FAFSA processed same day - what's next to see aid eligibility amounts?

Congrats on getting the FAFSA processed quickly! The next steps are: 1. Check your daughter's Student Aid Index (SAI) on studentaid.gov - this replaced the old EFC and helps determine aid eligibility 2. Wait for colleges to receive her FAFSA data (can take 3-10 business days) 3. Each college your daughter listed on the FAFSA will create a financial aid package based on her information 4. Those financial aid award letters will come directly from each college, not from Federal Student Aid The timing varies by school, but most send out award letters 2-6 weeks after receiving the FAFSA data. Some schools might also require additional documentation for verification.

The same thing happened with my son's application! Processed super fast but then we were left wondering what came next. We were confused for weeks until we realized we had to wait for each university to send their individual financial aid packages. Every school offered him different amounts, even with the same FAFSA information. Some came by email, others through their student portals. Check both!

u just need to wait for the colleges 2 get the info and do there own math lol. each skool decides how much 2 give ur kid based on there own formulas. fafsa just tells them ur numbers. my kid got way different $$ from different schools like 8k difference between highest n lowest for same fafsa.

To specifically answer your question about finding the SAI score: 1. Log into studentaid.gov with your daughter's account (not your parent account) 2. Go to the "My Aid" section 3. Look for the FAFSA status section 4. The SAI will be displayed there if processing is fully complete However, I should mention that while the FAFSA might show as "processed," it may still be going through final calculations. Sometimes the SAI doesn't appear immediately. If you don't see it within 3-5 business days, I'd recommend checking back again. Also important: make sure your daughter creates accounts on each college's applicant portal. Some schools only communicate aid packages through their own systems, not via email.

I've been trying to call Federal Student Aid for THREE WEEKS about my son's FAFSA and cannot get through to anyone. Keep getting disconnected or waiting 2+ hours. This system is completely broken! Anyone have advice on actually reaching a human at FSA?

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PARENTS!!!! Don't expect anything logical! My daughter's FAFSA was also "processed" quickly but then some schools demanded verification and others didn't. One school even calculated her SAI totally differently than what showed on studentaid.gov!!!! And guess what? YOU CAN'T REACH ANYONE AT FSA TO EXPLAIN WHY!!! The colleges just make up whatever they want to give your kid. It's a complete scam.

One important thing to note - since your FAFSA was completed after March, some schools may have already allocated much of their institutional aid. The FAFSA opened in December for the 2024-2025 academic year (though it was delayed from the usual October opening). This doesn't affect federal aid like Pell Grants or federal loans, but it might impact school-specific scholarships and grants. If your daughter receives less institutional aid than expected, this could be why. Some schools operate on a first-come, first-served basis for their own funds.

To add to the excellent advice already given, here's a rough timeline you can expect: - FAFSA data reaches schools: 3-10 business days after processing - Initial review by schools: 1-3 weeks - Award letters generated: 2-6 weeks after FAFSA receipt - Potential verification requests: Can happen anytime during the process I recommend having your daughter check both her email AND the student portals for each school at least twice a week. Some notifications can go to spam or get lost in the shuffle. Also, keep an eye out for any verification requests. About 25% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification, which requires additional documentation. Responding quickly to these requests prevents delays in finalizing the aid package.

One more tip - have your daughter write down all her login information for studentaid.gov and each college portal in ONE secure place. My son lost access to his email temporarily and we couldn't access any of his financial aid info because we couldn't remember all his different passwords. It was a mess trying to reset everything while deadlines were approaching!