Federal student loan application steps after FAFSA submission - what comes next?

You've done everything correctly so far! Here's how the process works: 1. Submit FAFSA (which you did) 2. Wait for schools to process your FAFSA information 3. Each school will send a financial aid award letter showing grants, scholarships, and eligible loans 4. AFTER you decide which school to attend, you'll need to complete loan entrance counseling and sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on studentaid.gov You don't apply for the loans separately - the school financial aid office handles that based on your FAFSA. With your SAI around 950, you'll likely qualify for some need-based aid in addition to the standard Direct Loans. Just make sure to check your email and student portals regularly for those award letters!

congrats on getting into FSU!!! they took FOREVER to send my aid package last year. like 3 weeks after i got in. dont stress it. the loan part is easy, you just click accept when they offer it to you in the financial portal. the hard part is deciding how much you actually need vs want lol

YOUR GOING TO GET AN EMAIL FROM THE SCHOOL WITH THE FINACIAL AID INFO!!! the federal loans are processed through your school. they will give u some amount based on your SAI score, usually not the full $5,500 for freshman. My daughter only got offered $3,500 in subsidized loans even though we checked the box for the full amount!!! you have to CALL THEM and ask for the unsubsidized portion if they dont include it automatically!!!

I've been through this with my two kids. The FAFSA process is frustrating, but you've done the right steps so far. With your SAI in the mid-900s, you'll likely qualify for some grants too, not just loans. One thing to watch out for - each school has different deadlines for accepting their financial aid package. Some want a decision pretty quickly (2-3 weeks) while others give you until May 1st (National Decision Day). If you're waiting on multiple packages to compare, you might need to ask for an extension from schools with earlier deadlines. Also, make sure to check both your email AND your student portal regularly. Some schools send aid info by email, others only post it to your portal with no notification.

I was in your exact position last year and it was SO stressful waiting for those financial aid packages! I checked that loan box on FAFSA too thinking I'd automatically get the loans, but then some schools only offered me partial amounts and I was freaking out about how to cover the rest of my costs! If you absolutely need the full $5,500 freshman loan amount, definitely call the financial aid offices after you get their offers. Sometimes they don't automatically give you the full amount you're eligible for - they do this weird thing where they try to give you the "minimum" you need based on their calculations, not what you might actually need. Btw, does anyone else think it's ridiculous that we have to wait MONTHS between FAFSA submission and actually knowing what we can afford?? The whole system is broken!!

Just to clarify the process for Federal Direct Loans specifically: 1. FAFSA submission (completed ✓) 2. Financial aid award letters from schools (pending) 3. You choose a school and accept the loan amounts you want 4. Complete Entrance Counseling on studentaid.gov 5. Sign Master Promissory Note (MPN) on studentaid.gov 6. School certifies your loan and applies it to your account For a freshman dependent student, the maximum Federal Direct Loan is $5,500 (with up to $3,500 subsidized). If schools don't automatically offer you the full amount, you can contact their financial aid office to request the maximum. With your SAI around 950, you're likely eligible for some Pell Grant funding as well, which doesn't need to be repaid. Each school will calculate your total package differently based on their cost of attendance and other institutional aid they might offer.

My daughter is at UF and we struggled reaching anyone at financial aid when we had questions about her loans. After endless busy signals and voicemails that were never returned, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got us through to a real person at Federal Student Aid in under 3 minutes when we were dealing with loan verification issues. Saved us so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Definitely worth it if you end up needing to talk to someone at FSA about your loans and can't get through on your own.

One more thing - if you haven't already, create an account on studentaid.gov (separate from your FAFSA account). That's where you'll complete the loan entrance counseling and sign your Master Promissory Note once you decide which school to attend. It's also where you'll manage your loans throughout college and beyond. Better to set it up now than to be rushing at the last minute when tuition is due!

hey just wondering did you apply for any scholarships too? with your SAI you should def look into them, my roommate got like $7k in outside scholarships and it reduced how much she needed in loans

Welcome to the waiting game! I'm a sophomore now and remember this exact anxiety from last year. You're doing everything right - the FAFSA submission with the loan box checked is really all you need to do at this stage. Just to add to what others have said: some schools are REALLY slow with aid packages. I didn't get my final aid letter from one school until mid-April, which was nerve-wracking when trying to make my final decision by May 1st. One tip that helped me: create a spreadsheet to track each school's aid package when they come in. Include total cost of attendance, grants/scholarships offered, loan amounts, and your estimated out-of-pocket costs. It makes comparing schools so much easier when you're trying to decide where the best financial fit is. Also, don't be afraid to appeal your aid package if it's not enough! I successfully appealed at two schools and got additional grant money that reduced my loan needs. Good luck with your acceptances - sounds like you've got some great Florida options!