FAFSA submitted in December but no financial aid award letter yet - when to expect?

This is my second kid going through college apps, and i went through the same panic last year! Most schools dont send financial aid awards until March or April, even if you submitted FAFSA early. It's frustrating but normal. Different schools have different timelines tho

The timing of financial aid award letters varies by institution, but most colleges send them out between March and early April. Some highly selective institutions may wait until April, especially if they're still finalizing their admissions decisions. If your son was accepted through Early Action or Early Decision, you might hear sooner, but regular decision financial aid packages typically come with or shortly after acceptance letters. If you're concerned, I'd recommend: 1. Check each school's financial aid portal (not just the admissions portal) 2. Verify they've received all required documentation 3. Call the financial aid offices directly if you don't hear anything by late March

congrats on the 5 acceptances! thats awesome

I've been waiting since NOVEMBER and still nothing!!! This is ridiculous. My daughter got into her dream school but we have no idea if we can even afford it. The financial aid office keeps saying "be patient" but tuition deposits are due May 1st and we need TIME to make decisions!!!! The whole system is broken. They expect us to commit thousands of dollars with barely any notice.

Financial aid professional here. While March-April is indeed standard timing for financial aid packages, there are a few things worth noting about the 2025-2026 aid cycle: 1. Many institutions are running about 2-3 weeks behind schedule this year due to FAFSA simplification implementation challenges 2. If your student was accepted Early Action/Decision and you haven't received any financial aid information by now (mid-March), it's absolutely appropriate to contact those financial aid offices 3. For Regular Decision applicants, most packages are timed to arrive with acceptance letters 4. Many schools are experiencing staffing shortages in financial aid offices One important thing: verify in your FAFSA portal that your application shows as "Processed" not just "Submitted" and that it shows all your selected schools correctly listed. A common issue is when applications get stuck in processing or schools aren't properly listed.

When my nephew applied last year he didn't get his financial aid package until TWO WEEKS before the deposit deadline! They do this on purpose I think, give you no time to negotiate or compare offers. Always call and ask for more money too, they expect it these days.

Update: I called both Early Action schools yesterday. One said award letters are going out next week, and the other said they're behind schedule due to FAFSA changes but expect to send awards by end of March. Thanks everyone for helping me understand this isn't unusual. Still anxious but at least now I know we're not being singled out!

I'm in the exact same boat! My daughter submitted her FAFSA in early December and we've been checking our emails obsessively every day since February. She got accepted to 4 schools but we're still waiting on financial aid packages from all of them. Reading these responses is really helpful - I had no idea about checking separate financial aid portals vs admissions portals. Going to do that right now! It's so stressful not knowing what we can afford, especially with the May 1st deadline approaching. Thanks for asking this question because I was starting to think something was wrong with our application.

As a newcomer here, I'm so grateful to find this thread! My daughter and I are in almost the identical situation - FAFSA submitted in December, acceptances rolling in, but zero financial aid letters yet. I was starting to panic thinking we missed something or made an error. Reading everyone's experiences, especially the professional insight from Jace about the 2-3 week delays due to FAFSA changes, has been incredibly reassuring. I had no idea about checking separate financial aid portals either - that's such a helpful tip! It's nerve-wracking not knowing what we can afford with the May 1st deadline looming, but at least now I know we're not alone in this waiting game. Thank you Sofia for starting this conversation - it's exactly what I needed to read today!