Open it as the student
Sign in to StudentAid.gov, open your processed FAFSA under My Activity, and open the FAFSA Submission Summary.
A parent cannot open your Submission Summary from their own account.
Check five things
Look at these five parts of the Submission Summary, one at a time.
- The award year. Make sure it is the right year for the school year you will start.
- The Eligibility Overview. This is where your Student Aid Index shows.
- Your FAFSA form answers. Check them against your records.
- The school information. Make sure the right colleges are listed.
- The Next Steps. This tells you if anything still needs your attention.
What the Student Aid Index is
The Student Aid Index, or SAI, is a number the FAFSA figures out from your answers. Colleges use it as one piece of information when they look at your financial need.
The number can be negative. A lower SAI generally points to greater financial need.
What the Student Aid Index is not
Think of your SAI as a measuring mark, not a price tag. It is not your college bill. It is not the amount your family must pay. It is not your final aid offer.
A number you see before processing may only be an estimate. If your SAI looks wrong or is marked provisional, review your FAFSA and contact a financial aid office.
If something looks wrong
Some answers can be corrected online. Other changes must go through a college financial aid office. Look for Make a Correction in the FAFSA form answers on your Submission Summary.
If you are not sure which fix applies, ask your counselor or a financial aid office before you start over.
If a college asks for documents
This is called verification. A college wants proof for some answers on your FAFSA. Being picked does not mean you did something wrong.
Only send the documents the college asks for, and only the way the college tells you to.
The aid offer comes later
A financial aid offer comes from a college. It is different from your FAFSA confirmation, your Submission Summary, and your SAI.
Filing the FAFSA does not accept a loan. Watch your school email and portal. If you do not understand an offer, call the college's financial aid office.
Checklist
- I opened my FAFSA Submission Summary as the student.
- I checked that the award year is correct.
- I read the Eligibility Overview and I know my SAI is not a bill or an offer.
- I checked my form answers and the school information.
- I read the Next Steps.
- I know where to watch for each college's aid offer.