How to change first choice school on FAFSA after submission? Can't edit priority list

Don't panic! You don't need to create a whole new FAFSA. Log into studentaid.gov, click on "Manage FAFSA," then select "Add or Remove School." This lets you adjust your school list. While you're technically not changing the order, you can remove all schools and then add them back in your preferred order. Just make sure you do this soon, as some state aid is first-come, first-served based on FAFSA submission date.

idk if this helps but my cousin had same problem last yr. she called the fafsa ppl directly and they fixed it for her over the phone

I made literally the SAME mistake this year!!! The online interface is SO confusing. I thought I could just drag and drop to reorder schools but NOPE. Had to delete them all and re-add. What a pain! But at least your SAI score stays the same regardless.

If you're struggling to get through to FAFSA on the phone, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with needing to change my parent contributor information and kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Someone recommended this service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. Saved me so much time and frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Financial aid advisor here - let me clarify a few things: 1. For FEDERAL aid (Pell, SEOG, Direct loans), the school order doesn't matter at all 2. For STATE aid, it does matter in some states (about 12 states use position #1 for state grant eligibility) 3. You CAN'T reorder schools directly, but you CAN remove all schools and add them back in your preferred order 4. The correction process takes 3-5 days to process 5. You do NOT need to submit a new FAFSA If you're in one of the states where order matters for state grants (like IL, IN, MI, etc.), definitely make this correction. Otherwise, it won't impact your federal aid packages.

wait i thought the first school listed gets first dibs on your financial aid money??? thats what my high school counselor told us

THE WHOLE FAFSA SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! I had the exact same problem last year and when I called, they kept me on hold for TWO HOURS only to disconnect me! Then when I finally got through after calling FIVE TIMES, they said it was too late to change it because my information had already been sent to schools! This new "simplified" FAFSA is ANYTHING BUT SIMPLE!!!!

I've helped dozens of students with this exact issue. The most reliable method: 1. Log into studentaid.gov 2. Go to your FAFSA application 3. Select "Make FAFSA Corrections" 4. Navigate to the "School Selection" section 5. Remove ALL schools (yes, all of them) 6. Add them back in your preferred order 7. Submit the correction 8. Receive confirmation email The correction typically processes in 3-5 business days. Your SAI won't change. If you're in a state where the first school matters for state grants, do this ASAP. For federal aid, the order doesn't affect anything.

when i was doing fafsa last month the whole website crashed when i was trying to add schools lol... had to start all over! at least ur form submitted

UPDATE: I followed the advice to remove all schools and add them back in my preferred order. It worked! The site gave me a confirmation that my correction was submitted successfully. Now I just need to wait for it to process. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad you got it sorted out! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - accidentally put my safety school first instead of my top choice. Your post gave me the confidence to try the remove/re-add method tonight. Quick question though - when you removed all the schools, did you lose any of the other information you had entered, or did it just affect the school list? I'm paranoid about messing up something else on my application!