Glad to see the responses here! I wanted to add that you should also check if your daughter qualifies for any special circumstances adjustments on her FAFSA. Medical issues that impact a student's ability to attend school can sometimes be considered for professional judgment reviews. This would need to be done AFTER you submit the FAFSA, by contacting the financial aid office directly.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in financial aid - you've gotten some great advice here! One thing I'd add is to make sure you save a copy of her medical withdrawal documentation. If any questions come up during aid verification or if you need to appeal aid decisions later, having that paperwork readily available can be really helpful. Also, once she's back and settled, encourage her to connect with the disability services office at her school - they often have resources and accommodations that can help prevent future academic disruptions due to mental health challenges. Wishing your daughter all the best on her return!

I'm going through the exact same thing! My FAFSA was processed about a month ago and my NJFAMS dashboard is still completely blank. My SAI is around 9,800 so I'm really hoping I qualify for something. What's been driving me crazy is that I got accepted to three NJ schools and received their financial aid packages, but none of them mention state grants at all. I called Rowan's financial aid office last week and they basically said "HESAA processes separately, just wait" which wasn't very helpful. I'm definitely going to try that status checker tool that Isaac mentioned - I had no idea there was a separate tool buried in their help section. It's so frustrating that the main dashboard just stays blank instead of giving you ANY indication of what's happening. Thanks for posting this because I was starting to panic that I missed some deadline or messed something up!

I'm dealing with the exact same situation! FAFSA processed about 3 weeks ago, SAI around 11,400, and my NJFAMS dashboard is completely empty. I've gotten financial aid packages from Rutgers and TCNJ but no mention of state aid anywhere. What's really frustrating is that I called HESAA twice this week and couldn't get through either time - just endless hold music before the call dropped. Based on everyone's responses here, it sounds like we're all in the same boat with the timing, so I'm trying to be patient for another few weeks. I'm definitely going to try calling the schools directly tomorrow to see if they have any insight, and I'm going to hunt around for that status checker tool Isaac mentioned. Thanks for posting this - it's reassuring to know this seems to be normal processing delays rather than us missing something important!

For anyone still experiencing this issue, the FSA office has officially acknowledged the technical problem with the parent contributor section. They've issued a statement that they will honor submission dates for students who attempted to submit during the affected period (Feb 13-15). If your school has a priority deadline during this window, contact your financial aid office with documentation of your attempts. Most institutions are being advised to accommodate students affected by this system issue when considering priority deadlines for the 2025-2026 aid year.

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone still dealing with this - I had the same error for 3 days straight and finally got through this morning around 4am. What worked for me was using incognito/private browsing mode AND making sure I didn't have any other tabs open with studentaid.gov. I think there might be some kind of session conflict happening when you have multiple FAFSA tabs open. Also, if you're using a VPN, try turning it off - that seemed to help too. Don't give up! The system is definitely buggy but it does eventually work if you keep trying during off-peak hours.

I'm a newcomer here but going through the exact same nightmare with Nelnet! Got my first payment demand email three days ago for $412 even though I enrolled in SAVE back in December and my StudentAid.gov clearly shows forbearance status. What's really concerning me is that I'm a single parent making $28,000/year with two kids - there's absolutely no way I should owe anything under SAVE. I literally cannot afford a $400+ payment right now, especially with rent going up next month. Reading all these responses has been both reassuring and infuriating. Reassuring because it's clearly a widespread Nelnet system issue, but infuriating that they're putting so many people through this stress! How is it acceptable for a loan servicer to have such broken systems that they're terrorizing borrowers who are already struggling financially? I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and secure messaging for documentation. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's helping me realize I'm not crazy and this really is just Nelnet being incompetent with their system updates.

I'm new to this community but experiencing the exact same issue! Got a payment notice from Nelnet yesterday for $291 despite being enrolled in SAVE since January and my StudentAid.gov account clearly showing forbearance status. This thread has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is a widespread Nelnet system error and not something I did wrong. As someone making $29,500/year as a single person, I should definitely qualify for $0 payments under SAVE, but Nelnet's broken system is causing so much unnecessary panic. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions! I'm planning to try the early morning calling strategy tomorrow and will definitely use their secure messaging system to get written confirmation. It's frustrating that we have to work this hard to get basic confirmation of our correct account status, but at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess. @Jamal Washington - I hope you've been able to get through to them by now! Your income and family situation should absolutely qualify you for $0 payments. Don't let Nelnet's technical incompetence stress you out - you're doing everything right!

Good news is your husband doesn't need to enter any financial information - that part is already done through your joint tax return. He just needs to verify his identity and consent to sharing the tax data that's already been submitted. So it's annoying but not complicated. The new system is more secure but definitely more cumbersome for parents.

I went through this exact same situation last month! The key thing to remember is that your husband can complete his portion from anywhere - he just needs internet access and about 15-20 minutes. When he gets the email, he'll need his Social Security number, a phone number that matches his records, and an email address. The system will walk him through creating his FSA ID if he doesn't have one already. I'd suggest having him do it as soon as he gets the email rather than waiting until he's back from his trip. The identity verification questions are pretty straightforward - things like previous addresses, loan history, etc. Once he completes his part, your daughter's FAFSA will be ready for processing. The new system is definitely more annoying than the old one, but at least the financial heavy lifting is already done on your end!