After You Apply
About 4-6 weeks after submitting a paper FAFSA, or 2-4 weeks after filing on line, you will receive in the mail a Student Aid Report (SAR). It will include a summary of the information you reported on the FAFSA--please review the information. If necessary, make corrections, sign the form, and either return it to the Federal Processor as instructed on the form, or submit the form to the Office of Student Financial Aid.
The SAR may also include certain comments concerning the information you reported, such as indicators that the FAFSA information is incomplete or questionable. Please review these comments and take the recommended action to resolve the problem.
The SAR will also tell you whether you qualify for a Pell Grant (see grants). The Pell igrant is for low income students working on their first bachelor's degree. Failure to qualify for a Pell does not mean that a student has no financial aid eligibility--the financial aid office of any school to which you've applied for aid will decide whether you are eligible for other aid programs, such as Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, or Federal Work Study.
At the time you receive the SAR, the financial aid office will receive the same information in electronic format. If you've been admitted to the university as a degree-seeking student they will contact you with an offer of aid or a request for additional information needed to make an award decision.