FAFSA award amount changing when switching from out-of-state to in-state college?

The FAFSA amount itself won't change - that's federal aid based on your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation, not on which school he attends. However, the in-state school will likely offer a MUCH better overall financial aid package! In-state schools often have access to state grants and scholarships that out-of-state students can't get. Have your son contact the financial aid office at the in-state school ASAP and ask specifically about state resident grants/scholarships and institutional aid. Many states have special programs just for residents attending public universities.

congrats on the acceptance! my daughter got more $ at our in-state school than the fafsa amount. the school had like 3 different state grants plus a scholarship for top 10% of hs class. she got almost twice what fafsa said!!

My daughter got the same FAFSA amount at both in state and out of state schools, BUT the in-state school gave her way more institutional aid. The financial aid packages looked totally different even though the federal part was identical. We were surprised how much difference it made!

You need to update your FAFSA to add the new school to your son's application. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your son's FAFSA application, and add the school code for the in-state university. The FAFSA amount won't change (it's calculated based on your financial information, not school choice), but the school needs to receive his FAFSA information to create a complete financial aid package. As others mentioned, in-state schools often have additional state-specific grants and scholarships. For example, many states have special grant programs only available to residents attending in-state public universities. These can be worth thousands in additional aid. One more tip: once you receive the initial aid offer, if it's not enough, have your son schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor at the school. Sometimes they can find additional institutional funds or scholarships if you explain your situation in person.

You've already received good advice about updating the FAFSA to include the new school code. One additional thing to consider: your state may have its own separate financial aid application! Many states require a separate form to qualify for state-specific grants. For example, in California they have the Cal Grant, New York has TAP, Illinois has MAP, etc. Check your state's higher education agency website to see if there's a state-specific financial aid application with upcoming deadlines. These state grants can be substantial - sometimes $2,000-$5,000 per year for eligible students.

the financial aid package will probably be totally different!!! my son went thru this exact thing last year. the fafsa part stayed the same but the in-state school offered way more scholarships and grants than the out of state one. we ended up paying less TOTAL for the in-state school than what just the tuition would have been at the out of state one!! definitely make an appointment with financial aid office asap!!!!

I've been trying to reach the Federal Student Aid helpline for DAYS to ask this exact question about changing schools on my daughter's FAFSA. Keep getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in less than 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed what others said - the FAFSA amount doesn't change, but you DO need to add the new school to your FAFSA. She also mentioned that in-state schools often have separate state grant applications with different deadlines, so don't miss those!

Dont forget to chck if the in-state schoool has any MERIT scholarships too!! My son got accepted to our state university and even though his FAFSA stayed the same they gave him a $6000/yr merit scholarship just for having a 3.8 GPA. We didn't even have to apply separate for it, was just included in his acceptance package!!

One more important thing - make sure to check if the in-state school requires CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Some public universities (especially flagship state schools) use CSS Profile for awarding their institutional aid. It's more detailed than FAFSA and has a small fee, but it can qualify you for significant additional aid from the school itself. The deadline for CSS Profile might be different than FAFSA too.

Thanks everyone for all the amazing advice! I've updated his FAFSA to include the in-state school code, and we've scheduled a meeting with their financial aid office for next week. I also found out our state does have several grant programs specifically for residents attending in-state universities. This is all so complicated but I feel much better prepared now!

Welcome to the community! As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I can confirm what others have said - the federal FAFSA amount stays the same, but you'll likely see a much better overall financial aid package from the in-state school. One thing I'd add is to ask the financial aid office about work-study opportunities specifically available to in-state students. Many state schools reserve certain campus jobs for residents, and these can help cover those remaining costs after grants and scholarships. Also, if your son has any specific career interests, ask about departmental scholarships - sometimes individual colleges within the university have their own funding available. The meeting you scheduled is smart - going in person really does make a difference in what they can offer!

Congratulations on your son's acceptance! I'm going through something similar with my daughter right now. One thing I'd recommend is also checking if the in-state school participates in any regional tuition exchange programs - some states have agreements where residents can attend certain out-of-state schools at in-state rates, and vice versa. Also, don't forget to ask about emergency aid funds when you meet with financial aid. Many state schools have special hardship grants that aren't widely advertised but can help bridge gaps in funding. These are often easier to qualify for as an in-state student since you're contributing to the state tax base that funds the university. The timing of your switch actually works in your favor - many schools release additional aid in late spring as other students decline their offers. Good luck with the meeting!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm really impressed by all the helpful advice here! I'm actually facing a similar situation with my own child's college plans and had no idea there were so many different aid programs available at the state level. One question for those who've been through this - when you meet with the financial aid office, is there a specific list of questions you'd recommend asking? I want to make sure I don't miss anything important when we have our appointment. Also, does anyone know if there's a typical timeline for how long it takes to receive updated aid packages after adding a new school to FAFSA? Thanks for creating such a supportive space to navigate these complicated financial aid waters!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm amazed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone is about navigating FAFSA and financial aid complexities. I'm in a very similar boat with my daughter who just got accepted to our state university after initially planning on an out-of-state school. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about state-specific grant programs or that the federal FAFSA amount stays constant regardless of which school you choose. One thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen mentioned yet - does anyone know if there are different deadlines for state aid programs versus the main FAFSA deadline? I want to make sure we don't miss any opportunities while we're transitioning between schools. Also, for those who've successfully gotten additional aid from in-state schools, how far in advance should we start this process? Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's making what seemed like an overwhelming situation feel much more manageable!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here and going through almost the exact same situation with my son. He was originally planning to attend an out-of-state school but just got accepted to our state university. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the FAFSA amount stays the same but that in-state schools often have so many additional funding opportunities! One thing I'm wondering about that I haven't seen mentioned - has anyone dealt with timing issues when switching schools this late in the process? I'm concerned we might have missed some state grant application deadlines since we weren't originally planning on the in-state option. Also, do most state universities automatically consider you for all available aid programs once they receive your FAFSA, or are there separate applications we need to complete? Thanks for creating such a supportive space to navigate these financial aid complexities. It's reassuring to see so many success stories with in-state schools offering better overall packages!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm really grateful to have found such a knowledgeable and supportive group of parents navigating these financial aid challenges together. I'm actually in the exact same situation with my daughter - she was originally planning on an out-of-state school but just got accepted to our state university. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring, especially learning that the federal FAFSA amount stays consistent but that in-state schools often have access to so many additional funding sources. One thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen addressed yet - for those who successfully transitioned from out-of-state to in-state plans, did you find any unexpected benefits beyond just the financial aid differences? I'm wondering about things like easier family visits, potential internship opportunities with local companies, or alumni networks that might be stronger in your home state. Also, has anyone found it helpful to reach out to current students or recent graduates from the in-state school to get their perspective on the overall value and experience? I'm trying to help my daughter feel confident about this change since she had her heart set on the out-of-state option initially. Thanks again for creating such a welcoming space to work through these important decisions!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm really impressed by how supportive and informative this discussion has been. I'm actually facing a very similar situation with my son who was planning on an out-of-state school but just got accepted to our state university. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that the federal FAFSA amount stays the same regardless of which school you choose, but that in-state schools often have access to so many additional state-specific grants and scholarships. The advice about scheduling an in-person meeting with the financial aid office and asking about departmental scholarships, work-study programs, and emergency aid funds is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm particularly interested in what @Freya Thomsen mentioned about separate state financial aid applications - I'll definitely be checking our state's higher education website to make sure we don't miss any deadlines or opportunities. One question I have for those who've been through this process - when you meet with financial aid counselors, do they typically provide a comprehensive list of all available funding sources, or do you need to specifically ask about each type of aid (merit scholarships, state grants, work-study, etc.)? I want to make sure I'm asking the right questions to maximize the opportunities for my son. Thanks again for creating such a valuable resource for parents navigating these complex financial aid decisions!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm really grateful to have found such a supportive group of parents dealing with similar FAFSA challenges. I'm actually in almost the exact same boat - my daughter was initially planning on an out-of-state school but just got accepted to our state university. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening! I had no idea that the federal FAFSA amount stays consistent regardless of school choice, but that in-state schools often have access to so many additional funding opportunities through state grants and institutional aid. The advice about updating the FAFSA to include the new school code and scheduling an in-person meeting with financial aid is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm also planning to research our state's specific grant programs - it sounds like many states have substantial aid available that I wasn't even aware of. One thing I'm curious about - for those who made the switch from out-of-state to in-state plans, did you find the transition easy for your student emotionally? My daughter had her heart set on the out-of-state experience, so I'm trying to help her see all the benefits of staying closer to home with better financial support. Thanks for creating such a valuable resource for navigating these complex decisions!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I'm really amazed by how helpful and knowledgeable everyone has been in this thread. I'm actually dealing with a very similar situation with my son who was originally accepted to an out-of-state school but just got into our state university as well. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational - I had no idea that the federal FAFSA amount stays the same regardless of which school you choose! The information about state-specific grants and the importance of meeting with financial aid counselors in person is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about updating our FAFSA to include the in-state school code and scheduling that face-to-face meeting with their financial aid office. It sounds like there could be significant additional funding available through state programs that I wasn't even aware of. One question I have - for those who've successfully navigated this transition, how long did it typically take to receive a complete financial aid package from the in-state school after updating your FAFSA? I want to make sure we have realistic expectations about timing as we make this important decision. Thanks so much for creating such a supportive space to work through these complex financial aid challenges!