Here’s a common question this time of year: “I recently received my Student Aid Report (SAR), and after looking it over I discovered that some changes need to be made to my Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). What should I do?”
If you’re correcting an error you made, log into your FAFSA at fafsa.gov, and then click on “Make FAFSA Corrections.” Some of the most common FAFSA changes made by students are:
- Adding or deleting college codes
- Changing an e-mail or street address
- Making corrections to any field other than your Social Security Number (SSN)
You shouldn’t change any field containing financial information or marital status unless you’re sure that it was entered incorrectly on the application. Use extreme caution on the FAFSA questions that include the phrase “on the day you submitted your FAFSA.” Even though certain figures and circumstances may have changed since you completed your FAFSA, those answers were most likely true on the day you submitted the form.
If you discover that your Social Security Number is incorrect, you can change it in one of two ways:
- Make the correction by hand on a paper copy of your SAR, sign and date it and then send it to Federal Student Aid.
- Ask the financial aid office at one of the colleges listed on your SAR to change it for you.
If you’re not successful in changing your Social Security Number, you’ll need to file a new FAFSA that contains the correct SSN.
To request a copy of your paper SAR or to ask any questions about the FAFSA process, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1.800.433.3243.