I'm also dealing with the exact same delays and this thread has been so incredibly helpful! I submitted my FAFSA in early January and haven't heard anything from any of my 6 schools. Like so many others here, I've been obsessively checking portals and starting to panic that something went wrong with my application. What's been really stressing me out is that I'm a first-generation college student, so my family doesn't understand the financial aid process at all. They keep asking me why I don't know how much college will cost yet, and I've been struggling to explain these delays without them thinking I messed something up. Reading everyone's experiences here has given me the language to better explain that this is a nationwide systemic issue with the new FAFSA, not something I did wrong. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and check social media for updates. It's such a relief to know that even people who submitted in December are still waiting - somehow that makes my January timeline feel less concerning. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences and practical tips. This community has been more informative than any official communication I've received! Hoping we all start seeing some movement soon. The waiting is definitely hard when you're trying to make such a huge life decision, but at least we're all navigating this together.

I'm also in the same boat and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I submitted my FAFSA in mid-December thinking I was getting ahead of the game, but here I am nearly 4 months later with nothing from any of my 8 schools. My SAI appeared on studentaid.gov about 5 weeks ago, but like everyone else, it seems like the schools are completely stuck. What's been particularly challenging is that I'm a community college transfer student applying for fall 2025, and I wasn't sure if transfer students had different timelines or requirements that might be causing additional delays. Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - knowing that even December submissions are still pending makes me feel so much better about the situation. I tried calling two of my schools last week and finally got through to one after using the 8am strategy mentioned by @Aidan Percy. The counselor confirmed they're about 6-8 weeks behind schedule and said transfer students might see awards slightly later than first-year students due to credit evaluation requirements, but emphasized that the FAFSA delays are affecting everyone equally. One thing I've started doing is keeping a log of which schools have posted updates on their websites or social media about the delays. So far, 5 out of my 8 schools have acknowledged the processing issues publicly, which helps when explaining the situation to family. Thanks to everyone for sharing your timelines and strategies - this community has provided more useful information than any official source! Hoping we all start seeing movement in April like the counselors are predicting.

As someone who just went through the TAP application process for the first time this year, this entire thread has been incredibly educational! I had no idea there was such a detailed correction process available through the HESC website. I submitted my TAP application a few weeks ago and now I'm second-guessing whether I got everything right. Reading about everyone's experiences with school codes and enrollment status mistakes is making me want to double-check my own application. Quick question for anyone who's been through this - when you log into your HESC account to view your current application, is it pretty obvious if you've made mistakes like wrong school codes? Or do you need to cross-reference with other documents to verify everything is correct? Also, I keep seeing mentions of Federal School Codes - is this the same as the FAFSA school code? I want to make sure I understand the terminology correctly before I start second-guessing my application unnecessarily. Thanks to everyone who's shared such detailed advice here - this community is amazing for navigating these confusing financial aid processes!

Hey Liam! I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago - wrong school code AND enrollment status on my TAP application. I was absolutely panicking about deadlines too, but it turned out to be way less stressful than I thought! Definitely don't submit a new application - that creates duplicate records in their system and can cause major processing delays. The online correction method everyone's describing here is absolutely the way to go. I followed similar steps to what others have outlined: logged into my HESC account on my laptop (mobile site is terrible), found "View Current Application," then scrolled way down to find that tiny "Request Correction" link. The whole correction process took maybe 10 minutes, and my changes were processed within a week. The key thing is having your correct Federal School Code ready before you start. I actually called my new school's financial aid office to confirm the code before making the correction, which gave me extra peace of mind that I was putting in the right information. One thing I wish someone had told me - after you submit the correction, it might take 24-48 hours before you see the changes reflected in your account view, even though the correction gets processed right away. Don't panic if you check the next day and still see the old info! You're definitely not cutting it close on timing - March submissions for Fall 2025 are actually pretty early. You'll get this sorted out with plenty of time to spare. Good luck!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful for finding this incredibly detailed discussion! I'm currently helping my younger brother who's facing almost the exact same situation - he's 19, lives with our mom who receives SSI benefits and doesn't file taxes, but our older sister claimed him as a dependent on her taxes last year. I was completely stressed about whether we needed our sister's financial information for his FAFSA or if mom's non-filing status would be enough. Reading through everyone's responses has been such a relief - the key insight that FAFSA dependency is based on actual living situation rather than tax claiming status has cleared up all my confusion. I'm especially grateful for the comprehensive verification preparation checklist that multiple people have shared. We're already starting to gather school enrollment records with mom's address, SSI benefit documentation, and preparing for the possibility of needing a non-filing verification letter. It's both concerning and reassuring to see how common these non-traditional family situations are - concerning that so many families face these challenges, but reassuring that there are established processes and such a knowledgeable community to help navigate them. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences and practical advice - this is exactly the kind of guidance that makes all the difference for families like ours!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! I'm currently assisting my nephew who's in a nearly identical situation - he's 17, lives with his grandmother who receives Social Security benefits and doesn't file taxes, but his adult cousin claimed him as a dependent for tax purposes last year. Before discovering this thread, I was completely overwhelmed and confused about whose financial information we needed to use for his FAFSA application. The crystal-clear explanation that FAFSA dependency is determined by WHERE the student actually lives and receives support (not who claims them for tax benefits) has been absolutely game-changing for our understanding. I'm particularly grateful for all the detailed verification preparation advice shared throughout this discussion - we're already proactively gathering school enrollment records showing grandmother's address, Social Security benefit documentation, and preparing for the non-filing verification process. It's both eye-opening and reassuring to see how widespread these complex, non-traditional family situations are. Eye-opening because it highlights how inadequately the standard FAFSA materials address these common scenarios, but reassuring because there are clearly established processes and such a knowledgeable, supportive community to help navigate them. Thank you everyone for sharing your real-world experiences, practical solutions, and creating such an invaluable resource for families dealing with these challenging situations that don't fit the typical nuclear family mold!

This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm currently battling the same "unknown error occurred" message and was about to give up completely. Reading through everyone's detailed solutions and success stories gives me so much hope that there's actually a way through this nightmare. I love how this has turned into like the ultimate community troubleshooting guide for this error. The combination approach that keeps coming up (Microsoft Edge + incognito mode + early morning hours + disabled extensions + checking for duplicate parent FSA IDs) seems to be the magic formula. I'm definitely going to try this tomorrow around 5am. One thing I'm curious about - for those who successfully got through using the early morning timing, did you notice if certain days of the week worked better than others? I'm wondering if weekends might have even less server traffic than weekday early mornings. Also planning to document everything with screenshots and check with my parents about potential duplicate accounts (they helped my older sister a few years back). It's honestly ridiculous that we need to become tech support experts just to apply for financial aid, but this community support has been incredible. Thanks to everyone who shared their solutions - you're literally saving students' college dreams! Will report back with my results.

This thread has been absolutely incredible to follow! I'm currently stuck with this exact same "unknown error occurred" message and honestly thought I was losing my mind trying to figure out what was wrong. It's both frustrating and comforting to see so many other students dealing with this - clearly the FAFSA system has some serious issues this year. Based on all the amazing troubleshooting advice shared here, I'm planning to try the comprehensive approach that seems to work for most people: Microsoft Edge in incognito mode at around 5-6am, with all browser extensions disabled, VPN disconnected, and I'll definitely check with my parents about potential duplicate FSA IDs (they helped my older brother with his FAFSA about 3 years ago, so this could totally be the issue). What I find most valuable about this discussion is how everyone's sharing not just what worked, but also the technical details like waiting 10-15 minutes after clearing cache, session management issues, and even making sure the actual student does all the clicking. These insights are way more helpful than any official support I've been able to find. I'm also going to start documenting everything with screenshots just in case I need to prove to my school that I've been trying to submit before the deadline. It's honestly ridiculous that applying for financial aid requires becoming a tech troubleshooting expert, but I'm so grateful for this community support. Will definitely report back after my early morning attempt - fingers crossed!

Hi! I just went through this same process with my eldest last year and completely understand your confusion. The FAFSA completion is just step one - think of it like submitting your tax documents to an accountant, but each college is a different accountant who will give you their own unique "bill." Your daughter will receive individual financial aid award letters directly from each school she was accepted to, typically arriving 3-6 weeks after they receive her FAFSA data. These letters will show the actual dollar amounts for grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans specific to that institution. A few things that helped us stay organized: - Set up email alerts for her student portals (aid info often appears there first) - Create a simple comparison chart for when multiple offers arrive - Don't hesitate to call financial aid offices directly if you have questions about their timeline The SAI you're seeing is essentially your "financial need score" that schools use in their calculations, but each school has their own aid formulas and available funds. Some schools might offer significantly more aid than others even with the same SAI. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but you're right on track! Most families receive their aid packages well before the May 1st decision deadline.

I'm in the exact same situation with my son! His FAFSA was processed about 10 days ago and I keep refreshing studentaid.gov expecting to see actual aid amounts somewhere. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea that the SAI was just a calculation for schools to use rather than our actual financial aid. I've already started implementing several of the great suggestions here: created a tracking spreadsheet with all his schools and acceptance dates, set up a dedicated email folder for financial aid communications, and started checking his student portals more frequently. One thing I discovered while setting up the portals is that a couple schools have a "Financial Aid Checklist" section that shows the status of different steps in their process. It doesn't show dollar amounts yet, but at least I can see that they've received his FAFSA data and are "reviewing for aid eligibility." The 2-6 week timeline everyone mentioned is really helpful for setting expectations. I was starting to worry we were behind schedule, but it sounds like we're right on track. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this process feels so much less overwhelming now!