Student-centric advice and objective recommendations
Higher education has never been more confusing or expensive. Our goal is to help you navigate the very big decisions related to higher ed with objective information and expert advice. Each piece of content on the site is original, based on extensive research, and reviewed by multiple editors, including a subject matter expert. This ensures that all of our content is up-to-date, useful, accurate, and thorough.
Our reviews and recommendations are based on extensive research, testing, and feedback. We may receive commission from links on our website, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. You can find a complete list of our partners here.
How to Add More Schools to the 2021-2022 FAFSA
Caitlyn Cole is a college access professional with a decade of experience in non-profit program and project management for college readiness and access organizations.Adding more than 10 schools to the FAFSA is easy (and necessary for many students). So, how do you add more schools to the FAFSA?
If you are a student applying for financial aid to pay for college you are probably getting familiar with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (or FAFSA), which is the application that is required to receive aid from the United States government. This financial aid can include everything from need-based grants like the Pell Grant to federal student loans to work study.
One of the most confusing things about the FAFSA is that there are only 10 spots to list your colleges. Does this mean that you can only apply for financial aid at 10 colleges?
Absolutely not! You can apply for financial aid at any number of colleges and universities once you receive your Student Aid Report (SAR) and submit your FAFSA for your initial schools.
Jump ahead to:
- Make FAFSA Corrections
- Add schools over the phone
- Add colleges with a paper Student Aid Report (SAR)
- Tips for adding additional colleges to the FAFSA
- FAQ about adding schools to your FAFSA
Keep on reading to learn about how to add more schools to the FAFSA! If you have any specific questions about completing the FAFSA, you can check out our step-by-step FAFSA guide.
Make FAFSA Corrections
When you login to your Federal Student Aid page, you can click on ‘Make FAFSA Corrections.’ Once you do that, you can remove the current colleges listed, add additional schools, and then submit the “corrections”! We know it feels weird to remove the schools, but don’t worry–the colleges will still have the data you originally submitted!
Add schools over the phone
You can call the Federal Student Information Center and add the schools over the phone. When you call, you will need the Data Release Number (DRN) from your Student Aid Report or FAFSA confirmation page.
Add colleges with a paper SAR
There is also a paper option if you have a paper Student Aid Report (or SAR). Note that you can only change up to four colleges with this option as opposed to 10 online.
Tips for adding additional colleges to the FAFSA in 2021-2022
- Remember, you should list public in-state colleges first. Some states will award state grants to students who enroll at one of the state’s public colleges so you can miss out if you don’t do this.
- If you submit your FAFSA and then decide to apply to other colleges, you can complete the above steps to ensure that you are considered for financial aid.
- Some colleges also require other aid forms such as the CSS profile, so you will want to make sure you know which forms are required, as well as the necessary deadlines.
Key takeaways for students
- Complete and submit the FAFSA to qualify for need-based financial aid.
- List the public in-state colleges and universities that you are applying to first.
- If you are applying to more than 10 schools add them via online corrections, by phone, or through a paper SAR.
Frequently asked questions about adding schools to your FAFSA
Will adding another school to my FAFSA affect how much aid I will receive?
No – adding schools to your FAFSA won’t have any impact on your financial aid package. Additionally, the schools who receive your FAFSA will not be able to see the other schools that received it. You can send your FAFSA results to as many schools as you’d like without any impact on your financial aid.
Does it cost money to add more than 10 schools to my FAFSA?
No – the FAFSA is an entirely free resource offered by the US Department of Education. You can add as many colleges as you’d like without any charges.
Will colleges confirm when they have received my FAFSA results?
Some colleges will send confirmations of FAFSA receipt, or include it in their online application portal. However, not all colleges will notify you. If you are unsure if your college received your FAFSA results, you should reach out to the financial aid office to double-check.
