Did You Know Your FAFSA Results Follow You?

This question invariably comes up on every financial aid social media platform I follow: Are my FAFSA results the same at each school? At first, it seems like a nonsensical question even to ask. Your FAFSA results are relatively the same at each school you apply to. However, after some deeper reflection, the question is a good one to ask because your financial aid package often differs from one school to another. So, what stays the same and what can differ between schools when you complete a FAFSA?

If you qualify for a Pell Grant at one school, you will also qualify for it at another. Suppose your initial FAFSA results indicate you are eligible for a Pell Grant award. That Pell Grant award remains the same amount at each school you apply to, unless you change your enrollment status at the next school. Students who receive the top Pell Grant award in 2026-27, $7,395, will have that award amount at any school they attend as long as they maintain full-time enrollment. Schools cannot arbitrarily reduce your Pell Grant award. It effectively serves as a “floor” in your financial aid package.

What can differ? Well, the types of federal student loans you can use sometimes differ between schools. To determine your eligibility for a subsidized loan, a financial aid office must first calculate your total cost of attendance budget. After subtracting your Student Aid Index (SAI) figure from the total cost of attendance budget, financial aid offices calculate your unmet financial need. This figure determines your eligibility for a need-based loan (i.e., a subsidized loan). Other sources of gift aid in your financial aid package reduce your unmet need. Depending on the school’s cost of attendance budget and the gift aid in your financial aid package, you may qualify for a need-based loan at one school while not qualifying for one at another school. That’s the reality of it.

All students qualify for a non-need-based loan, known as the unsubsidized loan. This loan amount is straightforward: it is typically $2,000 each year if you qualify for the maximum subsidized loan amount. If you are ineligible for a subsidized loan or have an odd subsidized loan amount, your unsubsidized loan amount may differ as well. Chatting with a financial aid counselor about your loan amounts is a sensible strategy to pursue if you are wondering why the loan amounts seem off or strange.

The final variable to consider here is your eligibility for campus-based program funding. Students affectionately refer to these aid programs as the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study (FWS). FSEOG is dependent on a school’s awarding guidelines for this grant fund, so be sure to chat with your financial aid office about eligibility for this funding. Your FWS eligibility amount depends on the amount of your unmet financial need remaining. As your unmet need dwindles, so does your opportunity to participate in FWS. FWS also requires students to earn wages to access funding, so the amount of hours you work ultimately dictates your funding stream from this award source.

Bottom line: your Pell Grant amount and total loan amounts are usually the same at each school you attend, with a few exceptions sprinkled in. How a financial aid office determines your loan types depends on the structure of your financial aid package. FSEOG and FWS are true wild cards in the awarding process because the former requires you to qualify based on the school’s established awarding process for that fund. At the same time, the latter depends on your unmet financial need after accounting for all need-based sources in your financial aid package and your ability to earn wages through scheduled work hours.

As always, students who have questions about their financial aid package at Goldey-Beacom can chat with the Financial Aid Office by emailing [email protected] or calling 302-225-6264.