Lesson 1.5 · 3 minYour FAFSA Submission Summary, explainedYour FAFSA Submission Summary, explained
This lesson shows you how to read the FAFSA Submission Summary that follows your filing, one part at a time. The summary is your chance to check the record colleges will use and to catch anything that needs fixing before an aid office acts on it.
When the summary arrives
After every section is signed, the Department of Education processes the form, usually within a few days. You receive an email when that is done, and the summary appears on your studentaid.gov dashboard. Each college you listed gets the same results electronically at about the same time.
Download a copy and keep it with your other college papers. Aid offices may refer to items on it, and having your own copy makes those conversations shorter.
The Student Aid Index
Near the top you will see your Student Aid Index, or SAI. It is a number produced by a formula set in federal law, using the income, assets and family details on the form. Colleges use it to measure financial need, and it can fall below zero for students whose families have the fewest resources.
Think of the SAI as an index rather than a bill, because it is not the amount your family will be asked to pay. A college sets it beside its cost of attendance and its own aid rules to build your offer, so one SAI can lead to quite different offers at different colleges. The next course in this series explains how to read those offers.
Reading your answers back
Most of the summary repeats what you and your contributors entered. Read it slowly, checking names, dates of birth, marital status, household size, the colleges on your list and the income lines pulled from the IRS. A wrong answer here can change the SAI or send your results to the wrong place.
The summary may also show an estimate of whether a Federal Pell Grant could be part of your aid. Treat it as a preview. The college you attend makes the final decision on Pell, based on your enrollment and its cost of attendance.
Comments and flags
Look for a section of comments or next steps. It can tell you that a signature or consent is missing, that something disagreed with federal records, or that your form was selected for verification. Each comment says what to do, and some need action before any college can finish your aid.
If the summary looks right and carries no flags, your FAFSA is finished for this award year. Watch each college's student portal and email over the next few weeks, because that is where requests for more documents appear.
Try this week
- Download your FAFSA Submission Summary
- Check every name, date and college on it
- Note your Student Aid Index
- Read each comment and write down any action it asks for
Takeaway. The Student Aid Index is a measure colleges use to gauge need, and it is not a price your family has been told to pay.