What Is the Student Aid Report?
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After you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, you'll get your Student Aid Report.
The Student Aid Report indicates your financial aid eligibility for the relevant academic year and includes copies of your FAFSA responses. It is not a financial aid offer.
Here’s what you need to know about your Student Aid Report results and how they’ll factor into your financial aid package.
What is the Student Aid Report?
The Student Aid Report provides basic information about your financial aid eligibility. Starting with the new 2024-25 FAFSA, the Student Aid Report will include your Student Aid Index (SAI). This metric is replacing Expected family Contribution (EFC) to help determine how much college financial aid for which you’ll qualify. The 2023-24 FAFSA, which closes on June 30, 2024, still uses EFC.
In addition to your SAI or EFC, the Student Aid Report includes:
Your FAFSA inputs.
Estimated eligibility for federal student loans.
Estimated eligibility for the need-based Pell Grant.
Your four-digit data release number (DRN), which you’ll need if you want to give your college the ability to change certain information on your FAFSA.
If your FAFSA was incomplete, your Student Aid Report will include instructions on how to resolve any issues before you can receive your SAI or EFC.
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Where can you get the Student Aid Report?
As long as you have a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, you can view your Student Aid Report as soon as your FAFSA has been processed. Just log into your FSA account on fafsa.gov. Starting with the new 2024-25 FAFSA, everyone who fills out the form will need a unique FSA ID — parents, guardians or spouses included.
It can take up to two weeks to get your report after submitting your FAFSA. Check the status of your FAFSA by logging into your FSA account, and navigating to the “My FAFSA” page. If you submit the FAFSA by paper instead of online, expect it to be processed 7-10 days after the date you mail it in.
What should you do with your Student Aid Report?
Review the report carefully to make sure all the information you provided is correct. That information determines your SAI or EFC and your eligibility for federal and institutional aid, so it’s crucial that it’s accurate and up to date.
If you find a mistake, like an error in your address, go to your FSA account to update that information. If the Social Security number or any tax information imported from the IRS on your FAFSA is incorrect, though, you might have to submit a new application on paper. In that case, contact your school’s financial aid office to find out what your next step should be.
If your current financial situation is different than what’s reported in your FAFSA — for example, if your parents’ income this year will be substantially less than the information on the tax returns you provided — talk with the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend.
Only after you have exhausted all federal and free student aid — such as grants, scholarships and subsidized loans — should you turn to private student loans.
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