Where to find my SAI number after completing FAFSA?
I just submitted my FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year and got the confirmation email, but I can't find my SAI number anywhere! I've been checking my studentaid.gov dashboard and clicking through all the tabs but nothing shows the actual number. My college is asking for it by next week for scholarship consideration. Where exactly am I supposed to see this? Is there a specific page or do they email it separately? Getting stressed because this affects like $8,000 in potential aid!
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Edwards Hugo
it takes a few days to show up after u submit. check the 'SAI Report' tab on ur dashboard. mine took like 3 days to appear there
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Dylan Fisher
•I've been refreshing that tab constantly and still nothing! Does it matter that I submitted on a Friday? Do they not process on weekends?
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Gianna Scott
Your SAI (Student Aid Index) number will appear in your Student Aid Report (SAR), not immediately after submission. Here's how to access it: 1. Log into studentaid.gov with your FSA ID 2. Go to "My Documents" 3. Look for your processed Student Aid Report (SAR) 4. The SAI number appears near the top of this document It typically takes 3-5 business days for your application to be processed and the SAR to be generated. If you need it urgently for scholarship consideration, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 to check if it's been processed but not yet showing online.
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Dylan Fisher
•Thank you! I was looking in the wrong section. I'll check "My Documents" instead of the dashboard tabs. Do you know if they'll also email me when the SAR is ready, or do I need to keep checking manually?
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Alfredo Lugo
same thing happened to me last year!! so annoying how they don't make this clearer. you'll get an email when your SAR is ready but check your spam folder because mine went there
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Sydney Torres
The entire system is deliberately confusing. They changed it from EFC to SAI and didn't update half their documentation. Then they expect students to magically know where to find everything. I had to call FIVE TIMES last year to get my son's information straightened out because the website kept giving errors. The colleges need this info but the feds make it nearly impossible to get!!
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Kaitlyn Jenkins
•I understand your frustration, but they did actually update most of the documentation. The change from EFC to SAI was part of the FAFSA Simplification Act and was communicated pretty widely. The website can definitely be glitchy though.
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Caleb Bell
when I did mine I got confused between the SAI and the Pell Grant amount lol. they're different things! make sure your looking for the right number when it does show up.
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Danielle Campbell
I just went through this exact situation last week! After trying for days to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid without success, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an agent who confirmed my SAI was actually processed but just not displaying correctly on my account. They fixed it while I was on the call. There's a video that shows how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - way better than spending hours on hold or getting disconnected repeatedly.
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Dylan Fisher
•That's really helpful! I've been trying to call but keep getting the "call volume too high" message. I'll check out that service if I don't see my SAR by Tuesday. Did they need any special information to look up your account?
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Danielle Campbell
•Just your FSA ID and the verification info they normally ask for. The agent knew exactly what the issue was when I explained my SAI wasn't showing up. Apparently it's pretty common this year with all the FAFSA changes.
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Gianna Scott
To answer your follow-up question - yes, you should receive an email notification when your Student Aid Report (SAR) is available, but as others mentioned, sometimes these end up in spam folders. The 3-5 day processing time is business days, so submitting on Friday means your SAR likely won't be ready until Wednesday or Thursday of next week. For your scholarship deadline, I'd recommend contacting your college's financial aid office directly. In many cases, they can access your FAFSA information in their system before you can see your own SAR. They might be able to provide the SAI number to you directly or grant an extension given the processing time.
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Dylan Fisher
•Thank you so much! I just emailed my financial aid office to see if they can access it already. Fingers crossed they can help or give me an extension on the scholarship deadline.
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Rhett Bowman
when I was trying to find my son's sai I kept looking at his fafsa confirmation page but that doesnt have it. the actual student aid report is a separate PDF you have to download. took me forever to figure that out!
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Dylan Fisher
UPDATE: My SAI finally showed up this morning! For anyone else looking, it was exactly where @helpful_guidance said - in the Student Aid Report under "My Documents" on studentaid.gov. The number was right on the first page. My college financial aid office was also able to see it yesterday, so I got my scholarship application in on time. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Gianna Scott
•Great news! Glad it worked out for your scholarship deadline. For future reference, this is the typical timeline - submit FAFSA, wait 3-5 business days, then check the SAR in My Documents. Good luck with your financial aid package!
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Alfredo Lugo
•congrats!! now the fun part of waiting to see your financial aid package lol
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StarSurfer
That's awesome that you got it sorted out! I'm still waiting for my SAR to show up - submitted mine on Monday so hopefully it'll be ready by tomorrow. Quick question for anyone who's been through this - once you have your SAI, how long does it typically take for schools to update your financial aid packages? My state school said they need it to finalize my aid offer but didn't give me a timeline.
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