Do colleges send FAFSA financial aid packages before you commit to the school?

You absolutely do NOT need to commit to a school before receiving your financial aid package. Schools send out financial aid offers after acceptance but before any commitment. The financial aid package should be part of what helps you decide which school to attend!\n\nWhat you should do:\n1. Contact the financial aid offices at the 3 schools you haven't heard from yet. The FAFSA was processed months ago, so they should have what they need to prepare an aid package.\n2. Tell the school asking for the March 1 commitment that you need to see the financial aid offer before making any decision.\n3. Don't pay ANY deposits until you've compared ALL financial aid offers side-by-side.\n\nThis is completely normal - colleges understand that financial aid is a critical factor in decision-making. They can't reasonably expect students to commit without knowing the cost.

Thank you SO much for clarifying this! I was worried we were doing something wrong. I'll call those 3 schools tomorrow to check on the status of their aid packages. For the school pushing the March 1 deadline, should I just explain that we're waiting on their aid offer? Would they really rescind her acceptance if we don't commit by their deadline but we're still waiting on THEIR financial info??

colleges def send the financial packages AFTER accpetance but BEFORE u commit!! my kid got all his aid packages within like 2-3 weeks after getting the acceptance letters. sounds like some of those schools r dragging their feet. u gotta be pushy sometimes with these aid offices tbh

THIS!!! Financial aid offices are SWAMPED this time of year. I've worked in higher ed for 12 years, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Call them, email them, and if they don't respond within 48 hours, call again. They won't hold it against your daughter - they're just buried in applications and some things fall through the cracks.

The whole financial aid system is BROKEN!!! I went through this last year with my son. Schools deliberately delay sending aid packages to pressure families into committing without full information. Then once you pay that non-refundable deposit, they hit you with a terrible aid package knowing you're less likely to back out. It's a predatory system designed to maximize their revenue. And don't get me started on how they manipulate the SAI formula to minimize how much aid they have to give!!!! The FAFSA is just a way for schools to determine how much they can squeeze out of families.

While I understand your frustration, this isn't entirely accurate. Schools don't manipulate the SAI formula - that's calculated by Federal Student Aid based on the FAFSA data. Individual schools don't control that calculation.\n\nWhat does vary is how each school uses the SAI to distribute their institutional aid. Some schools may have more generous aid policies than others, but they're not intentionally withholding packages as a predatory tactic. Aid offices are legitimately overwhelmed during peak seasons.\n\nWhat you experienced was frustrating, but likely due to administrative delays rather than malicious intent.

we had to commit to my daughters dream school before getting the final package but they did give us an estimated one based on our fafsa. the final one came like 2 weeks after we paid the deposit. it was pretty close to the estimate tho.

You're getting some great advice here already, but I'll add that different schools have different timelines. Typically, the financial aid cycle works like this:\n\n1. Student applies to schools\n2. Student submits FAFSA (which you did correctly in November - good job!)\n3. Schools send acceptance letters\n4. Schools send financial aid packages\n5. Student compares offers and makes decision\n6. Student commits and pays deposit\n\nBut here's the nuance: some highly competitive schools with earlier decision deadlines might compress this timeline. However, they should STILL provide aid information before requiring a commitment.\n\nFor the school pushing for March 1 commitment - call their financial aid office directly. Explain that you need the aid package to make an informed decision. Most schools will either send the package promptly or extend your decision deadline.\n\nDon't be afraid to advocate for your daughter! This is too important a financial decision to make without complete information.

Thank you for laying out the normal timeline! That helps a lot. I've been trying to call the financial aid offices but keep getting voicemail or being disconnected after waiting on hold forever. Is email generally effective for reaching financial aid offices this time of year?

I had this exact same problem last year with my son!!! Was so frustrating trying to reach financial aid offices. After spending HOURS on hold and getting disconnected multiple times, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at the financial aid offices. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nTheir website is claimyr.com and it basically holds your place in line on those impossible phone queues. Saved me so much frustration! Once I actually got through to financial aid offices, I was able to get all the aid packages within a week. Worth checking out if you keep hitting walls trying to reach them.

does that really work? i hate being stuck on hold foreverrrrr

It worked for me! I was skeptical at first too but was desperate after spending literally 3 hours on hold one day. Got through to all 4 schools we needed to talk to.

congrats on your daughters acceptances!! 🎉 when my son was applying we had the same stress. just remember you have until may 1 for most schools! thats the national response deadline for most colleges so dont let any school pressure you before then unless its some special early program

I work in college admissions, and I want to clarify a few things:\n\n1. Most schools follow the standard May 1 National Decision Day deadline. Any school pushing for a March 1 commitment without providing financial aid information is not following standard practice.\n\n2. For the schools you haven't heard from yet regarding financial aid, there could be a few reasons:\n - They may be waiting on additional verification documents (check your FAFSA portal to see if you're selected for verification)\n - The aid office may be processing applications in batches and just haven't gotten to your daughter yet\n - Sometimes there are technical issues where they received the FAFSA but it's not properly linked to your daughter's application\n\n3. IMPORTANT: If the school requiring the March 1 deposit won't provide aid information before then, you can:\n - Request a deposit extension in writing, citing the need to review financial aid details\n - Contact the admissions office (not just financial aid) and explain your situation\n - If necessary, pay the deposit to hold her spot, but understand you can always forfeit it if the aid package makes the school unaffordable\n\nFinally, when comparing packages, look carefully at the breakdown between grants/scholarships (free money) versus loans. Some schools make packages look generous but they're mostly loans.

This is extremely helpful information - especially about possibly paying the deposit but understanding we could forfeit it if needed. I didn't realize May 1 was a standard date! The March 1 school is making it sound like spots will fill up if we don't commit early. Is that just a pressure tactic?

That is almost certainly a pressure tactic. Unless it's a specialized program with limited spots (like certain nursing or engineering programs), general admission spots don't typically

One more thing no one's mentioned - you can APPEAL your financial aid offer if it's not enough!!! We did this with my daughter and got an extra $7500 per year at her top choice. Don't just accept whatever they initially offer you. If you have better offers from other schools, use those as leverage to negotiate!

Thank you all for the incredibly helpful responses! I called two of the schools today and was actually able to get through. They apologized for the delay and said the aid packages should be arriving next week. I sent emails to the other school we haven't heard from.\n\nFor the March 1 deadline school, I spoke with both admissions and financial aid. When I mentioned May 1 being the standard decision date, they admitted that March 1 was just their \

That's fantastic news! I'm glad you were able to get some clarity. \

So glad to see this thread - I'm going through the exact same thing with my twin daughters! It's reassuring to know this confusion is normal. One thing I learned from our school counselor is that you can also check each college's financial aid portal online if they have one. Sometimes the aid packages are posted there before they mail them out. Also, if you haven't already, make sure to check that all your FAFSA information was received correctly by each school - sometimes there are little technical glitches that delay processing. Wishing you and your daughter the best with this process! It's stressful but you're asking all the right questions.

As someone who just went through this process with my son last year, I want to emphasize what others have said - you are 100% in the right to demand financial aid packages before committing! We had a similar situation where one school was pressuring us for an early deposit. I called the dean of admissions directly (not just financial aid) and explained that we needed the aid package to make an informed decision. They not only provided it within 48 hours but also apologized for the confusion. One tip that saved us: create a simple spreadsheet to compare all the offers side by side. Look at total cost of attendance minus grants/scholarships to get your real out-of-pocket cost. Some schools pad their packages with loans and work-study to make them look more generous than they actually are. Also, don't be afraid to mention to schools that you're still waiting on other aid packages. Sometimes this motivates them to prioritize your file. The financial aid process is definitely confusing, but you're advocating for your daughter exactly as you should be!