FAFSA aid acceptance deadlines vs. housing selection - when to decide on unsubsidized loans?

Each school sets their own deadlines for accepting financial aid packages - it's not a universal FAFSA deadline. You definitely need to check with the financial aid office ASAP! My daughter's school had a May 1st deadline to accept any aid, even though housing wasn't assigned until June. Don't wait or you might lose the loans altogether!

The deadlines vary by institution, but most schools have a specific timeframe for accepting your financial aid package that's separate from housing selection. I work in college advising and recommend that you: 1. Accept ALL offered aid now (including the unsubsidized loans) 2. After housing is finalized in June, you can reduce or cancel the unsubsidized loans you don't need 3. Most schools allow loan reductions/cancellations up to 120 days after disbursement This approach secures your full aid package while giving you flexibility once you have the complete cost picture.

CALL THE SCHOOL!!! My son lost $5000 in institutional grants because we didnt accept by their deadline (which was APRIL 15th!!). The FAFSA just determines eligibility but the schools control when u have to decide. Don't make our mistake!!!

Financial aid counselor here. This is one of the most common issues families face. Here's what you need to know: 1. Federal loan acceptance deadlines are set by each institution, not by FAFSA 2. Many schools require initial acceptance by May 1st or earlier 3. You can typically reduce or cancel unsubsidized loans later in the process 4. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) and grant eligibility won't change if you decline loans now and try to accept them later I recommend accepting the full package now to secure everything, then adjusting the unsubsidized loan amount down after housing is finalized. Make sure to get the specific loan adjustment deadline from your school.

my sons school had a may 15 deadline but was actually super flexible about it when i called them in june lol. just depends on the school i think. some are strict some dont care as much

When I was trying to reach the financial aid office at my son's school about this exact issue last year, it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through. After 3 days of trying, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a financial aid rep in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it because I found out our school had a policy that unsubsidized loans could be adjusted until the end of the first month of classes. Saved us from making a rushed decision.

One more thing to consider: many schools require you to actively decline aid you don't want. If you simply ignore the financial aid offer, they might assume you're not attending or place a hold on registration. Always formally accept or decline each component of your package by their deadline.

also dont 4get some of the institutional scholarships might have DIFFERENT deadlines than the federal aid parts!!! my sons honors scholarship had an earlier acceptance deadline than his federal loans did. its all so confusing!!!