How are the FAFSA, SAR, and EFC related? The FAFSA is what you fill out to apply for financial aid. The SAR is a record of what you submitted in your FAFSA. The EFC is how much a college expects you and your family to contribute to your cost of college. O The SAR is a record of what you submitted in your EFC form. The final step is to fill out your FAFSA to apply for financial aid. You first fill out the FAFSA for financial aid and get your EFC immediately after submitting. A few weeks later, you get your SAR to see what financial aid a college is offering you. You fill out the SAR first to let the Federal government know you intend to submit the FAFSA. After filing the FAFSA, you receive your EFC form in the mail.