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The Student Aid Report is a document that, through the 2023-2024 school year, was used to summarize the data submitted on a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It also included the student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
As part of the FAFSA Simplification Act, the SAR is replacing the FAFSA Submission Summary, starting with the 2024-2025 school year.
The SAR and FAFSA Submission Summaries are designed for student use only, though they will help you spot errors you may have entered into your FAFSA, which could impact what aid colleges offer you.
"It also alerts the applicant if their application was selected for verification or if there were any problems with any of the government data matches — citizenship, Social Security number, etc. — that require follow-up with the college financial aid offices," says Shannon Vasconcelos, senior director of college finance at Bright Horizons College Coach.
You can find your Student Aid Index — formerly called your Expected Family Contribution — at the very top of your FAFSA Submission Summary and in the "Federal Student Aid Eligibility" section.
Information here does not indicate that you have actually received any of the aid amounts mentioned — only that you may be eligible for them. Your college will use the index to determine how much aid to offer you.
"Your Student Aid Index and Pell Grant eligibility are interesting numbers to take note of, but students should understand that the FAFSA Submission Summary is not a financial aid offer," Vasconcelos says. "The college financial aid office will review your FAFSA data, verify any necessary data, resolve any potentially conflicting information, and send you an official financial aid offer after acceptance."
You can access your FAFSA Submission Summary any time through your FAFSA.gov account.
If you provided an email on your FAFSA, you'll receive the SAR electronically. The Department of Education will send you your FAFSA Submission Summary by email and mail a hard copy once it has received, processed, and transmitted your application. This usually happens within three days to two weeks after filing.
Student Aid Reports contained personal details, like your name, address, contact information, education history, financial information, and colleges you're considering.
The new FAFSA Submission Summaries will contain similar information. You can expect to see:
This area will tell you where your FAFSA stands and whether it was selected for verification. This simply means some of the data on your FAFSA submission must be checked for accuracy.
"It's not a big deal," says Robert Kersey, executive director for financial assistance and veterans affairs at the College of Charleston. "Some schools may want to verify the student's information, or the student could have been selected at random."
If you are asked to verify information, you'll also be asked for specific documentation to support that verification. Pay attention to the due date. "Being late may cost you financial aid dollars," Kersey says.
Your summary will also include your Student Aid Index — formerly called the Expected Family Contribution. This is a measure of how much your household can contribute to your costs of college and how much assistance you will need for the upcoming school year.
This section will also detail whether you're eligible for any federal Pell Grants and, if so, how much you may be able to get. If you are eligible for these grants, take these numbers with a grain of salt.
"Numbers could change based on financial aid office review," Vasconcelos says. "A financial aid offer could also include additional institutional aid from the college, which would not have been referenced on the FAFSA Submission Summary."
The comments section offers a checklist of issues that were found on your FAFSA submission. There are also instructions for correcting these problems. (Typically, you'll make them directly via FAFSA.gov.) In some cases, you may need to contact your school's financial aid office.
When you fill out your FAFSA form, you will be able to indicate any special circumstances you might have. These can include things like being on active military duty, living in foster care, being legally emancipated, being homeless, and other extenuating situations, which could have an impact on the amount of aid you require. If you put any of these on your form, you'll see a breakdown of how your school's financial aid administrator took them into account.
Your FAFSA Submission Summary will also include a section summing up your history with federal financial aid. You'll see Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), direct loans, federal Perkins loans, grants, and total balances and pending disbursements for each of these.
This is the final section on your FAFSA Submission Summary, and it details all the information you previously submitted on your application. This includes your identifying and contact information, career plans, personal circumstances, family size, demographics, high school information, tax information, and details regarding your spouse's or parents' personal and financial information, as their income and assets can affect your Student Aid Index and personal contribution to college costs.
There will also be a breakdown of the colleges you chose to apply to, including their location, graduation rate, transfer rate, loan default rate, average costs, and median student debt upon graduation.
The most important thing you can do with your FAFSA Submission Summary is to verify the accuracy of the data you submitted on your FAFSA. Any errors could impact your eligibility for aid or how much you're able to receive.
According to the Department of Federal Student Aid, some common mistakes include mixing up parent information and student information, incorrect tax numbers, and skipping financial details.
"Make sure you didn't make any mistakes or typos," Vasconcelos says. "Adding or subtracting an extra zero can make a huge difference to financial aid eligibility."
If you find mistakes, you can make changes directly on the printed-out document and mail them in. (there are directions on page 2 for this). You can also change most of your answers online by logging into your FAFSA account, correcting the error, and then resubmitting it. Just remember that the application has already been sent to your schools, so you may want to contact them directly to make sure the changes are reflected on their end.
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How long does it take to receive my SAR? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
It typically takes 3-5 days to receive your SAR if you filed online, and longer if by mail.
What if my SAR has errors? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
If your SAR has errors, you can correct them online through your FAFSA account or by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC).
Do I need to send my SAR to colleges? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
No, you do not need to send your SAR to colleges. Instead, they receive your FAFSA data electronically using your DRN.
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