A Breakdown Of The Student Aid Report

Overlay text "SAR" against a yellow paper with lines to separate the letters.The SAR or Student Aid Report is a detailed document full of abbreviations and numbers. Making sense of it all can be challenging, especially for those who are seeing one for the first time.

This short breakdown aims to simplify this document so you can better understand the SAR.

EFC

EFC stands for Estimated Family Contribution and refers to the amount that your family is believed to be able to contribute towards your cost of college. It is calculated based on the financial information you provided while filling the FAFSA.

DRN

DRN is the Data Release Number. You will need to use this number if you need to provide a change of address or if you want to submit your SAR to colleges not originally included in your FAFSA.

Green earnest logo.

Jump into next semester with a no-fee, flexible private student loan

Variable rates from 4.99% - 16.85% APR with auto-debit

Learn More

Verification

Not all SARs are marked for verification. If yours is, it means before you can be offered federal aid, you need to provide additional financial documentation to verify certain discrepancies in your application.

FAFSA Changes

The last few pages of the SAR contain information you provided on the FAFSA. You must go through all of these pages thoroughly and make sure all information is accurate. If you spot any errors or if your financial situation has changes since you submitted the FAFSA, you can make the changes in the provided space. It is best to do this as early as possible.

Use College Raptor to discover personalized college matches, cost estimates, acceptance odds, and potential financial aid for schools around the US—for FREE!

 

 

Lender Rates (APR) Eligibility
Citizens logo.
5.34%-15.96%* Variable
3.99%-15.61%* Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT CITIZENS
Sallie Mae logo.
4.92% - 15.08% Variable
3.99% - 15.49% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT SALLIE MAE
Credibe company logo.
4.50% - 17.99% Variable
3.49% - 17.99% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT CREDIBLE
Lendkey company logo.
6.00% - 13.75% Variable
3.99% - 13.75% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT LENDKEY
Ascent company logo.
5.50% - 14.56% Variable
3.69% - 14.41% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT ASCENT
3.70% - 8.75% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT ISL
Earnest company logo.
4.99% - 16.85% Variable
3.47% - 16.49% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT EARNEST
5.00% - 14.22% Variable
3.69% - 14.22% Fixed
Undergraduate and Graduate
VISIT ELFI
College Raptor is not a loan lender and does not assume responsibility for suggesting a loan to a user who may not be eligible for it. Rates, terms, conditions, eligibility, approval, and other considerations are the decisions of the lenders and may vary depending on which lender or marketplace the user selects. We urge users to carefully consider and review all loan options and terms before committing to taking out a loan.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Join thousands of students and parents learning about finding the right college, admissions secrets, scholarships, financial aid, and more.