Do we need to wait to submit FAFSA until my son decides on a college?

No, definitely do NOT wait! You should submit the FAFSA as soon as possible regardless of where your son decides to go. When you complete the FAFSA, you can list up to 10 schools that will receive his financial aid information. The schools he's considering plus a few backups is perfect. Schools have priority deadlines for financial aid that are often much earlier than admission deadlines, and some aid is first-come, first-served. You can always add or remove schools later through the studentaid.gov website or by calling FSA.

Submit ASAP!!! I waited last year for my daughter to decide and we missed out on like $5000 in grants at her top choice. They told us the $$$ was gone bcuz we didnt submit until April. The earlier u submit the more money ur kid might get. Send to ALL possible schools!!

You absolutely need to submit your FAFSA now. Each school sets their own priority filing deadline for financial aid consideration, and many of these deadlines are in January or February for the upcoming academic year. Your son's SAI (Student Aid Index) will be the same regardless of which school he chooses, so there's no benefit to waiting. You can list all the schools he's considering plus some backup options. I'd recommend including any school that's even remotely on his radar since there's no penalty for listing a school he ultimately doesn't attend.

@profile7 Yes, SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced the EFC (Expected Family Contribution) with the new FAFSA simplification. It's essentially the same concept - a number that colleges use to determine financial need - but the calculation method has changed. The new FAFSA implemented for 2024-2025 and beyond uses different formulas and considers fewer factors than the old system.

when my son was deciding on schools we put down his top 5 choices on FAFSA then after he got acceptances we logged back in and added 2 more that offered him scholarships at the last minute. it was easy to update.

I work in a college financial aid office, and I cannot stress enough how important it is to file early. Schools have internal deadlines for institutional aid that are often much earlier than their published deadlines. Also, some state grants require FAFSA submission by specific dates (as early as February 1st in some states). Submit the FAFSA with all possible schools your son is considering. You can add or remove schools later by: 1. Logging into studentaid.gov 2. Going to your FAFSA form 3. Selecting "Add or Remove Schools" If your son is considering more than 10 schools (the FAFSA limit), you can submit with the first 10, then go back and update the list after the first submission is processed.

@profile6 Great question. It depends on the school's policies. When you add a school in April: - Federal aid (Pell Grants, federal loans) will still be available regardless of when you add the school - State grants may have strict deadlines, so adding a school late could affect eligibility for state aid - Institutional aid (scholarships/grants from the college itself) is where timing matters most. Many schools allocate their institutional funds on a first-come, first-served basis I recommend contacting the financial aid office at any school you're adding late to ask about their specific deadlines and if any institutional funds might still be available.

@profile5 Each school can see their position on your FAFSA list (like if they're #1 or #5), but they can't see the names of the other schools. Some studies suggest schools might use this positioning information in their enrollment management strategies, but most financial aid officers will tell you it doesn't directly impact their aid formulas. The order used to matter more in the past, but it's less significant now. If you're concerned, you can always update the order later to put a preferred school first once your son narrows down his choices.

anyone try to call the fafsa helpline recently? i spent 3 hours on hold and got disconnected twice when trying to ask about adding schools. super frustrating!!!!!

my daughter applied to 15 schools and we had to do the FASFA twice cause it only lets you put 10 schools. we did the first 10 then after it processed we went back and deleted them and added the other 5. make sure u save the confirmation number from your first submission it makes it easier to make changes

@profile8 she got REALLY stressed about deciding and kept adding more options lol. ended up with 12 acceptances and went with the one that gave the best financial package. all that work and money on application fees and she picked based on $$ anyway! but at least having the FAFSA done early meant she got to see all the offers.

also watch out for the CSS Profile!!!! some private schools require it ON TOP OF the FAFSA and it has different deadlines. we almost missed it for my daughter's school and had to rush to complete it. check each school's financial aid page to see if they want the CSS Profile too

Just to summarize the excellent advice in this thread: 1. Submit your FAFSA ASAP - don't wait for your son's final decision 2. List all possible schools (up to 10) that he's considering 3. You can add/remove/reorder schools later through studentaid.gov 4. Check if any schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA 5. Pay attention to each school's priority financial aid deadline 6. Remember that some institutional aid is first-come, first-served The most important thing is getting that initial submission completed early. You can always make adjustments later as his college plans become clearer.