Can't find Penn State in FAFSA school selection list - is this a glitch?
I've been trying to add Penn State University to my son's FAFSA application for the past hour and it's driving me crazy! When I search for it in the school selection section, nothing comes up. I've tried typing "Pennsylvania State University," "Penn State," "PSU" and even tried searching by location. None of the campuses are showing up! Has anyone else had this issue? My son has already been accepted there for fall 2025 and we need to get his financial aid sorted ASAP. Is the system glitchy or am I doing something wrong?
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Jamal Brown
You need to search using the school code, not the name. Penn State's federal school code is 003329 for the University Park campus. Each branch campus has its own code though. Try entering that number directly in the search field. The FAFSA system sometimes has weird search limitations with institution names.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Thank you! I didn't even think about using the school code. Where would I find the codes for the other campuses? He applied to University Park but also Harrisburg as a backup.
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Fatima Al-Rashid
had the same problem last week!! the search is super annoying, try searching just 'university' and then scrolling through. took me forever to find my daughters school too. system is so badly designed
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Glad I'm not the only one struggling with this! I'll try searching with just 'university' too if the school code suggestion doesn't work. Why do they make this so complicated?
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Giovanni Rossi
This is a common issue with the FAFSA school search functionality. Here's how to resolve it: 1. Penn State University Park: 003329 2. Penn State Harrisburg: 003330 3. Penn State Altoona: 003312 You can find all campus codes on the Penn State financial aid website. Make sure you're using the correct FAFSA form (2025-2026) and that you're on the official studentaid.gov site. Also important: when adding schools, order matters! List your son's preferred school first, as some state grants are awarded based on the order schools are listed on FAFSA.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Thanks for all the codes! I didn't realize the order mattered - that's super helpful information. Does this mean Penn State will see that they're listed first? Does that create any expectations for them?
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Aaliyah Jackson
•Wait school order matters on FAFSA?? I just randomly added my kid's 5 schools! Is there a way to rearrange them after submission or do I need to start a new application?
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KylieRose
I spent over TWO HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid last week for the exact same issue!!! Turns out the system was actually down for maintenance when I was trying. Their official status page showed everything was fine but the rep told me the school search database specifically was being updated. So frustrating!!
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Miguel Hernández
•How'd you finally get through to an actual person? I've been trying to call about my verification issue and keep getting disconnected after waiting 40+ minutes.
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KylieRose
•Check out Claimyr.com - it's a service that holds your place in the FSA phone queue and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me hours of waiting. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it for me since I needed to talk to someone urgently about our SAI calculation being wrong. Otherwise I'd still be trying to get through!
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Sasha Ivanov
The FAFSA school search is notoriously bad. I work in a high school counseling office and we've had dozens of students with the same issue. Sometimes it helps to use a different browser or clear your cache. Also, make sure you're not using abbreviations at all. And be aware that many state universities are listed under "The" - like "The Pennsylvania State University" instead of "Penn State.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•I'll try clearing my cache and using Chrome instead of Safari. And I'll search for "The Pennsylvania State University" - I didn't think about that! Thank you for the insider tips.
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Fatima Al-Rashid
my cousin goes to penn state and she said they have like 20 different campuses so maybe thats why its confusing the system? are u looking for the main one or one of the branch ones
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Mainly University Park (the main campus) but also Harrisburg. But someone above shared the school codes which should help!
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Jamal Brown
After you add the schools using the federal codes, double-check that they actually appear in your FAFSA confirmation page. I had an issue where I added schools but they didn't save properly. The SAI calculation was correct, but the schools weren't receiving the information. Definitely verify before submitting.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•That's a great tip - I'll make sure to verify they show up correctly before finalizing everything. I definitely don't want to think it's submitted properly only to find out later the schools never received anything!
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Miguel Hernández
just wondering...does your son have a particular major at Penn State? my daughter is applying there for engineering and we're trying to figure out if her merit scholarships will be affected by how much need-based aid she gets through FAFSA
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•He's going for Computer Science. From what I understand, Penn State considers merit scholarships separately from need-based aid, but I'm still learning all this too! We're hoping between merit and need-based he can avoid too many loans.
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Miguel Hernández
•Thanks! Computer Science is so competitive these days. Hope your son gets a good package! The whole process is so stressful.
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Giovanni Rossi
Just to follow up - were you able to add Penn State using the school codes provided? If you're still having issues, I recommend taking screenshots of the error and contacting the Penn State financial aid office directly. They can sometimes submit a special request to have your FAFSA information sent to them if there's a persistent technical issue with the system.
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Zoe Papadopoulos
•Yes! The school codes worked perfectly. I was able to add both University Park and Harrisburg campuses. Thank you so much for your help! The confirmation page shows both schools now, so we should be all set.
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Natasha Orlova
Pro tip for anyone else having this issue - you can also find all federal school codes by going to the Federal Student Aid website and using their "Federal School Code Search" tool. Just search for the school name there first, then copy the code into your FAFSA. I learned this after struggling with my daughter's application last year. Also, if you're applying to multiple campuses of the same university system, make sure you're using the right code for each specific campus since they all have different codes even though they're part of the same university!
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•That's such a helpful tip about the Federal School Code Search tool! I wish I had known about that from the beginning - would have saved me so much frustration. And you're absolutely right about the different codes for each campus. I almost made that mistake assuming they'd all use the same code. Thanks for sharing this for other parents who might run into the same issue!
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Jasmine Hernandez
This thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar issue trying to add schools to my daughter's FAFSA. Quick question for everyone - after you successfully add schools using the federal codes, how long does it typically take for the schools to receive the FAFSA information? My daughter's priority deadline is coming up soon and I want to make sure Penn State gets everything in time. Also, do you get any kind of confirmation that the school actually received it, or do you just have to trust the system worked?
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Statiia Aarssizan
•Great question! In my experience, schools typically receive FAFSA information within 1-3 business days after you submit it. You should get an email confirmation from Federal Student Aid once your FAFSA is processed, and then you can check your Student Aid Report (SAR) to confirm which schools were included. Penn State also sends their own confirmation once they receive your FAFSA - you can check your student portal or contact their financial aid office directly if you don't hear anything within a week. For priority deadlines, I'd recommend submitting at least a week early just to be safe!
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Kiara Fisherman
I had this exact same problem when helping my nephew with his FAFSA last month! The school search feature is honestly terrible. What finally worked for me was using the federal school code method that others mentioned, but I also want to add that sometimes you need to be really specific with the campus name. For Penn State, make sure you're looking for "Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus" for University Park specifically. I also found that if you're still having trouble, try doing the search late at night or early morning when fewer people are using the system - I swear it works better then! The whole FAFSA process is so unnecessarily complicated, but don't give up. Your son's financial aid depends on getting this right!
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Dmitry Ivanov
•Thank you for the tip about trying during off-peak hours! I never would have thought of that but it makes total sense that the system would be less glitchy when fewer people are using it. And you're right about being specific with the campus names - I learned that the hard way. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for reference since there's so much helpful information here. It's reassuring to know so many other parents have dealt with the same frustrating issues and found solutions. The FAFSA really shouldn't be this complicated!
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