Student Aid Report (SAR)

Student Aid Report (SAR)

After filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the processor will analyze the application information using a federal formula to calculate an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The results of the application is sent to the schools listed on the FAFSA and to the student. The student will receive an e-Mail Notification of Student Aid Report (SAR) Processing, a SAR Acknowledgement, or a paper SAR, depending on the type of FAFSA filed and whether the applicant's e-mail address was provided on the FAFSA. A student could receive one of the three types of output documents:

• An e-Mail Notification of SAR Processing (for applicant's who provide and e-mail address) is sent to within 3-5 days and notifies the student of the application and eligibility status (EFC) more quickly than the paper SAR or the SAR Acknowledgement. The e-mail Notification of SAR Processing provides instructions on how to access an electronic SAR (e-SAR) with a link to the "Make FAFSA Corrections" button for correcting applicant data, if necessary. The student can print a copy of the e-SAR for reference. An applicant should wait at least 24 hours after submitting a FAFSA electronically before checking the status online.
• The SAR Acknowledgement, sent within two to three weeks of processing, provides a summary of the processing results of applications entered electronically by the school or input via FAFSA on the Web and no e-mail address was provided. The SAR Acknowledgement is also an eligibility document and provides the EFC number but it cannot be used to make corrections like the paper SAR. Corrections to an application entered electronically must be made by the student via FAFSA on the Web or by the school via FAA Access to the CPS.
• A paper Student Aid Report (SAR) is designed to notify the student of application and eligibility status and provides a paper-based means of correcting or confirming application data. A paper SAR is sent within two to three weeks of processing.

Refer to Appendix D of the 2010-11 ISIR Guide for more detailed information about each of the output documents.

Each type of the output document summarizes the data that was provided on the FAFSA. The primary purpose of the SAR is to report the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). A formula, called Federal Methodology, is used to determine the EFC. The student does not need to take or send the SAR or SAR Acknowledgement to a postsecondary school that already received the student’s EFC and FAFSA information electronically via the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The postsecondary school must receive the student’s information in order for the student to receive federal financial aid at that school.

Unless the student’s FAFSA has been rejected, the EFC is printed in the upper right corner of the front page of the SAR/SAR Acknowledgement/e-Mail Notification. In addition, there is a section for the financial aid administrator’s use and a section of summary data from the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS). If the student has not had any previous federal student aid, this section will be blank.

Viewing SAR Information Online

Students with PINs can go to the FAFSA on the Web site and click on "Student Access" to view e-SAR information. "Student Access" is available regardless of whether the student applied electronically or provided an e-mail address. The e-SAR shows the same information the paper SAR does. The student will be able to print a copy of the e-SAR for reference.

New in 2010-11

The SAR output documents were updated to address the legislative and annual enhancements that were made to the 2010-11 paper and electronic FAFSA.

• The SAR will be printed on blue paper;
• Tax line item numbers updated;
• The P.O. Box number in the mailing address on the paper SAR for the 2010-11 processing year changed to 7002;
• The FAFSA web address changed from www.fafsa.ed.gov/ to http://www.fafsa.gov/;
• The SSN embedded in the bar code on the paper SAR is replaced with a cross-cycle identifier to enhance the security of the applicant's personal data;  
• Wording was enhanced for several SAR and Web Corrections questions that shouldn't be revised after the data of the application was completed; and
• The Information You May Need section was deleted because it included codes for veteran's education benefits questions that were deleted.

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