FAFSA 20-school limit workaround? Need to send to 28 colleges

yea the 20 school limit is dumb. after ur first batch gets processed you can go back and swap out some schools for the others. takes like 3-5 days for the first batch to process tho

The 20 school limit exists because the Department of Education's systems were designed with that constraint decades ago. It's actually quite simple to work around: 1. Submit your FAFSA with your first 20 school choices 2. Wait for your SAI score (Student Aid Index) to be calculated and processed 3. Log back into studentaid.gov and update your FAFSA by removing some schools and adding your additional choices 4. The system will process and send your information to the new schools Important: Make sure your first batch includes schools with the earliest financial aid deadlines. And don't worry - schools you remove from your FAFSA will still have your information; removing them only makes room for new schools.

28 SCHOOLS?!? Holy moly, that's gonna be expensive just in application fees! But anyway, the FAFSA limit is super annoying. When I ran into this last year, I tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline to ask if there was a better way, but I was on hold FOREVER and kept getting disconnected. Ended up just doing the add/remove method like others suggested above.

I think the 20 school limit is because they dont want people just spamming their info to every single college in america lol. most people only apply to like 5-10 schools anyway

When I had this issue trying to reach someone at FSA about updating my school list, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual FAFSA agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. The agent confirmed I was doing the school swapping correctly and also helped me understand how the information gets transmitted to each school in my list.

cant believe ur applying to 28 schools lol thats crazy. but good luck! i almost missed out on aid from my top choice bc i didnt realize they needed the info earlier than the others. def prioritize ur favorites and ones with early deadlines

While others have explained how to handle the 20-school limit technically, there's another consideration: schools can see ALL other schools you've listed on your FAFSA. Some selective colleges might view applying to 28 schools as a sign you're not seriously interested in their institution specifically. This may not impact your admission chances at most schools, but it could potentially affect institutional aid decisions at some private universities where demonstrated interest is a factor. Just something to be aware of as you navigate this process.

btw u might wanna check if all 28 schools even need FAFSA. some private colleges use CSS Profile instead of or along with FAFSA

After you update your school list on FAFSA, I strongly recommend following up with each financial aid office individually. Email them about 7-10 days after updating your FAFSA to confirm they've received your information. This is especially important for schools with scholarships tied to FAFSA submission deadlines. Also, take screenshots of your confirmation pages each time you update your FAFSA. If there's ever a dispute about whether you submitted on time, having documentation will be invaluable.

I went through this exact same process last year when I applied to 25 schools! The swap method definitely works, but here's a pro tip that saved me a lot of stress: create a spreadsheet tracking each school's FAFSA deadline, your batch assignments (which 20 schools go first vs. second batch), and confirmation dates. Also, some schools have their own financial aid portals where you can check if they've received your FAFSA - this is way faster than emailing each office individually. State schools especially tend to have good tracking systems. Good luck with all 28 applications, that's dedication!