Can I see my own FAFSA SAI score or only the college receives it?

Yes, you can definitely see your own SAI (Student Aid Index) score! Once your FAFSA is fully processed, you can log into your studentaid.gov account and view your SAI on your FAFSA confirmation page or in your Student Aid Report (SAR). The processing usually takes 3-5 business days after submission, though it can sometimes take longer during peak periods. If your application requires verification or has errors, it may take additional time. The colleges you listed on your FAFSA will indeed receive this information too, but you have full access to your own score.

my sister got hers in like 2 days but mine took almost 2 weeks lol dont stress

When I submitted my FAFSA last month, it took exactly 8 days to get processed, and I could see my SAI right on my Student Aid Report. Just log in to studentaid.gov, go to your dashboard, and look for the option to view your SAR (Student Aid Report). Your SAI will be clearly listed there. With divorced parents, your SAI calculation only includes the info from the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months (and possibly their spouse if they remarried). So don't worry too much about the complicated family situation - the system is designed to handle that.

FYI - they recently changed the name from EFC (Expected Family Contribution) to SAI (Student Aid Index), but they're essentially the same thing. Your SAI appears on your Student Aid Report (SAR), which you can access by logging into studentaid.gov, going to your dashboard, and clicking on "View SAR" next to your submitted FAFSA. It's typically available within 3-7 days of submission, but can take longer during busy periods (like now). If you don't see it after 10 business days, there might be an issue with your application that needs resolution. With complex family situations, verification is more common, so don't be surprised if you're selected for that. It just means you'll need to provide additional documentation to confirm the information you submitted.

I had the same problem last month and couldn't get my SAI score either. Turns out my FAFSA was stuck in processing because I had a typo in my SSN! Didn't realize until I tried calling the Federal Student Aid hotline but kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for HOURS. So annoying!!!!

When I first applied for FAFSA back in novemember, I was super nervous about my SAI too. What nobody told me is that the SAI isn't even the final answer on how much aid you get!!! Each school uses your SAI differently to put together their financial aid package. My friend and I had almost identical SAIs but got COMPLETELY different aid offers from the same school. So don't panic too much about the number when you see it. Btw you should be able to see your SAI in your Student Aid Report which shows up in your FAFSA portal after processing. Mine took like 4 days to show up.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you're actually logged into the correct FAFSA year (2025-2026) when checking for your SAI. I spent a week panicking because I couldn't find my new SAI, only to realize I was looking at last year's application information. The drop-down menu at the top of the dashboard lets you switch between aid years.

The whole FAFSA system is ridiculous. In my experience, they intentionally make it difficult to see your own information so colleges have the upper hand in financial aid negotiations. They want us to feel grateful for whatever scraps they offer us instead of being informed consumers. I've been through this three times with my kids and it never gets less frustrating.

If you've waited more than 7-10 business days and still don't see your SAI in your Student Aid Report, you should check if there are any items in your "Action Required" section of your studentaid.gov dashboard. Sometimes there are verification requests or information corrections needed before they'll finalize your SAI. Also, verify that your email address is correct in your profile so you're receiving all notifications.

Hey Rhett! I just went through this same process a few weeks ago and totally understand your anxiety. One thing that helped me was knowing that even if your SAI seems higher than expected, don't panic! I thought mine was way too high at first, but then I got some really decent aid packages from schools that met a lot of my need through grants and work-study. The SAI is just the starting point - each school has their own institutional aid and scholarships that can make a huge difference. Also, if your parents' divorce was finalized recently or there were other major financial changes, you might be able to appeal your aid packages later with documentation. Hang in there - the waiting is definitely the worst part!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and just submitted mine a few days ago, so I'm following this thread closely! Reading everyone's responses has been super helpful. Just to add my two cents - I found it really useful to screenshot my confirmation page right after submitting, because it shows the submission date and helps you track how long it's been. Also, if anyone else is dealing with divorced parents like Rhett, the FAFSA help articles on studentaid.gov have a pretty good section explaining which parent's info to use. It helped me figure out that I needed my mom's info since I lived with her more, even though my dad makes more money. The waiting is definitely nerve-wracking though - I keep refreshing my dashboard even though I know it's only been 3 days!

Hey everyone! I'm also waiting for my SAI to show up and this thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences! I submitted my FAFSA about 5 days ago and have been checking studentaid.gov obsessively. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like the key things to check are: 1) Make sure you're looking at the right aid year (2025-2026), 2) Look specifically in the Student Aid Report (SAR) section, and 3) Check for any items in the "Action Required" section. For those still waiting like me, it seems like anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks is normal, especially with more complex family situations. I'm feeling way less anxious now knowing this is such a common experience! Also really appreciate the tip about Claimyr for getting through to FSA if needed - definitely bookmarking that for later.

Hey Rhett! I totally get your anxiety - I was in the exact same boat a couple months ago when I submitted my FAFSA. The waiting period is honestly the worst part! From my experience, it took about 7 business days for my SAI to show up, but I have friends who got theirs in 3 days and others who waited almost 2 weeks. Once it's ready, you'll find your SAI in your Student Aid Report (SAR) on studentaid.gov. Log in, go to your dashboard, and look for "View SAR" or "Student Aid Report" - your SAI will be clearly displayed there. Don't worry about the divorced/remarried parent situation affecting processing time too much - the system handles complex family situations regularly, though you might get selected for verification (which just means providing some extra documentation). One thing that really helped ease my stress was remembering that the SAI is just the starting point. Each college uses it differently to build their aid packages, so even if the number seems high or low, you could still get great aid offers. Hang in there - you should see it soon!