-step instructions that Alice provided and take a screenshot first like Dmitry suggested. It's good to know I'm not the only one dealing with these long wait times!
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Samantha Hall
•I'm in the exact same boat! Just submitted my FAFSA 8 days ago and it's still showing "in review" - was starting to panic that something was wrong with my application. This thread has been such a lifesaver! I had no idea you could add schools while it's still processing. I was planning to wait until it finished, but now I can go ahead and add those two schools my daughter just decided on. The screenshot tip is brilliant too - definitely doing that before I make any changes. It's crazy how slow everything is this year compared to what I was expecting!
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Ali Anderson
I just want to echo what everyone else has said - you can absolutely add schools while your FAFSA is in review! I did this exact thing last month when my daughter decided she wanted to apply to a few more schools after we'd already submitted. The process is really straightforward and won't delay your current application at all. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to make sure you have the correct federal school codes for the new schools before you start the process. You can find these on each school's financial aid website or by searching the Federal School Code lookup tool on studentaid.gov. Having the codes ready makes the whole process much quicker. Also, don't stress too much about the long processing times - it seems like everyone is experiencing delays this year. My daughter's application took about 3 weeks to process, but once it did, all the schools (including the ones we added during the waiting period) received her information at the same time. The financial aid offices have been pretty understanding about the delays too. Good luck with everything!
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