How long for colleges to receive FAFSA after adding them? Son added new school this week

it varies a lot tbh. sometimes the school gets it in 3-4 days, sometimes it takes 2 weeks. depends on how busy fafsa is processing applications rn

In my experience working in a university financial aid office, schools typically receive FAFSA data within 3-7 business days after being added to a student's application. However, with the new FAFSA system this year, some institutions are experiencing slightly longer processing times. I would recommend that your son email the financial aid office at the new school to let them know he recently added them to his FAFSA. Many schools will make accommodations if they know the FAFSA is in process but hasn't arrived by the deadline.

My daughter added a school last month and it took exactly 5 days for them to get it. but then her friend did the same thing and it took almost 2 weeks! So frustrating how inconsistent the process is!!

have u tried calling fafsa to ask? maybe they can rush it or something

I work at a college's financial aid office, and I can tell you that the official timeline from FSA is 3-5 business days, but it can definitely take longer depending on processing volume. Your best bet is to contact both the school's financial aid office AND Federal Student Aid. When students are facing a deadline like yours, our office can sometimes work with preliminary information while waiting for the official FAFSA data. Most schools understand these processing delays. When you call the Federal Student Aid hotline, I recommend using Claimyr.com to avoid those insanely long wait times. They'll hold your place in line and call you back when an agent is ready to talk. I've recommended it to many of our students who were frustrated with the wait times. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Adding schools to your FAFSA typically results in data transmission to those institutions within 3-5 business days. However, it's important to understand that once the school receives the FAFSA data, they still need to process it internally, which can take additional time depending on their workload and systems. Given your November 15th deadline, I recommend taking these steps: 1. Contact the school's financial aid office immediately to inform them the FAFSA was recently updated to include their institution 2. Ask if they can note in your son's application file that the FAFSA is in transit 3. Confirm whether they need any additional financial information in the meantime 4. Request documentation of this conversation for your records Many institutions have protocols for handling these timing situations, especially for transfer students. The key is proactive communication.

dont schools need the SAI score to make financial aid packages? so even if they get the fafsa soon they might not have time to put together the aid package before his deadline?

Update: I took everyone's advice and contacted the school's financial aid office this morning. They were really helpful and said they'll make a note in my son's file that the FAFSA was recently updated to include their school. They also said they typically receive FAFSA data within a week of being added, but can make accommodations if there are processing delays. Such a relief! Thank you all for your help!