More than 6 schools - Fafsa

[zephyr]

There's an option for corrections on the FAFSA site...I think that's where we'll go once we have our taxes done. I think the important thing is getting this initial FAFSA out now w/ as accurate estimates as possible.

[alphadog24]

This sounds like a good plan. I would'nt have thought of submitting and resubmitting in that way. But what I want to know is, can you immidiately change the names of the schools and resubmit, or do you have to wait for a certain amount of time.

If you do have to wait for a certain amount of time, how long?

[zephyr]

You need to wait for it to be processed. It said it would take a few days, but mine was processed in less than 24 hours. I immediately deleted the 6 schools I had listed the first time, added 6 more, and submitted that (I am sending it to 12 total). When I have exact numbers, I will need to send in two separate corrections to each set of schools.

[vap]

At one point I was told that simply listing a school on your FAFSA application does not mean the school will automatically be sent your SAR.  They have to request your SAR before you take them off your list.  I do not believe this to be true.  Can anyone confirm?

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw0708/help/schoolfaq05.htm

[Drew P. Bottom]

At one point I was told that simply listing a school on your FAFSA application does not mean the school will automatically be sent your SAR.  They have to request your SAR before you take them off your list.  I do not believe this to be true.  Can anyone confirm?

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw0708/help/schoolfaq05.htm

FAQ certainly makes it sound like they are automatically sent in the info

[jeff2486]

At one point I was told that simply listing a school on your FAFSA application does not mean the school will automatically be sent your SAR.  They have to request your SAR before you take them off your list.  I do not believe this to be true.  Can anyone confirm?

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw0708/help/schoolfaq05.htm

I hope that is not true...anyone have any evidence either way?

[vap]

At one point I was told that simply listing a school on your FAFSA application does not mean the school will automatically be sent your SAR.  They have to request your SAR before you take them off your list.  I do not believe this to be true.  Can anyone confirm?

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/fotw0708/help/schoolfaq05.htm

I hope that is not true...anyone have any evidence either way?

I contacted one of my schools to check on the status of my application.  I asked if they had received my SAR (2 weeks passed since I filed the FAFSA). Their response: "The main campus office has not begun the process of downloading FAFSA information for 2007-2008; check back in a couple of weeks."

Their response lends support to the idea that the school does not automatically recieve your SAR when you submit the FAFSA.  Anyone else have any firsthand info?

More quotes from the FAFSA website:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/faq006.htm
"Any school(s) you have listed on your FAFSA can request a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) electronically once your application has been processed."

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/faq014.htm
"If I want to apply to more than six schools, what do I do?
Submit your application with the first six schools listed. After your application is processed and you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR), go to the FAFSA on the Web home page and select "Make Corrections to a Processed Application" under the FAFSA Follow-up sections. Add up to six additional schoools on your application.
Note: You may have to remove some schools from your application to add new ones."

The "note" is very strange.

The University of Arizona seems to indicate that schools will not get your SAR if you remove the school and the schools hasn't obtained your SAR yet.

http://www.law.arizona.edu/Finaid/howtoapply.htm
"File an online correction adding The University of Arizona to numbers 86 to 96 of the FAFSA if the institution is not already listed. Please assure that the school being removed has already received your information."


EDIT:
Ok, I finally got through to a customer service rep at the Federal Student Aid processing center, and the rep told me that you don't have to worry about schools not receiving your FAFSA if you remove the first six schools. Even though you don't see them online, they are there.  Your list of schools is stored in a database, and each school then goes to the website and downloads your SAR at its leisure.

[Ersatz]

Tag.

[vap]

Another school responded to my question about whether or not they received my SAR.  Here is their response:

"Hello. You can replace information once a school has recieved your
FAFSA. I just checked and as of today we do not have your FAFSA, we pull
them in every week and will do so again tomorrow Tuesday the 23rd.
Once we have your info it will be safe to take the code off. Thanks and
have a nice day."

So, who doesn't know how FAFSA works - the Federal Student Aid customer service rep or the schools?  Has anyone else contacted their schools to check on status and had a school say something consistent with the FSA customer service rep?

[vap]

Another school responded:

"You need to leave *school name* on your list until the first part of Feb.  If you want to e-mail me then after Feb. 10th I can check and make sure *school name* has your information and then you can remove *school name*."