FAFSA reprocessed with lower SAI - Will colleges update financial aid offers automatically?

The schools should automatically receive the updated FAFSA information, but whether they'll reconsider your aid package depends on their individual policies and how far along you are in the process. Some schools have specific deadlines for FAFSA corrections to be considered for revised packages. I'd recommend proactively contacting each school's financial aid office with your updated SAI. Make sure to specifically mention the $8,000 change as that's significant enough that many schools would adjust your package. Better to be proactive than miss out!

congrats on the lower SAI! this happened to us last yr and some schools updated automatically but others didnt. definitely call them all!!

Former financial aid counselor here. Each institution handles FAFSA corrections differently: 1. Some schools automatically re-evaluate when they receive the new ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record - what schools get from your FAFSA) 2. Others require you to notify them of the change 3. Some have deadlines after which they won't reconsider initial packages regardless of FAFSA updates Since your SAI dropped by $8K, that's significant enough that most schools would want to know. I recommend: - Email each financial aid office with your student's ID number and brief explanation - Follow up with a phone call 3-5 business days later if no response - Be prepared to provide documentation if requested Keep in mind that while Pell Grant eligibility will automatically update, institutional aid policies vary widely. Some may have already allocated their discretionary funds and can't offer additional aid despite your lower SAI.

When did you submit the corrections? I'm dealing with the same thing but our SAI went UP by $5k after correcting some investment information. I'm dreading telling the schools because my son's packages will probably get worse. The whole FAFSA process this year has been a COMPLETE DISASTER!! 😡

My daughter's friend had the same thing happen and they just called each school and some updated the aid right away and others said they had to submit an appeal form. So its different at each school.

They should get notified but youd be surprised how disorganized college fin aid offices are!!! When my son's FAFSA had a correction I called every single school and 2 of them had no idea until I told them. A $8000 SAI change is HUGE so definitely don't leave it to chance.

I highly recommend calling each school's financial aid office directly. After spending weeks trying to get through to the Federal Student Aid helpline about a similar issue, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a live FAFSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ But for your specific situation, you need to talk to each individual school. The schools technically receive the updated information, but they won't automatically recalculate your aid unless they have a policy to do so. With an $8,000 SAI decrease, that could potentially mean thousands more in aid, so it's definitely worth following up directly!

Omg an $8000 drop is amazing! My daughter's only dropped by $2100 after corrections and even that made a difference at two schools. Definitely call them all ASAP. If they already sent acceptance packages they might have a special form for reconsideration. Also check deadlines - some schools stop making adjustments after certain dates!

UPDATE: I've contacted 4 out of the 6 schools so far. Two said they'd automatically review the new SAI and get back to us in 7-10 business days. One said we need to fill out a formal appeal form which they emailed me. And one said they'd already noticed the change and are recalculating, which is promising! Thanks everyone for your advice - definitely worth making the calls!