FAFSA status shows 'processed' - what are the next steps before choosing a college?

Congrats on getting your FAFSA processed! Here are your next steps: 1. Check your studentaid.gov account for your Student Aid Index (SAI) - this replaced the old EFC and determines your aid eligibility 2. Your FAFSA info is automatically sent to the schools you listed on your application 3. Each school will use your FAFSA to create a financial aid package 4. You'll receive financial aid award letters from each school you were accepted to 5. Compare the aid packages to determine which school offers the best financial fit You don't need to commit to a school to get your aid offers, but you should check each school's portal regularly for communications. Some schools might request additional documentation for verification.

your all set now! just wait for the schools to get back to you with there offers. they do all the work from here. takes about 3-4 weeks for most places

WAIT! Make SURE your Student Aid Index (SAI) actually appears in your account. Mine said "processed" for WEEKS but there was actually an error they never told me about!! Had to call FSA like 12 times because the system had flagged my parents' tax info for verification. By the time I sorted it out I almost missed priority deadlines at two schools. DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING.

If you want to actually REACH someone at Federal Student Aid without waiting forever, use Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was trying to call about my processed FAFSA for days and couldn't get through. Used their service and had a real person on the line in 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it to confirm everything is actually good with your application. The FSA agent found a flag on mine that would have delayed my aid packages.

Since your FAFSA is processed, I'd recommend taking these specific actions: 1. Log into each college's financial aid portal to check if they've received your FAFSA data (it can take 3-5 business days to transfer) 2. Check if any of your schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA (many private colleges do) 3. Look for any "To Do" items in each school's portal - they often request additional documentation 4. Contact the financial aid office at your top choice schools to introduce yourself and ask if they need anything else 5. Start watching for award letters - they typically come 2-4 weeks after acceptance letters 6. Create a spreadsheet to compare offers when they arrive Don't wait until you commit to a school - you need the financial aid information to MAKE that decision!

My daughter's FAFSA got processed last month and we thought we were done too, but then two weeks later we got an email saying we were selected for verification 😫 Had to upload a bunch of tax documents and it delayed everything by a month. Apparently they randomly select people for extra checks. Hope you don't get picked for that!

I want to address your concern about your SAI of $14,328. That's actually in the mid-range - not extremely high or low. It doesn't mean you won't get aid! Your SAI determines eligibility for: - Federal Pell Grants (typically for SAI below $6,000) - Subsidized loans (where government pays interest while in school) - Work-study opportunities - Institutional grants (varies by school) Even with your SAI, you'll likely qualify for unsubsidized federal loans ($5,500 for freshman year) and potentially merit scholarships that aren't based on financial need. Don't get discouraged - the actual aid packages often contain options you might not expect!

just wondering... did anyone else notice FAFSA is SO MUCH more complicated this year?! I did this last year for my older son and it was way easier. I heard they completely changed the formula or something?

Update: I followed everyone's advice and checked my top schools' portals. Two of them are requesting additional verification documents! I never would have known if I hadn't checked. Thanks everyone for helping this first-gen college student figure this out! I'm going to carefully compare all the offers when they come in.

So glad you're staying on top of everything! As a fellow first-gen student who went through this process a few years ago, I wanted to add one more tip: when you get your award letters, don't just look at the total aid amount - break down what's grants/scholarships (free money) vs. loans (money you'll pay back). Some schools might offer a bigger "aid package" but it's mostly loans, while another school might offer less total aid but more in grants. Also, if one school is your top choice but offers less aid, you can sometimes use a better offer from another school to negotiate - just call their financial aid office and explain the situation politely. Many schools will try to match competitive offers if they really want you! You've got this! The hardest part (getting FAFSA processed) is behind you.