FAFSA says they've received our application - Can we remove schools from consideration list?

Yes, you absolutely can add/remove schools from your FAFSA consideration list even now! I just did this last week for my daughter. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA application, and select the option to make corrections. Then navigate to the school selection section and you can add/remove schools there. Just make sure to resubmit the FAFSA after making changes. The schools you add will then automatically receive your information.

that email sounds legit to me, schools do send those notices when they get your fafsa data. but the deadline thing depends on each school - some have earlier priority deadlines for financial aid (already passed for many) but will still consider u for something if u submit later. better hurry tho!!

As a financial aid counselor, I can confirm this is completely normal. Schools that have received your FAFSA data often send these notifications. You can add/remove schools at any time through the correction process on studentaid.gov, but be aware that: 1. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation doesn't change when you add/remove schools 2. Schools have different priority deadlines for financial aid - some may have already passed 3. Federal deadlines and school deadlines are different Regarding contacting FAFSA directly - yes, their phone lines are overwhelmed this year with the new system rollout. If you need to speak to someone urgently, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you connected with a FAFSA agent much faster than waiting on hold. I've recommended it to several families who were stuck in verification limbo. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

The .edu address is probably legit but BE CAREFUL! Lots of scams going around with fafsa this year!!! My sister got an email that looked real asking for her fsa id and password to "verify" her application and it was TOTALLY FAKE! Double check everything!!

This whole FAFSA system is BROKEN this year!!! I've been trying to get through to someone for THREE WEEKS about my daughter's verification issues and NOTHING. Just disconnections and useless automated messages. They completely botched this rollout and now thousands of families are paying the price. My daughter might lose her scholarship because of these delays. It's INFURIATING!

I work in a college financial aid office. Yes, you can add/remove schools through the correction process. However, I want to clarify something important - if you're concerned about specific schools' deadlines, don't just rely on the FAFSA system. Directly contact each school's financial aid office (not through their general contact, but specifically financial aid) to notify them that you've added them to your FAFSA. Some schools have internal processes that might not immediately pull new FAFSA additions, especially during high-volume periods.

we got a similar message about taking schools off our list last month...confused me because I didn't think colleges could see which OTHER schools were on our fafsa list? is that right or do they all see the full list?

This is such a stressful time for families! I went through something similar last year with my daughter. Just want to add that when you do make corrections to add/remove schools, it can take 3-5 business days for the updated FAFSA to be processed and sent to the new schools. So if you're close to any deadlines, definitely follow @Layla Mendes advice and contact the financial aid offices directly to let them know you've added them. Some schools will note your file and watch for the updated FAFSA to arrive. Also, keep screenshots of your submission confirmations - they can be helpful if there are any processing delays!

Just wanted to share our experience from last week - we were in almost the exact same situation! Got that email from a school about removing/adding others to our FAFSA list and were super nervous about making changes so close to deadlines. We ended up using that Claimyr service @Aiden Rodríguez mentioned and actually got through to a real FAFSA person in about 20 minutes (versus the 2+ hours we'd been waiting on hold before). The agent confirmed we could absolutely make the changes and walked us through the correction process. One thing they emphasized that I don't think was mentioned here yet - when you submit corrections, make sure you're using the SAME FSA ID that was used for the original application. Apparently they've had issues with parents accidentally using different login credentials which can cause processing delays. Also, the agent said if you're adding schools with really tight deadlines (like within the next week), you should definitely call those schools' financial aid offices AND send them an email with your student's info confirming you've added them to your FAFSA. Some schools can put a note in your file to watch for the updated application. Hope this helps ease some of the stress! This whole process has been such a mess this year but it sounds like you're on the right track.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! My daughter is a senior and we just realized we need to add two more schools to her FAFSA list after getting acceptance letters we weren't expecting. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - especially knowing that we can make corrections this late in the process. I had no idea about the 3-5 day processing time for updates, so I'll definitely be calling the financial aid offices directly like everyone suggests. One question though - if we remove schools from our list that we're no longer interested in, does that free up slots immediately for new schools, or do we have to wait for the correction to process first before adding new ones? We're already at the 10-school limit and need to swap out about 4 schools. The FAFSA website wasn't super clear about this part of the process. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been a lifesaver during this stressful time!

As someone who just went through this process with my twins last month, I can confirm everything others have said is accurate! You absolutely CAN add/remove schools even this late - we made corrections three different times and each went through fine. A few additional tips from our experience: 1. When you log into studentaid.gov to make corrections, the interface can be a bit confusing - look for "Make FAFSA Corrections" not "Submit New FAFSA" 2. After submitting changes, you'll get a confirmation email with a new DRN (Data Release Number) - save this as proof 3. Some schools have automated systems that pick up FAFSA updates within 24-48 hours, but others still process manually and can take the full 3-5 days That email from the school sounds totally legitimate - we got similar notifications from 6 different colleges when our FAFSA data first went through. They're basically just letting you know they have your info and giving you the option to optimize your school list. The phone situation with FAFSA is still terrible, but like others mentioned, definitely try calling the individual schools' financial aid offices if you need immediate confirmation about deadlines. Most have been really understanding about the delays this year. Good luck!