Where to find FAFSA results? Can't figure out where they send them!
Okay seriously feeling like an idiot right now. I submitted my FAFSA application like 3 weeks ago and have NO IDEA where to find my results. Do they email the SAI score to you? Or am I supposed to log into studentaid.gov and find it somewhere? I've checked my email spam folder and everything. This is my first time applying without my parents helping and I'm completely lost. My friends are already comparing their aid packages and I'm just sitting here clueless about where to even find mine! 😩
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Keisha Robinson
You're not dumb! The FAFSA process is confusing for everyone. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) isn't actually emailed to you. You need to log into your studentaid.gov account with your FSA ID. Once logged in, click on "My Aid" at the top of the page, and you should see your processed FAFSA results there, including your SAI score. Remember though, the SAI is just one part of the process. Your actual financial aid packages will come directly from the schools you listed on your FAFSA, usually through their own student portals or by email. Those typically take a few more weeks after your FAFSA is processed.
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Yara Nassar
•Thank you!! I just checked and found it. My SAI is showing but no actual awards yet. So the colleges are the ones who actually tell me what I'll get? That makes so much more sense now.
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GalaxyGuardian
lol i thought the same thing last year!! its so not obvious. u gotta go to the schools portal not the fafsa site for the actual $ they giving u. the SAI is just a number that tells schools how much they think u can afford. diff schools give diff amounts even with same SAI
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Paolo Ricci
•True but you should still check your FAFSA is fully processed on studentaid.gov first!!! Mine got stuck in verification last year and I wasn't getting ANY award letters while my friends were. Didn't know why until I finally called and found out they needed more documents. By then I almost missed some deadlines. 😬
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Amina Toure
The Department of Education has made this EVEN MORE CONFUSING this year with all the changes to the FAFSA Simplification Act. Did you know they don't even call it the EFC anymore? It's SAI now (Student Aid Index) and the calculations are completely different! And they're WEEKS behind processing applications. Some people are waiting 6+ weeks when it used to take days. I've had to call FSA like 5 times this year because they kept having "technical difficulties" with my son's application. Each time I was on hold for HOURS. The whole system is a mess right now.
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Oliver Zimmermann
•Soooo true. The hold times are insane. I finally got through to them about my verification issue using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It lets you skip the hold time and they call you back when an agent is available. Saved me literally hours of waiting. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Worth it after I got disconnected three times trying to do it myself.
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Natasha Volkova
To clarify the process completely: 1. Submit FAFSA application on studentaid.gov 2. Wait for processing (currently taking 3-6 weeks due to the new system) 3. Log into studentaid.gov to see your SAI 4. Wait for schools to receive your FAFSA data 5. Schools calculate your aid package based on your SAI and their available funds 6. Schools send award letters via their portals or email 7. Compare offers and accept/decline by each school's deadline If you're checking studentaid.gov and your FAFSA shows as processed with an SAI, you're on track. The next communication will come from your schools, not FAFSA.
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Javier Torres
•Are you sure about that timeline? My daughter's FAFSA was processed in only 10 days and we got her first award letter a week later. Not everyone is experiencing delays.
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Natasha Volkova
•Yes, I'm sure about the general process, but processing times absolutely vary. The Department of Education has officially acknowledged widespread delays this year, but some applications are still being processed quickly. Consider yourself fortunate if yours was completed in 10 days - that's definitely not the norm for the 2025-2026 cycle.
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Yara Nassar
Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who replied! I found my SAI score (higher than I expected ðŸ˜) and now I understand I need to wait for each college to tell me what aid they're actually giving me. This whole process is so unnecessarily complicated.
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Keisha Robinson
•Don't worry too much about a high SAI! Remember that many schools have their own institutional aid that isn't based solely on your FAFSA. Make sure you've also completed any school-specific financial aid forms. Some schools use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, and others have their own supplemental forms. And don't forget to apply for outside scholarships!
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Paolo Ricci
Hey so i had a sorta similar question - do we have to like tell the schools somehow that we did the FAFSA? Or do they automatically get notified? My FAFSA was submitted 5 weeks ago but none of my schools have sent me anything about financial aid yet.
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Natasha Volkova
•The schools you listed on your FAFSA should automatically receive your information once it's processed. However, if it's been 5 weeks and your FAFSA shows as processed on studentaid.gov but you haven't heard from schools, you should: 1. Verify that your FAFSA shows "Processed" not "Processing" 2. Confirm all schools were correctly listed with proper school codes 3. Contact each school's financial aid office directly to check if they received your FAFSA Some schools won't send award letters until you're admitted, so that could also explain the delay.
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GalaxyGuardian
when my brother applied he forgot to hit submit after filling everything out and thought he was done lol. double check u actually submitted it all the way!!!
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Yara Nassar
•Lol I definitely submitted it! I can see my SAI score now on the website. Just waiting for schools to send their actual aid offers. Fingers crossed they come soon!
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