You don’t need to choose your college before completing the FAFSA. Most high school students make their final college decisions in May of their senior year, well after several financial deadlines have passed. Thankfully, the electronic FAFSA allows you to include up to 20 schools at once.
Choosing a College and Financial Aid
Trying to figure where you want to go to school may seem overwhelming. But that shouldn’t delay your application for financial aid.
The best way to get started, start thinking about what is important to you. These factors could be anything, but common factors to help you get started are location, cost, available programs and combination programs, size of school, type of school—community college, private 4-year, etc.
If you plan on applying to more than one college, and you’re accepted, that school will offer you a financial aid award. You don’t want to assume that the financial costs will be the same at every school. Because costs are different, each school’s financial aid award will be different. While there may be annual limits on how much you can receive in federal aid (such as, Pell Grant, and Direct Loans), other types of aid from the state or your school will vary. If you’re worried about paying tuition, it’s best you include all schools you are considering, so you can easily compare financial aid award which include federal student aid.
School List Order
Your school list order may matter for certain aid offered from certain states. While there are ways to avoid issues by contacting your state’s financial aid department, it may be easier to avoid any issues by double-checking to see if your school list order will affect your state’s financial aid.
For example, for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, the State of Massachusetts states that “Grant aid awards will be made for the first eligible college list on the FAFSA form; however, if your update your school choice later, please notify your state agency.”
While several states require you to list at least one eligible in-state school to be considered for state aid, they also indicate actual order on your FAFSA school list will not impact your financial aid.
Who Will See Your School List?
The college application process is quite competitive—from the student and school POV. Some students worry that their school list will “show their hand” to each admissions department and could affect their admissions decision. But this is one worry you can cross of your list. Your school list will not be shared with all your colleges. Each school on your FAFSA will get a copy of an ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record), which will not show the other listed schools. The ISIR is like what you see on your FAFSA Submission Summary – with a bit more detail including ability to see the federal tax information that was transmitted from the IRS.
School Selection for Enrolled Students
If you’re already in college, there could be several reasons why you would consider listing more than one college on your FAFSA. For example, you could be considering transferring schools next year. Or you’re about to graduate and you’re considering a graduate degree. It’s also best to add these schools to your FAFSA so you don’t miss out on any financial aid by applying late.
Learn More About Federal Student Aid
Student Parent Financial Information
