UPDATE: Mystery solved! My daughter just got home and logged in. Turns out she DID create her FSA ID and start the application, but she never actually submitted it. There was no confirmation number and several sections were still showing as incomplete. She thought saving her progress was the same as submitting! Now we're working through the remaining sections together. Thank you all so much for your help - this would have been so much more frustrating without your guidance!

So glad you got this figured out! This exact same thing happened to my nephew last year - he spent hours filling out forms but never hit that final submit button. The new FAFSA system really doesn't make it clear enough what "saving progress" vs "submitting" means. For anyone else reading this thread dealing with similar issues, definitely look for that confirmation number - it's the only way to know for sure your application actually went through. The system should really have better messaging about this!

That's such great news about your school being understanding! I'm dealing with a similar situation - sent my paper FAFSA about 4 weeks ago and still radio silence from FSA. Reading through all these responses has been really helpful. I had no idea paper forms were taking this long this year. I'm definitely going to call my school tomorrow and see if they'll accept proof of submission like yours did. Thanks for sharing your experience and giving hope to those of us still waiting!

Wow, reading through all these experiences is both terrifying and reassuring at the same time! I'm a parent helping my daughter with her FAFSA and we submitted online about 2 weeks ago, but now I'm second-guessing whether we should have kept trying when we hit those technical glitches. It sounds like paper forms are creating way more stress than they're worth. For anyone still waiting - definitely take everyone's advice here and contact your schools ASAP. Most financial aid offices have seen this pattern and know it's not the student's fault. The key seems to be having some kind of documentation that you submitted before the deadline. Hang in there everyone - this too shall pass!

UPDATE: I just checked with our systems team at the college. This exact bug was acknowledged by FSA in their latest technical bulletin. They're supposedly rolling out a fix next week, but that might be too late for your deadline. If you get through to an agent, specifically mention "Technical Advisory 2025-06B regarding contributor permission persistence after application deletion." This lets them know you're aware of the documented issue and they'll have specific protocols to follow.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! My son's application was processed and then I got confused by all the emails saying forms were incomplete. I made the mistake of deleting it too and now we're stuck in the same loop - he can see me as a contributor but can't send me an invitation to actually complete anything. Reading through all these responses, it sounds like calling FSA with that technical bulletin number Steven mentioned is our best bet. I'm going to try first thing Monday morning and if I can't get through, I might have to try that callback service Grace recommended. This whole system is such a mess - how are families supposed to navigate this when even the support reps give bad advice? At least now I know we're not alone in this frustration. Good luck getting this sorted out before your deadline!

One tip - don't just assume everything is fine because the FSA website says "processed." My daughter's application said that, but when we finally got through to someone on the phone, they said there was actually a verification flag on her account that wasn't showing up on the dashboard. We had to submit her tax return transcripts and my ex-husband's W-2 forms. Better to double-check than find out later you're missing a deadline!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! This is really helpful. I'm a new member here and going through this exact same situation with my son's FAFSA. It's been "processed" for about 2 weeks but none of his colleges show they've received it yet. Reading through all these responses makes me feel so much better knowing this is normal for this year. I was starting to panic that we'd missed some deadline or made an error. Sounds like we just need to be patient and wait for the colleges to get their data batches at the end of February. Really appreciate this community for providing such clear explanations about what's actually happening behind the scenes!

So glad to see you have a plan! Just wanted to add that when he talks to financial aid, he should ask specifically about "additional unsubsidized loan eligibility due to PLUS denial" - using those exact words helps ensure they process it quickly. Also, many schools have hidden work-study spots that open up throughout the year, not just at the beginning. My daughter found a great library position in October that wasn't posted anywhere - she just walked in and asked if they needed help. Best of luck to your grandson!

Another option to consider is contacting your grandson's school's student success center or dean of students office - they often have emergency funds or know about scholarships that aren't widely advertised. Also, if your daughter's credit denial was recent, she might want to consider getting an endorser (someone with better credit) to co-sign the PLUS loan rather than taking it off the table completely. The endorser doesn't have to be family - it could be a trusted friend or family member with good credit. This would give access to the full PLUS amount needed rather than trying to piece together the gap with multiple smaller options. Just make sure everyone understands the endorser would be fully responsible for the loan if payments aren't made.