What documentation proves FAFSA submission while waiting for SAI results?

Yes! After you submit your FAFSA, you should have received a confirmation email with your confirmation number. Search your email (including spam/junk folders) for messages from noreply@studentaid.gov - that confirmation email is accepted by most financial aid offices as proof of submission. You can also log into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA application, and take a screenshot of the status page showing "processing" with the date submitted. Most schools accept this as proof too.

this happened to me too. check ur email from when u submitted. there should be a confirmation # in there. my school accepted that as proof when i showed them

In addition to the confirmation email that others mentioned, you can also print the "My FAFSA" page from studentaid.gov which shows your submission date and current status. Click on the three dots next to your current FAFSA and select "View Student Aid Report (SAR)" - even if your SAI isn't calculated yet, you'll get a preliminary SAR that shows you've submitted. That PDF has an official look that financial aid offices recognize.

That's correct - if you can't access the SAR yet, then you'll need to use the confirmation email or a screenshot of your FAFSA status page as proof. Sometimes the processing takes 3-5 business days for the SAR to become available, but it can take 2-3 weeks for the actual SAI calculation to appear.

I had the exact same issue! My university wouldn't accept just the confirmation email - they wanted "official documentation." What worked for me was calling the Federal Student Aid office directly and having them email me a submission verification letter. But it took FOREVER to get an actual human on the phone.

To answer your question: Yes, the FSA agent emailed me the verification letter during the call. It was a PDF on official letterhead showing my name, FAFSA ID, submission date, and confirmation number. My financial aid office accepted it immediately. Much better than a screenshot or forwarded email.

wait a sec... isn't the confirmation number in the FAFSA itself? I thought u could just login and see ur submission history with dates and confirmation #s for every year u applied?

DONT PANIC! I work in a college financial aid office. We get this ALL THE TIME. The confirmation email is 100% sufficient as proof of submission. If your school is giving you a hard time, ask to speak with a senior financial aid counselor and mention that you have the official FAFSA confirmation number from studentaid.gov. We cannot and should not require anything beyond that for proof of submission.

JUST BE CAREFUL - my confirmation email went to my spam folder and I almost missed it!!! Make sure you check all your email folders, especially if you use Gmail which sometimes filters those emails weirdly.

so how long did it take everyone to get their SAI after submitting? im on week 3 of waiting and getting nervous...

Pro tip: If you're having trouble finding that confirmation email, try searching your entire inbox for "FAFSA" or "Federal Student Aid" - the subject line is usually something like "Your FAFSA form has been successfully submitted." Also, if you submitted late at night or on weekends, sometimes the confirmation email can take a few hours to arrive. I've seen students panic thinking they didn't submit when the email was just delayed. The confirmation number format is usually something like "FAFSA-" followed by numbers and letters, so you can search for that pattern too if needed!