Filling Out The CASFA | Denver Scholarship Foundation

Next Steps

Once the CASFA application has been submitted and the parent has provided their electronic signature, your Student Aid Index (SAI)A number calculated based on the financial information you provided on your FAFSA. Your SAI is calculated using the income, assets, and family size you reported on your FAFSA. The SAI is a number that ranges from -1500 to 999999. Lower numbers mean that you may be eligible for need-based aid. will appear on your CASFA dashboard, under the “Documents” section. You will also be able to download and view to your CASFA Student Summary, which allows you to see your answers on the CASFA and your SAI.  

Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is a number calculated based on the financial information you provided on your CAFSA. It considers factors such as income, assets, and family size. If you are a Dependent student, it uses your parent(s)’s income and assets in the calculation, even if your parent doesn’t provide you with financial support or won’t be contributing to paying for your college expenses. 

The SAI is a number that ranges from -1500 to 999999. Lower numbers mean that you are eligible for more need-based aid. When you submit your CAFSA, colleges/universities will receive your SAI and decide how much money they can offer you to attend their school. This will be different for each school. It is important to remember that your SAI does not tell you how much money you will receive – it gives colleges an idea of your financial situation so they can decide how much money they can offer you. 

After your CAFSA has been processed, you will need to log into your student portalsAn online platform where students can access various academic and administrative services related to their education, such as financial aid, class registration, and more. You can usually find your portal login instructions in your acceptance email or a follow-up email from the college. You may also find it in the acceptance package mailed to the address you provided on the application.* for each college that you have been accepted to. Sometimes colleges need more information before they can offer you financial aid. If this is the case, you will be able to tell by checking your student portal and/or college email address. If they do request more information, it is important to submit the documents they asked for as soon as possible. It will likely take the schools a couple of weeks (at least) to process information. Once they have all the information they need, they will provide you a financial aid offerA document sent by a college to a student (via email or mail to the address listed on your FAFSA/CASFA) that shows the amounts and details of the financial aid being offered to the student, which may include scholarships, grants, loans, employment, or other forms of financial assistance to pay for college expenses. You may also see this referred to as a financial aid award or financial aid package..

It may be helpful to reach out to the financial aid offices of schools you want to attend. Students who were IndependentAn Independent student on FAFSA/CASFA is somebody who does not need to report their parent(s)’s information on the application. on CAFSA and students with unique circumstances (such as if there was a significant change in income since the 2023 taxes were filed), especially, should consider calling the financial aid office after submitting their CAFSA. However, any student who completed CASFA may benefit from reaching out to their school. You can find the contact information of the financial aid offices by searching the school name and “financial aid office.” 

*Tip: You can usually find your portal login instructions in your acceptance email or a follow-up email from the college. You may also find it in the acceptance package mailed to the address you provided.