What is Student Aid Report (SAR)?
The Student Aid Report (SAR) is a document that provides information about your eligibility for federal student aid, including grants, scholarships, and federal student loans. You might receive your SAR in both mail or by logging into your StudentAid.gov account. SAR is a government-type report that summarizes everything that you provided on the FAFSA. It also shows the family’s EFC on the top right-hand corner of the form. If there’s a * next to the EFC on the SAR, it means your FAFSA has been selected for Verification. About 2-3 weeks after you fill out and submit the FAFSA, you will receive your Student Aid Report (SAR). If you do not receive the SAR, call the federal processor. They will ask for the student’s Social Security number and date of birth as verification and will tell you whether your FAFSA has been processed.
Make sure you review all of the information on the SAR. The item numbers printed on the SAR will correspond directly to the question numbers on the FAFSA form. Errors must be immediately corrected or updated on this form and the form re-filed. If an amended tax return is filed later in the year, the financial aid office should be contacted.
Copies of your SAR will be sent to all the schools you listed on the FAFSA. If you need additional copies of the SAR, contact the federal processor and ask for a duplicate SAR.
The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Data Confirmation Report is similar to the SAR. It gives parents and students a chance to correct data.
Verification
After the colleges receive your SAR, they may decide to do a verification (audit) of the financial information provided by the family. The federal government requires that a minimum of 30% of the FAFSAs be selected for verification. If your financial aid application is selected for verification, there will be a * by the EFC amount on the SAR. Each college will require you to submit support documentation, such as your IRS tax returns, W-2, and 1099 forms.