Student Aid Report (SAR)/SAR Acknowledgement

The SAR 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 SAR can be used by the school and allows for updates and/or corrections to the original data provided by the student and family. The SAR Acknowledgement provides a summary of the processing result 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 SAR. Corrections to an application entered electronically must be made by the student via Corrections on the Web or by the school via FAA Access to the CPS.

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. 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.

New in 2008-09

The SAR has been redesigned to improve readability, increase usability and to maintain a consistent brand identity for all Federal Student Aid products. The order of the data elements is the same as the order on the 2008-09 paper FAFSA.

• The SAR will be printed on orange paper;
• The body of the SAR has been reduced to two sections to enable students to determine the status of their FAFSA, their eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant and the next steps in the application process;
• Checkboxes have been added next to important items to identify critical areas that need attention;
• Students who submit a Spanish FAFSA or a correction in Spanish will receive all communication in Spanish;
• The Data Release Number (DRN) is spelled out and moved to just above the EFC number;
• An applicant can provide up to four colleges on the paper FAFSA. The number of college choices that can be entered via FAFSA on the Web was increased to ten. Only the first four colleges listed on the applicant's FAFSA (paper or electronic) print on the SAR or SAR Acknowledgement, however, the information is sent to all college choices entered via FAFSA on the Web. Applicants can change previously identified school codes on their paper SAR and mail to the Department or phone the Department's toll-free customer service center to have the codes changed or added. Applicants who submitted their FAFSA electronically, can make changes to the college choices by submitting a Correction Application at FAFSA on the Web.

Viewing SAR Information Online

Once the FAFSA is processed, the applicant will receive an e-mail Notification of SAR Processing with instructions on how to access an electronic SAR (e-SAR). Students with PINs can go to the FAFSA on the Web site and click on "Student Access" to view SAR information. "Student Access" is available regardless of whether the student applied electronically or provided an e-mail address.

A link to "Student Access" is sent instead of a SAR when a student supplies a valid e-mail address on the FAFSA. Unlike the link to the PIN, which is accessible only once, the link to the e-SAR remains active for repeated access. 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.

Printable version