How to check which colleges have accessed my daughter's FAFSA SAI information?

Yes! You absolutely can see which schools have downloaded your daughter's FAFSA info. Log into StudentAid.gov with your FSA ID (not your daughter's). Then go to the My FAFSA section and select the 2025-2026 application. Click on 'View SAI and FAFSA Status' - there should be a section called 'FAFSA Processing Details' that shows which schools have received the information and when they pulled it. It's a relatively new feature they added with the FAFSA Simplification Act changes.

its not where they said. i just checked mine for my son. you need to click on "Processed FAFSA" first, THEN click on "view or print your confirmation page" and scroll way down. thats where it shows the colleges + if they got it yet

I spent hours trying to find this last month! The college list with download status is definitely there, but it's buried in the most random spot. When you're in the processed FAFSA section, look for a tab that says "Processing Information" - it's easy to miss. Also, sometimes it takes like 2-3 weeks after your SAI is calculated before colleges can even download it. Super frustrating system this year.

The section for tracking which schools have accessed your daughter's information is found under the 'FAFSA Status' section. After logging in with your FSA ID, follow these steps: 1. Select the 2025-2026 FAFSA application 2. Click on 'View FAFSA Status' 3. Select 'View Processing Information' 4. Scroll down to 'College Release Status' This will show each school you listed on the FAFSA and whether they've downloaded the information yet. If a school hasn't accessed it within 2-3 weeks of your SAI being calculated, I'd recommend contacting their financial aid office directly.

Oh man, I had this exact same issue last week! I was going crazy trying to find this information. If you're still having trouble, I'd recommend trying to reach Federal Student Aid directly. Their website is a maze, and sometimes talking to a real person is the only way to get a straight answer. I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was able to walk me through exactly where to find the college download information and even confirmed which schools had accessed my son's application. Saved me so much stress!

Actually there's some misinformation in this thread. Not all colleges will show up in that tracking section immediately. Schools using certain software systems might show as having "received" the FAFSA even when their aid office hasn't actually processed it yet. What really matters is whether your daughter received confirmation emails from each college's financial aid office, not just what the FAFSA portal shows. My daughter's FAFSA showed that all her schools had "downloaded" the info, but when I called one school, they said they hadn't received it yet due to some technical issue with their system. Always double-check directly with the financial aid offices!

If a school has a February 1st priority deadline, I'd definitely recommend contacting their financial aid office directly if you don't see them listed as having downloaded the FAFSA by January 25th. While the system should work automatically, there have been numerous technical issues with the new FAFSA rollout this year. When you call, have your daughter's student ID number (if she has one for that school) and her full name, DOB, and the email address used on her application. Ask specifically if they've received her FAFSA data and if there's anything else they need from you to complete her financial aid package consideration.

Just wanted to add another tip for anyone still struggling with this - if you're having trouble finding the college download status section, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser entirely. I had the same issue where certain sections of the StudentAid.gov site weren't loading properly in Chrome, but worked fine in Firefox. Also, keep in mind that some colleges batch-download FAFSA data only once or twice a week rather than daily, so don't panic if a school hasn't accessed it immediately after your SAI was calculated. But definitely follow the advice others gave about calling if you're getting close to priority deadlines!

I went through this exact same frustration last month! After trying all the different methods mentioned here, I found that the most reliable approach is actually a combination. First, check the FAFSA portal using the steps Grace outlined (View FAFSA Status > View Processing Information > College Release Status), but then also call the financial aid offices directly for any schools showing as "not downloaded" within 10 days of your SAI being calculated. I learned the hard way that some schools have delays in their systems, and waiting too long can put you at risk for missing priority deadlines. Also, make sure to check if any of your daughter's colleges require additional forms beyond the FAFSA - some schools need CSS Profile or their own institutional aid applications, which have separate deadlines that might be even earlier than the FAFSA priority dates. One more tip: screenshot or print the college release status page when you find it, so you don't have to hunt through all those menus again!