Define FAFSA, EFC, and SAR

Posted by admin

FAFSA, EFC, and SAR are common terms that you should know about if you are thinking about applying for a Pell Grant. They are actually very easy to understand, and should never intimidate you.

FAFSA stands for federal application for student aid, and is the universal application for federal student aid that is made available by the Department of Education. By filling one out in an complete fashion, and by the appropriate deadlines you will be putting yourself in contention for the variety of federal aid that is out there, including most federal loans, including the Pell Grant. Don’t let people fool you, the FAFSA is the Pell Grant application that most experts refer to when they talk about applying for a Pell Grant, and when you are ready to apply you can either choose to fill out a written form of the FAFSA, or its online counterpart.

It is highly recommended that you fill out an online application in favor of a written one due to the Internet’s ability to make the entire process much more streamlined and efficient. If however you do want to fill out a written FAFSA for whatever reason, you can obtain a copy from you school’s financial aid office, by requesting one online at the government’s official FAFSA website, fafsa.ed.gov, or by calling the number 1-800-4-fed-aid. If you are ready to fill one out online, you should go to the official FAFSA website, fafsa.ed.gov, and you should be able to fill one out with no problem as long as you have the appropriate information by your side.

Once you fill out your FAFSA, an EFC value will be calculated and listed in your SAR. Your EFC, or expected family contribution is the way your financial need for the Pell Grant is calculated, and it is supposed to be a direct representation of what your family can contribute towards your college education. It should be explicitly listed in your SAR, or Student Air Report, which is generated upon completion of your FAFSA. The SAR contains other important information such as your eligibility status for the Pell Grant, and the personal information you supplied when you filled out your FAFSA. It is not a bad idea to go over your SAR within about a week after filling out your FAFSA to make sure that the information that you provided is accurate, and to see what your EFC is, along with your status in regard to your Pell Grant eligibility.

Share and Enjoy: