When will we receive scholarship amounts and final tuition costs after FAFSA processing?

Congratulations on your daughter's acceptances! The financial aid award letters come directly from each individual school, not from FAFSA. Each college has their own timeline, but most send out award letters between March and April. Some schools send physical letters, others email with instructions to log into the student's portal at that specific college. Your daughter should check her college portals and email regularly. FAFSA just processes your financial information and determines your SAI score, which they share with the schools you listed on the application. Then each school uses that information to create their own financial aid package based on their available funding and scholarship criteria.

my kid got his stuff in feb last yr, but his friend didnt get hers until april. depends on the school i think. check ur kids school portal thing, thats where my sons showed up. like he got an email saying to log in and check it there

Each college will send your daughter a financial aid award letter, usually by both email and in their student portal. This letter will break down: -Total cost of attendance (tuition, fees, housing, etc.) -Grants and scholarships (free money that doesn't need to be repaid) -Loans they're offering (money you'll need to repay) -Work-study opportunities -Your expected family contribution based on your SAI The timing varies by school, but most send these by late March or early April for fall enrollment. If May 1st is your decision deadline and you haven't received all the award letters by mid-April, I'd recommend contacting each school's financial aid office directly. They can tell you when to expect it or may be able to provide the information over the phone. Also, once you receive the awards, you can appeal them if you need more aid. Many schools have additional institutional scholarships they can offer if the initial package isn't sufficient.

Yes, you'll need to formally accept the financial aid package, usually separate from the admission acceptance. When your daughter decides which school to attend, she'll need to: 1. Accept admission (usually with a deposit) 2. Accept the financial aid package (often through the school's financial aid portal) 3. Complete any additional requirements for specific scholarships or loans Each accepted loan will require additional steps like entrance counseling and signing a Master Promissory Note. Grants and scholarships usually just need to be accepted through the portal.

I've been going through this NIGHTMARE with my son's colleges. We submitted FAFSA in December and his SAI was processed, but two of the four schools still haven't sent award letters and it's almost April! I've called them repeatedly and keep getting the runaround about "processing delays" and "high volume of applications." HOW are families supposed to make decisions without knowing costs?? It's RIDICULOUS!! One school finally sent their package after I called them FIVE TIMES, but it was thousands less than we expected based on their "net price calculator" on their website. The whole system is designed to keep families in the dark until the last minute so you feel pressured to just accept whatever they offer!

If you're still waiting on award letters by mid-April, you might want to try calling each school's financial aid office directly. I was in your exact position last year with my son, and when I called one school, I discovered they had sent his award letter to an incorrect email address. One thing that really helped was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to FSA when we had questions about our processed application. The regular FSA phone line had me on hold forever, but Claimyr connected me with an actual person in minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ After speaking with FSA, I learned that there was a discrepancy in our tax information that was affecting how schools calculated our aid. Once we cleared that up, the award letters started coming in quickly.

i remember when my older daughter was applying to schools we got ALL her financial aid packiges at different times!! one school sent it in february, another in march, and the last one didn't come until like 10 days before the deadline which was SO STRESSFUL. and they were all different formats too which made comparing them really confusing. but georgia tech (are you in state?) usually sends theres out pretty early so you might have that one already

no she actually went with her second choice because they gave her the best merit package! the last school ended up offering mostly loans which wasn't as good. but every kid is different. you should have your daughter make a spreadsheet to compare all the different offers when they come in. thats what our college counselor recommended and it helped A LOT to see everything side by side

One more thing to add - if there have been any significant changes to your financial situation since you filed the FAFSA (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can submit an appeal for professional judgment to each school's financial aid office. This could potentially increase your aid package. Also, if one school offers a significantly better package than another, but your daughter prefers the school with the lower offer, you can sometimes use the better offer as leverage to negotiate. Many schools are willing to match or at least improve their offers if you can show them what competitors are offering. Just be sure to approach these conversations respectfully - financial aid officers want to help students attend their institutions, but they're working within budget constraints.

Your husband's job loss is absolutely grounds for a professional judgment review! Make sure to contact each school's financial aid office ASAP with documentation of the change in circumstances. This could significantly improve your aid packages. For anyone in this situation, here's what you'll typically need to provide: 1. Letter explaining the change in circumstances 2. Documentation (termination letter, final pay stub, unemployment benefits statement) 3. Estimate of current year income 4. The school's specific professional judgment form (each has their own) Don't wait until you receive the initial award letters - you can start this process now. And definitely follow up by phone if you don't hear back within a week or two of submitting the documentation.

As someone who went through this process with my twin daughters last year, I can tell you that the waiting is definitely the hardest part! Here are a few additional tips that helped us stay organized: 1. Create a simple tracking spreadsheet with columns for each school, application deadline, FAFSA submission date, award letter received date, and decision deadline. This helped us see at a glance which schools we were still waiting on. 2. Set up a dedicated email folder for college financial aid correspondence - things can get overwhelming when you're managing multiple schools. 3. Don't panic if you don't hear anything by early April. We got one daughter's award letter literally 5 days before the May 1st deadline, and it ended up being her best offer! 4. Consider reaching out to current students or parents in your area who attend the schools your daughter is considering. They can give you real-world insight into actual costs beyond what the award letters show. The job loss situation you mentioned could actually work in your favor for aid appeals. Schools are generally very understanding about unexpected financial changes, especially recent job loss. Good luck to your daughter - sounds like she's got some great options ahead of her!