FAFSA says 'processing complete' but no SAI score yet - what happens next in 2025-2026 cycle?

congrats on getting back to school! once processing is complete you should receive an email with ur SAI score (thats the Student Aid Index) within like 3-5 days. after that ur school financial aid office picks it up and builds ur aid package. they might ask for more info or verification docs so keep an eye on ur email. each school does it different

Thank you! It's been 4 days already with no email yet - is that normal? Should I be checking my spam folder or logging into studentaid.gov to look for it?

The process has changed significantly since 2014. Here's what happens after 'processing complete':\n\n1. You'll receive your SAI (Student Aid Index) - this replaced the old EFC number\n2. Your FAFSA information gets sent to the schools you listed on your application\n3. Each school's financial aid office will use your SAI to calculate your aid package\n4. You'll receive financial aid award letters from each school, typically through their student portal systems\n\nI recommend logging into your studentaid.gov account daily to check for your SAI. If it doesn't appear within 7-10 business days, you should contact Federal Student Aid directly. Once your SAI appears, contact your school's financial aid office to confirm they've received your FAFSA information.

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! Do you know how long it typically takes for schools to create the financial aid packages once they have the SAI? I'm trying to figure out a timeline for making decisions.

It varies by institution, but generally takes 2-4 weeks after they receive your FAFSA information. For graduate programs specifically, the packages tend to be processed more quickly than undergraduate ones. I'd recommend contacting your specific program's financial aid office after your SAI appears - they can give you a more precise timeline for their processing.

When I submitted my FAFSA last month it said \

THIS 100%!! The whole \

Since you're returning after 11 years, I should point out that graduate studies financial aid is quite different from undergraduate. For grad school, most of your federal aid will be in the form of Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Grad PLUS loans, not grants. Your SAI matters less for graduate studies since Pell Grants aren't available for master's programs.\n\nAfter your FAFSA processing completes:\n1. Log into studentaid.gov to check your SAI\n2. Contact your specific graduate program's financial aid office\n3. Ask about departmental scholarships or assistantships (these are often separate from FAFSA)\n4. Inquire about your school's timeline for sending award letters\n\nMany graduate students have trouble reaching Federal Student Aid representatives when they have questions. If you run into difficulties, I've had success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the hours-long wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me a ton of time when I had verification issues with my graduate FAFSA.

I had no idea Pell Grants weren't available for master's programs - that's disappointing! I'll definitely check out the departmental scholarships. Has anyone used this Claimyr service before? I'm hesitant to use third-party services with something as important as financial aid.

I used Claimyr last month when my FAFSA got stuck in verification. It worked exactly as advertised - they called me back when they reached an agent. Saved me from sitting on hold for hours. Worth it when you're desperate to talk to a human at FSA.

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is significantly different from what you would have completed in 2014. Here's what you need to know:\n\n• 'Processing complete' means your application has been processed, but doesn't necessarily mean it's been finalized\n• Within 3-7 business days, your Student Aid Index (SAI) should be calculated\n• Your SAI will be visible in your studentaid.gov account under

Thank you for such a detailed response! I just checked and still no SAI after 4 business days. I'll give it until the end of the week before calling. One more question - will I get an email notification when the SAI is calculated or do I need to keep logging in to check?

You should receive an email notification when your SAI is calculated, but the system isn't always reliable with these notifications. I recommend checking your studentaid.gov account directly every 1-2 days. Also check your spam/junk folders regularly, as these notifications are sometimes filtered out.

When I went back to school after 15 years, I was totally confused too! The whole process has changed SO much. My FAFSA said processing complete for like 2 weeks before I actually got any information about my financial aid package. It's so weird that they don't just tell you exactly what's happening next. Like would it kill them to have a status tracker or something?? Anyways, don't stress too much about it. Just keep checking your email and your studentaid account. Eventually you'll either get your SAI or they'll tell you what other info they need.

That makes me feel better! It's crazy how they can make something so important so unnecessarily complicated. I'll keep checking and try to be patient.

i work in financial aid at a university and i can tell you 'processing complete' just means the initial processing is done but theres still more happening behind the scenes. for grad students we cant even build your aid package until we get your ACTUAL complete record which can take 5-10 business days after you see that message. then once we have it, we still need to review everything and that can take another 2-3 weeks depending on volume. and if you get selected for verification (which is random and happens to like 30% of people) then add another 2-4 weeks!! the whole system is horribly designed and everyone in financial aid knows it. also you should definitely contact your school directly because every school has different timelines and processes

This is really helpful insight from someone who works in the system. It's amazing how the lack of transparency creates so much anxiety for students. Would you say calling the financial aid office is more effective than emailing at this stage?

calling is ALWAYS better than emailing especially this time of year when were drowning in emails. but be prepared to wait on hold for a long time. if you call first thing in the morning (like right when the office opens) you usually get through faster. also be super nice to whoever answers because we deal with angry people all day and are more likely to go the extra mile for someone who treats us like humans lol