Will my son's FAFSA automatically transfer to new college added on Common App?

congrats on the acceptance! but no, fasfa doesnt automatically go to new schools. you have to add the school to his fasfa list manually

The previous comment is correct - FAFSA doesn't automatically transfer when you add schools on Common App. These systems aren't connected. You need to update your son's FAFSA by adding the new school's code to his list of colleges. This doesn't require redoing the entire application. Log into studentaid.gov with your son's FSA ID, select the current FAFSA, choose "Make FAFSA Corrections," and navigate to the school selection section. Add the new school's code, save and submit. The school should receive the information within 3-5 business days.

No, adding a new school won't change his SAI (Student Aid Index) or affect existing offers from other schools. The SAI is calculated based on the financial information you provided, not the schools selected. Each institution will use that same SAI to determine their specific aid package according to their own funding formulas.

Make sure you do this ASAP!!! My daughter added a school in February last year and they told her all their institutional money was GONE already!!! The federal aid was still available (Pell Grant, loans) but the good school grants were used up. Call the financial aid office at the new school immediately and tell them your situation!!

Just remember you can only have 10 schools on your FAFSA at one time. If your son already has 10 schools listed and needs to add this new one, you'll need to remove one first. My son had this problem and we had to delete a school he'd decided against to add his final choice.

@profile8 - Yes, the 10-school limit on FAFSA is real. If you want those other 4 schools to receive your FAFSA data, you'll need to make FAFSA corrections to add them (potentially removing some of the original schools if they're no longer top choices). You can make these changes throughout the aid cycle as needed.

I had the EXACT same problem when calling the Federal Student Aid helpline about adding schools. Kept getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They have this system that calls and waits on hold for you, then calls your phone when an agent is ready. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed everything others said here - adding schools doesn't affect your SAI or other school offers.

Dont forget to check if the new school has additional requirements beyond FAFSA!!!! Many private colleges also need the CSS Profile and that has completely different deadlines. Some schools also have their own financial aid forms on their websites. You should email the financial aid office directly to see if you've missed anything.

this is why the whole system is so frustrating!! why cant everything just be connected automatically??? common app should just tell fafsa when you add schools. so dumb.

I was in your shoes last year! Added the school on FAFSA in February and everything worked out fine. One tip: after making the correction, wait 3 days then call the financial aid office at the new school to confirm they received it. Don't just assume the system worked. Better to be proactive!