After the FAFSA
You’re done with your FAFSA! Congratulations. But wait, there’s more!
By now, seniors should have submitted their FAFSA. If you haven’t yet done so, submit now. Even if some schools publish a much later deadline, we recommend you submit as early as possible to be in line for funds that are being given out on a first come first serve basis.
For those who have submitted the FAFSA, your work is not done. If you have been checking your email you will have gotten a response from FAFSA confirming that your form was received and giving you some very important information:
1. You will get your Student Aid Report or SAR. This document contains the data you submitted. You will be able to review what you entered and make corrections if necessary.
2. The SAR also contains your Expected Family Contribution or EFC. You’ll find the number at the top of the form. The EFC is the number that the federal government believes your family is able to contribute to your education. And, this is the number colleges use when determining your need based financial aid package. If the number is not what you expected, make sure your FAFSA information is accurate and make corrections if necessary.
3. Finally, the SAR report provides you with an opportunity to add schools to the list of colleges that you want to receive your FAFSA report. For those applying to more than 10 schools, here’s your opportunity to make sure that all of your schools get your information.
If you don’t remember seeing a SAR report, review your email carefully to see if it’s there. If you did not receive a SAR and it’s been more than two weeks since you submitted, get in touch with FAFSA customer service here:
For more information on reviewing the SAR and making changes go to:
Comments