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!