Should graduating seniors add additional schools to FAFSA before SAI scores arrive?
I'm finishing up high school and just filled out my 2025-2026 FAFSA. Initially I only listed my top 3 schools, but now I'm second-guessing myself. Should I be adding more schools to my FAFSA application before I get my SAI score? A friend told me it's better to add ALL possible schools upfront so they get your information immediately, but others are saying it doesn't matter and I can add schools later. What's the standard practice here for graduating seniors? Will schools get my info faster if I add them now vs. waiting until after I receive my SAI calculation?
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Mei Wong
i added all 10 schools i applied to right away, just to be safe. my counselor said some schools have early aid deadlines and they need your fafsa info asap to consider you for their institutional scholarships
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Jamal Anderson
•Thanks! So you can only add up to 10 schools at once? What if you apply to more than that?
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QuantumQuasar
You can add up to 10 schools at a time on your FAFSA. If you want to apply to more than 10, you'll need to wait until your FAFSA is processed and your SAI score is calculated. Then you can remove some schools and add others. But yes, it's generally better to add schools earlier rather than later. Many schools distribute financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis, especially for need-based institutional grants. Having your FAFSA information sent to them sooner puts you in their system earlier.
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Liam McGuire
•wait so if im applying to 12 schools i should pick my top 10 and then after i get my sai add the other 2? or should i add the schools with the earliest deadlines first? this is so confusing
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QuantumQuasar
•I'd recommend prioritizing schools with the earliest financial aid deadlines first. Then consider which schools might have more limited funding where being early in the queue could help. After your FAFSA is processed (typically 3-5 days if there are no issues), you can remove some schools and add the remaining ones.
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Amara Eze
Adding all your schools upfront is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL in the current financial aid environment. Schools are often allocating their institutional aid dollars on a rolling basis, and in many cases, it's first-come, first-served. I've seen students miss out on thousands in aid just because their FAFSA information arrived at a school a few weeks later than other applicants. The other thing to consider is that some schools use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. If any of your schools require the CSS Profile, make sure you're completing that as well and listing ALL those schools there too.
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Jamal Anderson
•Oh crap, I didn't even think about the CSS Profile. I'm applying to a couple private schools that probably need that too. Is the process similar for adding schools there?
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Amara Eze
•Yes, similar concept but the CSS Profile works slightly differently. You select schools when you initially submit, and if you need to add more later, you'll pay an additional fee per school. The base fee covers one school, and each additional school has a fee (though fee waivers are available for eligible students). Check each school's financial aid website to confirm if they require the CSS Profile - usually private colleges and some selective public universities use it.
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Giovanni Greco
I'm gonna go against the grain here... it DOESN'T MATTER for most schools!!! I talked to 3 different financial aid offices this year and they ALL said the same thing - they don't start packaging aid until AFTER their application deadline anyway, so as long as your FAFSA is received before their financial aid deadline, you're fine. This whole "first come first served" thing is mostly a MYTH perpetuated by guidance counselors to get students to file early. The exception might be some rolling admission schools with limited funds, but for any school with a set application deadline, being first in line doesn't help.
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Amara Eze
•This is dangerously incorrect information. While it's true that many schools don't begin packaging until after deadlines, numerous institutions - especially state schools with limited institutional grants - absolutely do award on a first-come basis. Financial aid officers are sometimes reluctant to admit this because they don't want students to panic, but the reality is that aid budgets are finite. Being early never hurts and often helps.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
Hey! Just a tip if you're having trouble reaching anyone at Federal Student Aid to ask questions about adding schools or anything else - I was on hold for HOURS trying to get clarification about adding/removing schools. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an agent is available. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Saved me a lot of frustration since I couldn't stay on hold all day. The FSA agent I spoke with was actually super helpful about the school adding process!
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Jamal Anderson
•This sounds useful! I tried calling FSA yesterday and gave up after 45 minutes on hold. Did they charge you for this service?
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Fatima Al-Farsi
•Yeah, they do charge for it, but I figured my time was worth more than sitting on hold for potentially hours. The agent answered my questions about adding schools later and confirmed that you can make changes to your school list after submission.
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Dylan Wright
The official guidance from Federal Student Aid is that you can add or remove schools at any time. Once your FAFSA is processed and you receive your SAI, any schools you add will receive your information within a few days. That said, there are a few practical considerations: 1. Some schools have priority deadlines for maximum aid consideration 2. Some institutional aid is limited and may be awarded first-come, first-served 3. Adding schools upfront means they get your info as soon as your FAFSA is processed 4. If you're applying to more than 10 schools, you'll need to manage your list in batches For the 2025-2026 application cycle, I'd recommend adding your top choice schools and those with the earliest aid deadlines first. You can always update your list later.
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Jamal Anderson
•This is really helpful, thank you! So it sounds like the safest approach is to add the maximum 10 schools now, prioritizing early deadline schools and top choices, then swap others in after processing if needed.
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Mei Wong
my brother had this problem last year cuz he applied to 13 schools and the guidance counselor told him to do his top 10 first, then after he got his SAI he could swap out schools. but then he forgot to do it and almost missed a deadline for one of his safety schools lol. so maybe set a reminder if ur gonna do the swap thing
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Liam McGuire
wait I'm confused...do schools see each others financial info when u add multiple schools??? like if i add both expensive private colleges and cheaper state schools, will they all see what other schools im applying to?? would that affect my aid package???
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Dylan Wright
•No, schools cannot see which other institutions you've listed on your FAFSA. They only receive your financial information and SAI score, not your complete school list. Each school only knows that you've listed them, not any others you might have included. Your aid package from one school won't be affected by the other schools you're considering.
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Jamal Anderson
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm going to add my full 10 schools now, prioritizing the ones with earlier deadlines and my top choices. Then I'll swap out for the remaining schools after I get my SAI score. I'll also double-check which ones need the CSS Profile ASAP. Super grateful for all the guidance - this makes so much more sense now!
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