How to View Your Student Aid Report & What It Means
Your essential guide to the Student Aid Report (SAR). Learn to locate, interpret, and leverage this key financial aid document.
A Student Aid Report (SAR) summarizes the information submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It provides an overview of a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid, including grants, loans, and work-study programs. The SAR is an important step in the financial aid process, helping students understand their aid potential and verify application details. It is not a financial aid offer itself, but an estimate colleges use to determine aid packages.
Accessing Your Student Aid Report
To view your Student Aid Report, navigate to the official Federal Student Aid (FSA) website, StudentAid.gov. This secure portal serves as the central hub for federal student aid. You will need your FSA ID, which consists of a unique username and password, to log in. The FSA ID acts as your legal signature for federal student aid documents and is essential for accessing your information.
If you do not have an FSA ID, or if you have forgotten your credentials, you can create or retrieve them directly on StudentAid.gov. The process involves providing personal information like your name, date of birth, and Social Security number, along with setting up challenge questions for security. If you are a dependent student, your parent must also have their own FSA ID to sign the FAFSA and for you to access certain details. After successfully logging in, locate the “My Activity” section on your dashboard.
Within the “My Activity” section, select your processed FAFSA submission. You should then see an option to “View FAFSA Submission Summary” or “View or Print your Student Aid Report (SAR).” This allows you to access your SAR online within one to three days after your FAFSA is processed. You can then view the report directly, print it for your records, or save it as a PDF file.
Understanding Your Student Aid Report Details
The Student Aid Index (SAI) replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting with the 2024-2025 award year. The SAI is an index number financial aid professionals use to determine how much financial support you may need; it is not a dollar amount your family is expected to pay. A lower SAI, potentially as low as -$1,500, indicates a higher financial need and greater eligibility for federal aid programs.
The SAR includes an estimated eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant, a form of federal grant aid that does not need to be repaid. It also contains preliminary information about your eligibility for federal student loans. For continuing students, the SAR details the balance and repayment schedule of outstanding federal student loans, helping them track obligations.
The SAR lists the colleges and universities that received your FAFSA information. It also highlights any comments or flags that require further action or clarification from you. These comments could indicate discrepancies in your application or selection for verification, which requires providing additional documentation to the college.
Next Steps After Viewing Your SAR
After reviewing your Student Aid Report, it is important to check all information for accuracy. Any errors or discrepancies on the SAR could impact your financial aid eligibility. If you identify any mistakes, you can make corrections to your FAFSA form online. Log back into StudentAid.gov, select your processed FAFSA, and choose the option to “Make a Correction.”
The correction process requires you to navigate to the specific section that needs revision, make the necessary changes, and then re-sign and resubmit the form. If the correction involves parent information for a dependent student, a parent must also re-sign the FAFSA electronically with their FSA ID. Corrections are processed within three to five days, and a revised SAR will be generated.
The SAR is automatically sent to the colleges you listed on your FAFSA. Keep a copy of your SAR for your records and for sharing with schools if requested. Monitor your email and the financial aid portals of the schools you applied to for financial aid offers. These offers will detail the specific grants, scholarships, and loans you may receive.