FAFSA confirmation email says decision in a week - is this normal or too fast?

That email is probably just confirming they received the FAFSA data, not that they'll have a full aid package ready in a week. Most schools are still waiting on the official SAI calculations from the Education Department before they can finalize packages. What they're likely sending within a week is just a confirmation that they've imported her data into their system or maybe a preliminary review of what documentation might be missing.

BE CAREFUL!!! My son got a similar email last month and it turned out to be from a SCHOLARSHIP SCAM company that somehow knew he had applied for FAFSA!!! The real college never sends emails promising specific timeframes like that. They always say "within 4-6 weeks" or something vaguer. Check the actual sender email address carefully!!!

This is completely normal and actually good news! What happens is that colleges have different stages of processing FAFSA information. The first stage is simply receiving and importing the FAFSA data into their system. The "something" they're sending within a week is likely what we call an "acknowledgment letter" or a "verification selection notice" if they need additional documentation. The actual financial aid package with specific dollar amounts won't come until: 1. The Education Department finalizes the SAI calculation 2. The college determines your daughter's cost of attendance 3. They match her against their available institutional aid funds So while this is a positive first step, expect the actual financial aid offer closer to March or April for most schools.

my daughter got the same thing last year and it was just them telling us they needed her tax info and my tax info for verification. they make it sound exciting but its usually just more paperwork tbh

I've been trying to call Federal Student Aid for weeks now to find out why my daughter's FAFSA says "processing" but her college received it already. The wait times are ridiculous - I was on hold for 2 hours yesterday before getting disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that colleges can receive the initial FAFSA data before the final SAI score is calculated, which explains why your daughter's school contacted you already. They're probably going to ask for verification documents while waiting for the final SAI number.

schools are all OVER THE PLACE this year with how theyre handling the new fafsa!!! my older daughter's college sent us 3 different emails all saying contradictory things about when we would hear back. and then they suddenly asked for verification docs out of nowhere even though we already submitted everything!!! the whole system is a MESS

Just a heads up - the "something within a week" is often their request for income verification. About 30% of FAFSA applications get selected for verification, where you need to provide additional documentation to confirm the income information on your FAFSA. If that happens, you'll need to submit documents like tax returns, W-2 forms, and possibly a verification worksheet. Don't worry if this happens - it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Just respond promptly with the requested documents to avoid delays in her final aid package.

One important thing to understand about this year's FAFSA process: colleges are receiving FAFSA data in batches from the Department of Education, but the final SAI calculations are still being worked out. What most colleges are doing now is: 1. Confirming receipt of FAFSA data 2. Identifying any missing information 3. Selecting applicants for verification if needed 4. Preparing preliminary aid packages based on estimated SAI The "something" coming within a week is almost certainly step 1 or 2. Actual aid packages won't be finalized until all four steps are complete, which for most schools means March-April for regular decision applicants.