FAFSA green check email with SAI number - are we actually done?
Just got an email for my daughter's FAFSA with a green checkmark saying "submitted" and it shows her SAI number. Does this mean we're completely finished? The whole process has been so complicated this year that I'm paranoid we're missing something. Do we need to do anything else after getting the SAI? Does she need to log in and accept anything? Sorry if this is obvious but after all the delays and website problems, I just want to make absolutely sure we're done before I stop worrying about it!
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Sergio Neal
Yes, if you received the email with the green checkmark and an SAI number, that means the FAFSA has been successfully processed. The SAI (Student Aid Index) is what schools will use to determine aid eligibility. However, there are still a few things to keep in mind: 1. Watch for any verification requests - some applications are randomly selected for verification where you'll need to submit additional documentation 2. Check your student's school portals regularly - schools may request additional information 3. Keep an eye out for aid award letters from each school But as far as the FAFSA itself, yes, you're done unless you're specifically contacted about verification.
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Leslie Parker
•Thank you so much! That's a relief. So the ball is in the schools' court now? I'm still traumatized from all the glitches when we were trying to submit.
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Savanna Franklin
got the same email last week!!! feels good to be done but now we waitin on scholrship offers!
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Leslie Parker
•Congratulations! How long did yours take to process? Ours was about 2 weeks.
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Juan Moreno
DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING WITH FAFSA!!! We got that same "green check" email in January, then THREE WEEKS LATER got another email saying there was an "error" in our application!!! Had to resubmit verification documents and it delayed everything by another month. Schools couldn't give us financial aid packages until it was fixed. The whole system is BROKEN this year!!!
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Amy Fleming
•omg that sounds awful! what kind of error was it? was it something you did wrong or just their system messing up? i'm waiting for my SAI still and freaking out about every little thing
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Alice Pierce
I work in a financial aid office - yes, the green checkmark with an SAI number means your FAFSA is complete and has been processed successfully. However, about 25% of applications are selected for verification (where additional documentation is required). Each school will now download your FAFSA data and may have additional requirements - like the CSS Profile for private schools or institutional forms. Log into each school's financial aid portal to check for any pending requirements. As for the actual aid offers, those typically come after acceptance, sometimes as part of the acceptance package, sometimes separately depending on the school.
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Leslie Parker
•That's really helpful, thank you! My daughter already got accepted to 4 schools but we're still waiting on aid offers. Should I have her contact each school's financial aid office to make sure they received her FAFSA data?
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Alice Pierce
•Yes, that would be a good idea. Have your daughter check each school's financial aid portal first (usually accessible through the student portal) to see if they show receipt of the FAFSA and if there are any outstanding requirements. If it's been more than 2 weeks since you received the SAI and a school doesn't show receipt, a quick email to their financial aid office would be appropriate.
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Esteban Tate
We got that email back in December and thought we were done too, but then in February my son's application got selected for verification (totally random, they said). We had to upload tax documents, W-2s, and some other stuff. It delayed his aid packages by over a month. Not trying to scare you, just saying keep an eye on your email just in case!
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•This happened to me too! The verification process was such a headache. I was on hold with FSA for THREE HOURS trying to figure out why they needed my dad's tax info when he doesn't even claim me. Finally got through to someone who actually helped me understand what documents to upload. If anyone's struggling to reach FSA by phone, I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of hold music! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Amy Fleming
I'm confused about all this SAI stuff - is that the same as EFC from previous years? My older kid applied in 2022 and we got an EFC number, but my younger one is applying now and I see SAI mentioned. Are they calculated the same way?
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Sergio Neal
•SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced EFC (Expected Family Contribution) with the 2024-2025 FAFSA simplification. They're similar concepts but calculated differently. The SAI formula removed some elements that inflated EFC, like the number of family members in college. However, the SAI still measures a family's financial strength and is used by schools to determine aid eligibility in a similar way.
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Ivanna St. Pierre
so i got that email with the green check and SAI number too but then when i looked at my actual FAFSA the status still says "processing" on the website... anyone else see that discrepancy? should i be worried?
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Alice Pierce
•That's actually normal. The FAFSA website sometimes shows "processing" for a while even after the application has been completed and the SAI has been calculated. If you received the email with the green check and SAI number, your FAFSA has been processed successfully and that information has been made available to your selected schools. The website status will eventually update.
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Leslie Parker
Update: I had my daughter check her student portals for her four schools and two of them show they've received her FAFSA (with her SAI number listed) but the other two don't show anything yet about financial aid. Should she email just those two schools?
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Sergio Neal
•Yes, I'd recommend having her email the financial aid offices at the two schools that don't show her FAFSA data yet. She should include her full name, student ID number (if she has one), and date of birth in the email, and simply ask them to confirm if they've received her FAFSA data or if there's anything else they need from her. This is very common and most financial aid offices are used to these inquiries.
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