Welcome to the community @Zainab Omar! I'm also new here but this thread has been absolutely incredible for dealing with this FAFSA mess. UVA is such an amazing school - definitely worth fighting for! Your step-by-step plan sounds perfect based on all the success stories shared here. The SSN search approach could be a quick fix if it's just a filing error on UVA's end, and honestly, after reading so many positive experiences with Claimyr, the small fee seems totally worth it to avoid those endless FSA hold times. What's been most reassuring to me is learning that this really isn't our fault - it's a legitimate system-wide problem affecting thousands of families. @AstroAdventurer's perspective as someone who successfully navigated this last year was especially comforting about schools being flexible with deadlines. I'm dealing with a similar situation (one missing school out of several) and am planning the exact same approach you outlined. It's incredible how this community has provided more practical help than the official support channels! Please keep us posted on how it goes with UVA - your experience will definitely help other families who find this thread. We're all rooting for you! 🤞

I'm new to this community and currently dealing with this exact same FAFSA nightmare! My son submitted his application in early March and 4 out of 5 schools received it without any issues, but his top choice school (Carnegie Mellon) shows absolutely no record of receiving it. We've been panicking for weeks thinking we somehow messed up the submission process. Reading through this entire thread has been such an incredible relief - I had no idea this was affecting so many families with the new FAFSA system! The fact that @Nalani Liu mentioned 15% of students are experiencing this really helps put things in perspective. It's clearly not our fault but rather a widespread technical issue. Based on everyone's amazing advice and success stories, I'm planning to: 1. Call Carnegie Mellon first thing Monday and ask them to search by SSN instead of name (such a smart tip!) 2. Try the Claimyr service if that doesn't work - the consistently positive reviews from @Natasha Orlova, @Sebastian Scott, @AstroAdventurer and others are really convincing 3. Keep the detailed delete/re-add method as my last resort following @CosmicCowboy's documentation steps Most importantly, knowing that schools are being understanding about priority deadlines due to these technical problems is such a huge weight off my shoulders. This community has provided more practical solutions and emotional support than countless frustrating hours on hold with FSA! Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive environment. I'll definitely report back on what works for us - hopefully we can add another success story to help future families! 🙏

Update: We went ahead and selected "None of the above" for the orphan/ward question and made sure to indicate that her mother is deceased and father's whereabouts unknown on the other questions. We also added details in the comments section as suggested. I'm so grateful for everyone's help! This has been an emotional process for her on top of the usual FAFSA stress. She's determined to get through college despite everything that's happened. Thank you all for the guidance - it really means a lot to both of us.

I'm so glad to see this worked out for you and your niece! As someone who's helped several students navigate similar situations, I wanted to add one more tip: keep copies of everything you submit and any correspondence with the financial aid office. Sometimes schools will ask for the same documentation multiple times, and having everything organized will save you both time and stress. Also, remind your niece that she may be eligible for additional state aid programs for students in her situation. Many states have special grants or scholarships for students who have experienced parental loss or are aging out of care systems. It's worth checking with her state's higher education agency. Your niece is lucky to have such a caring advocate helping her through this process. Education can be incredibly healing and empowering after experiencing such losses. Best of luck to both of you!

I'm dealing with this exact same error right now and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! My daughter has been stuck on the signature page for 3 days with the same "Unable To Complete This Action" message, and I was starting to panic about missing her school's priority deadline. After reading through everyone's detailed experiences and solutions, I feel like I finally have a comprehensive roadmap to follow. I'm going to start tonight with the systematic approach that @Drake outlined - clearing cache completely, waiting the full 30 minutes, then using the direct studentaid.gov link. If that doesn't work, I'll move through @Amara Chukwu's sequence of updating FSA ID security questions and waiting 48-72 hours like @Mary Bates suggested. The technical tips about disabling ALL browser extensions, logging out of every other account, and trying during the 11pm-6am window that @Natalie Adams mentioned all make perfect sense. I never would have thought about session conflicts or authentication timeouts causing these issues. What gives me the most hope is seeing how many families have eventually succeeded with patience and the right approach. @Ayla Kumar's success story after 8 days and @Mary Bates getting through after 9 days shows this nightmare CAN be solved. I'm also calling our school's financial aid office first thing Monday morning to document these technical difficulties and see if they have direct FSA escalation contacts like several people mentioned. Thank you to everyone who's shared their solutions and experiences - this thread is honestly keeping me sane through what should be a straightforward process but has turned into a technical disaster. Will definitely report back on what works for us!

I'm a parent currently going through this exact same frustrating situation! My daughter has been stuck on this error for the past 4 days and I was starting to feel completely helpless until I found this thread. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences and solutions has been incredibly reassuring - knowing we're not alone in this nightmare and that there are actually proven approaches that work. I'm planning to follow the systematic troubleshooting sequence that so many people have had success with: starting with @Drake's method (clearing cache, 30-minute wait, direct studentaid.gov link), then moving to @Amara Chukwu's approach if needed (FSA ID security update, 48-72 hour waiting period, different device/network). The technical tips about disabling browser extensions and logging out of all accounts from @Felicity Bud and @Amina Sy are things I never would have considered but make total sense. What gives me the most hope are the success stories from @Ayla Kumar, @Mary Bates, and others who eventually broke through after following these patient, systematic approaches. It's clear that the waiting periods are crucial for letting the system reset after multiple failed attempts. I'm also calling our school's financial aid office first thing Monday morning to document these technical issues and see if they have direct FSA escalation channels like several people mentioned. This "simplified" FAFSA rollout has been an absolute disaster, but this community support is honestly the only thing keeping me sane right now. Thank you to everyone who's shared their solutions - this thread is becoming a lifeline for so many families! I'll definitely report back on what works for us.

Has she used up all her SAP appeals? My cousin was in a similar boat and he was able to file a satisfactory academic progress appeal instead of taking a LOA and they let him stay without paying the extra immediately

This is such a frustrating situation, and I'm sorry you're dealing with this! I went through something similar with my nephew last year. One thing that really helped us was escalating beyond the financial aid office - we contacted the Dean of Students office and they were able to put pressure on financial aid to actually respond and resolve the verification error. Also, make sure to check if your daughter's school has an ombudsman or student advocate office. They often have more power to cut through red tape when administrative errors cause financial hardship. Document EVERYTHING with dates and times - every email, every phone call, every document you submitted. This paper trail was crucial when we had to appeal. Don't let them push you around just because they made the mistake!

Hate to say it but u might need to look at other schools... had the exact same thing with my son last year. SAI of 29k, school cost 62k, they offered like 4k in grants. He ended up at our state flagship university instead which was way more affordable even with less aid. Sometimes the prestigious private schools just aren't worth the debt unless they have really good aid guarantees.

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My SAI is $41k and tuition at my daughter's top choice is $58k, but they only offered $3k in merit aid. I called their financial aid office yesterday and they basically told me that's just how it works - the SAI doesn't guarantee anything. It's so frustrating because we saved for years thinking we'd get help with the difference. Now we're scrambling to figure out if we should take on massive loans or look at more affordable options. The whole system feels designed to trap middle-class families.