UPDATE: I called my daughter's school this morning and they were super helpful! They said they're seeing this issue with about 30% of applications and have a process to flag it with the Department of Education. They also assured me they won't penalize students for FAFSA processing delays as long as the initial submission was before their priority deadline. Such a relief! For anyone having the same problem, definitely call your school's financial aid office first.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now - my daughter submitted her FAFSA two weeks ago without my contributor signature and it's been stuck "In Review" ever since. Reading everyone's experiences here has been really helpful, especially knowing that most schools are being understanding about these delays. I'm going to call her financial aid office tomorrow morning with all the info ready (confirmation number, submission date, etc.) like Haley suggested. It's frustrating that the new system allows incomplete submissions, but at least there seems to be a path forward. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - makes me feel less alone in this mess!

I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in here because we're experiencing the exact same frustrating situation! My daughter submitted her FAFSA on January 6th and it's still showing "In Review" - I was getting really anxious about whether we had made some kind of error. This thread has been incredibly reassuring! I had no idea that 4-6 weeks was the new normal, and I definitely didn't know about checking the student account versus the parent portal. That seems like such a basic thing they should have explained better in the new system. We're going to have her log in tonight to verify her school selections, and I'm planning to reach out to her university's financial aid office tomorrow just to give them a heads up that we've submitted but are still waiting on processing. It's comforting to know so many schools are being flexible with deadlines given these widespread delays. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and practical advice - it's so helpful to have this community support during what feels like a really chaotic rollout of the new FAFSA system!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share that we're going through the exact same thing! My son's FAFSA has been stuck "In Review" since January 10th and I was getting really worried about merit scholarship deadlines at his school. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I had no idea that 4-6 week processing times were the new normal with this system overhaul. The Department of Education really should have communicated these delays more clearly upfront! The tip about checking the student account instead of the parent portal to verify school selections was incredibly helpful. We checked last night and thankfully his university was properly listed. I also called their financial aid office today and they confirmed they're being flexible with FAFSA deadlines due to the widespread processing delays. It's frustrating that we're all dealing with this, but I'm so grateful for this community and everyone sharing their experiences. At least we know we're not alone in this mess!

Just went through this exact same frustrating experience! After reading through all these helpful responses, I wanted to share what finally worked for me. Like many others here, I couldn't find any print option after submitting my FAFSA earlier this week. I tried the Firefox browser switch and disabled my ad blocker (uBlock Origin), but the real game-changer was waiting the full 72 hours for processing like @Nasira Ibanez mentioned. Once that time passed, the "View Student Aid Report" option magically appeared on my dashboard, and the print icon was right there in the top right corner. One thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you're clicking on the correct application year (2025-2026) if you have multiple FAFSAs in your account. I initially was looking at my old 2024-2025 application by mistake and couldn't figure out why nothing was working! For anyone still waiting, definitely call your school's financial aid office like @NeonNova suggested. Mine confirmed they'll accept the confirmation number temporarily while the technical issues get sorted out. The new FAFSA system is definitely a pain, but this community has been incredibly helpful in figuring out the workarounds. Hang in there everyone! 💪

I'm going through this exact same issue right now! Just submitted my FAFSA two days ago and have been frantically searching for a print option. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea about the 72-hour processing time or that different browsers could cause issues. I'm currently using Chrome with several extensions including AdBlock Plus, so I'm definitely going to try the Firefox approach that so many people mentioned. It's incredible how something as simple as printing has become this complicated with the new system! @Javier Mendoza thank you for explaining the difference between the confirmation page and the SAR - that cleared up so much confusion for me. And @NeonNova, your insight about schools being flexible with deadlines due to technical issues is such a relief. I was stressed about missing my school's deadline but knowing the confirmation number might be sufficient while waiting gives me peace of mind. Going to try the browser switch today and then wait patiently for the full 72 hours. Will definitely update if I discover any other helpful tips! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is amazing! 🙏

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My daughter and I submitted our FAFSA two weeks ago and it's been stuck "In Review" ever since. I've been checking the portal obsessively every day hoping for an update. Reading through these responses is both helpful and terrifying - the idea that it could take 6-10 weeks is making me panic about missing deadlines too. Has anyone found that calling FSA multiple times gets you different answers? I'm wondering if some agents are more helpful than others, or if they're all just giving the same standard "wait and see" response. Also, for those who eventually got through processing - did you get an email notification when your status changed, or did you have to keep checking the portal manually?

I'm a newcomer here dealing with the same exact situation! My son just signed his portion last week and we're also stuck at "In Review" status. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and nerve-wracking - it's good to know we're not alone, but those 6-10 week timelines are scary with deadlines approaching. I really appreciate all the practical advice everyone has shared. I'm definitely going to: 1. Contact each of his schools with our confirmation email 2. Double-check that both our email addresses are verified in the portal 3. Mark my calendar to follow up with FSA if we hit the 4-week mark One question for those who've been through this - when you contacted the schools directly, did you call or email? And did they ask for any specific documentation beyond the confirmation email? I want to make sure I approach them the right way since this is all new territory for our family. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - this community has been incredibly helpful for a stressed parent trying to navigate this process!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! As someone who's also considering a career change into nursing after accumulating significant student debt from a previous program, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed and practical advice. A few additional thoughts that might help Taylor and others in similar situations: **Federal Student Aid Ombudsman** - If you run into roadblocks with your federal aid eligibility, the FSA Ombudsman can help resolve disputes and provide guidance on complex situations. They're particularly helpful when dealing with SAP appeals or unusual circumstances. **Nursing Prerequisites Online** - Many accredited institutions now offer nursing prerequisites online at much lower costs. This could be a way to start rebuilding your academic record while working full-time and figuring out the financial aid situation. **Healthcare Worker Shortage Relief Programs** - With the ongoing healthcare worker shortage, there are new federal and state programs being created regularly. I'd recommend checking the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) website quarterly for new opportunities. **Tax Benefits** - Don't forget about education tax credits like the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit, which can provide some financial relief even if you're paying for courses out of pocket initially. The most encouraging thing I'm seeing in this discussion is how many people have successfully navigated this exact situation. It's clearly challenging but definitely not impossible. The combination of high demand for nurses, numerous funding opportunities specific to healthcare education, and the flexibility that many programs show for career changers really does create a path forward. Best of luck to everyone on this journey - the healthcare field is lucky to have such determined and thoughtful people joining it!

As a newcomer who's been lurking and reading through this amazing discussion, I wanted to jump in and share something that might be helpful. I'm actually in the middle of this process right now - dropped out of my marketing degree program 2 years ago with about $55k in debt and just got accepted into a community college ADN program starting this fall! One thing that really helped me was creating what I called a "debt-to-degree roadmap." I listed out all my existing loans, researched the exact aggregate limits for my situation, and mapped out the most cost-effective path to becoming an RN. Here's what I discovered that might help others: **Community College ADN + RN-to-BSN Bridge Strategy**: This ended up being about $40k cheaper than going straight into a 4-year BSN program. Many employers will pay for the bridge program once you're working as an RN. **Prerequisite Planning**: I was able to take my science prerequisites at a local community college for about $400 per course versus $1,200+ at four-year institutions. This let me rebuild my GPA without breaking the bank. **Work-Study Programs**: Several hospitals in my area have partnerships with the community college where you can work as a CNA or patient care tech while in nursing school. The pay isn't amazing but it covers living expenses and gives you relevant experience. What really gave me confidence to move forward was realizing that nursing has so many post-graduation funding opportunities (loan forgiveness, employer assistance, etc.) that other fields just don't have. The initial debt feels scary, but the career prospects and debt relief options are genuinely better than most professions. To Taylor and others in similar situations - don't give up! This thread proves there are so many pathways to make this work. The hardest part is just taking that first step to research your specific situation.