How long after submitting FAFSA to receive SAI score and aid offers?

took me like 3 days to get my SAI when i submitted back in december. but my friend who did it 2 weeks ago is still waiting so i think its way slower now

The timeline for FAFSA processing has been variable this year due to the new system. Here's what you can expect: 1. SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation: Typically 3-5 business days, but currently taking 7-14 days for many applicants 2. Schools receiving your FAFSA data: 1-3 days after SAI calculation 3. Financial aid packages: This varies widely by school, but typically 2-4 weeks after they receive your FAFSA data You can check your status by logging into studentaid.gov and clicking on "My FAFSA." It should show whether your application is still processing or if your SAI has been calculated. If you see your SAI, that means schools can access your information. If it's been more than 2 weeks, you can contact Federal Student Aid to check on your application status.

One thing to keep in mind - schools can't finalize your aid package until they have your SAI score, BUT they can still send you an acceptance letter before that. If you're hitting May 1st deadlines, I'd recommend contacting each school's financial aid office directly. Some schools will work with you if there are FAFSA delays (which have been common this cycle). Also, check if any of your schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Several private colleges need both, and they won't create your aid package until they have all required documents.

my brothers fafsa took 6 weeks to process last month!! the whole system is a mess this year. he had to accept his college without knowing how much aid hed get

If you're having trouble reaching someone at Federal Student Aid (and you probably will - their call center is SWAMPED right now), I found a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to an actual person. It basically holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. I was getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours, but with this I got through in about 40 minutes. Here's their site: claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ You definitely want to talk to a real person if it's been more than 10 days with no SAI score. In my case, there was an issue with how my parent's contribution was being calculated that was causing the delay.

The time varies SO MUCH right now. I submitted early January and had my SAI in 4 days. But then I had to make a correction to my parent's contribution section in February and THAT took 3 weeks to process. Anyone else notice the income verification process taking way longer than the initial submission??

Just to clarify something I'm seeing in other comments - the FAFSA doesn't actually tell colleges how much aid to give you. It just calculates your SAI (Student Aid Index), which schools use to determine your aid packages. Each school has their own formula for translating your SAI into grants, scholarships, and loan offers. So even after your FAFSA is processed, you'll still need to wait for each individual school to put together their offer. That's why the timeline from FAFSA submission to receiving all aid offers can stretch to 4-6 weeks or even longer at some schools.

btw if ur wondering if you can do anything while waiting, make sure u check ur email & student portal for each school like EVERY DAY. my girlfriend almost missed a verification request that went to her spam folder and it wouldve delayed everything even more

Final tip that might help: If your May 1st deadline is approaching and you're still waiting for financial aid info, many schools allow you to request a deposit extension specifically for this reason. Usually you'll need to contact both admissions and financial aid offices to request this. Be polite but direct about needing to compare financial aid packages before making your decision. Also, if you end up with significantly different offers between schools, remember you can appeal your financial aid at your preferred school by showing them better offers from comparable institutions.

Just want to add that if you're really stressed about the timeline, you can also reach out to your high school counselor! Mine was super helpful when I was dealing with FAFSA delays last year. They often have direct contacts at college financial aid offices and can sometimes help advocate for extensions or get updates on your application status. Plus they've probably dealt with tons of students in the same situation this year, so they might have school-specific advice about which of your colleges are more flexible with deadlines.

Adding to what others have said about the timeline - I just went through this process and wanted to share my experience. Submitted my FAFSA on March 15th and got my SAI exactly 8 days later (March 23rd). However, I'm still waiting for aid packages from 3 out of my 5 schools, and it's been another week since then. One thing that really helped me was creating a spreadsheet to track everything - FAFSA submission date, when I got my SAI, which schools have received my info, and their individual aid package timelines. It made me feel more in control of the process and helped me know exactly which schools to follow up with. Also, don't forget that some schools have "priority deadlines" for financial aid that are separate from admission deadlines. Even though you can still submit FAFSA after these dates, you might miss out on certain institutional grants if you're too late. Worth checking each school's specific policies!

I'm in a similar boat - submitted mine on March 25th so just a few days behind you! Reading through all these responses is both reassuring and nerve-wracking at the same time. It sounds like the timeline is really unpredictable this year. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my older sister who went through this two years ago (pre-new system) - even if you're cutting it close to May 1st deadlines, don't panic and accept the first offer you get. She said rushing that decision was one of her biggest regrets because she ended up transferring after freshman year partly due to financial stress. Has anyone had success with getting schools to match or beat financial aid offers from other institutions? I'm hoping to use that strategy if I get significantly different packages, but I'm not sure how common it actually is or what the best approach would be. Also @Myles, definitely keep us posted on when your SAI comes through! It would be helpful to know the timeline for someone who submitted around the same time as me.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same stress last year! The waiting is honestly the worst part, but I promise it does work out in the end. A few things that helped me stay sane during the wait: 1. Set up email alerts for your student portals so you don't have to obsessively check them (though you probably will anyway lol) 2. Have a backup plan - know which school you'd choose even with minimal aid, just in case 3. Remember that financial aid offices are swamped right now and most are being really understanding about delays For what it's worth, I ended up getting my aid packages with enough time to make a good decision, even though it felt like cutting it super close. The new FAFSA system definitely made things more chaotic this cycle, but schools are adapting too. One last tip - if you haven't already, make sure your parents know to expect verification requests or additional document requests. My mom almost missed an email asking for tax transcripts because she wasn't expecting it. Stay on top of those because they can add weeks to your timeline if you miss them! Hang in there - you've got this! 🙂

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if your SAI seems way off from what you expected (either much higher or lower than online calculators predicted), don't just assume it's correct! There were quite a few errors in the early batches of SAI calculations this year due to bugs in the new system. You can request a review if something looks wrong, and it's worth double-checking your FAFSA data against your tax returns to make sure everything transferred over correctly. I know someone whose parent's income got duplicated somehow and their SAI was completely wrong as a result. It took a few weeks to fix, but it made a huge difference in their aid eligibility. Also, keep in mind that your SAI might look scary high, but remember it's not the amount you'll actually pay - it's just an index number schools use in their calculations. A high SAI doesn't automatically mean you won't get any aid, especially at well-funded private schools with large endowments.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone currently going through this - submitted my FAFSA on March 20th and got my SAI back on March 30th (so about 7 business days). However, I made the mistake of not updating my email preferences in my FSA account beforehand, so I almost missed the notification that my SAI was ready! If you haven't already, definitely go into your studentaid.gov account settings and make sure you're signed up for email notifications. Also check that your email address is correct - I know it sounds basic, but with all the stress it's easy to overlook simple things like that. The waiting is definitely anxiety-inducing, but from what I'm seeing in my friend group, most people are getting their SAI within 5-10 business days right now. The real variable seems to be how quickly individual schools process their aid packages after that. Some of my friends heard back from certain schools within a week of their SAI being calculated, while others are still waiting 3+ weeks later. Good luck with everything - you're definitely not alone in this stressful waiting game!