So glad you got this resolved! I'm dealing with a similar issue right now where my FAFSA shows processed but my school's financial aid portal shows "no application on file." I've been stressing about it for weeks. After reading your experience, I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service to get through to FSA. It's ridiculous that we have to use third-party services to access our own government agencies, but if it works, it works! Thanks for sharing your update - it gives me hope that this can actually be fixed quickly once you get the right person on the phone.

This thread is incredibly helpful! I'm bookmarking it for future reference. As someone who works in higher ed administration, I can confirm that FAFSA transmission issues have become way too common since the system overhaul. The fact that your application can show "processed" on your end but never actually reach the school is a major flaw in the new system design. For anyone else dealing with this: definitely save your DRN and take screenshots of EVERYTHING. I've seen too many students get caught in bureaucratic loops because they can't prove their FAFSA was properly submitted. Also, if you're in a graduate program, reach out to your department advisor or program coordinator early - they often have more direct lines to financial aid than going through general customer service. The Claimyr recommendation is gold - I'm going to start sharing this resource with our students who are having similar issues. Thanks for the detailed update on your resolution!

FINAL UPDATE: My correction processed! My SAI went down by almost $4,700 after removing the retirement account. That should definitely increase my aid eligibility. So glad I caught this mistake and was able to fix it. If anyone else makes this error, definitely submit a correction ASAP!

Wow, this is such a helpful thread! I'm working on my FAFSA right now and I was about to include my dad's 403b account. Thank you everyone for clarifying that retirement accounts should NOT be reported - you just saved me from making the same mistake! @Ev Luca so glad you were able to get it fixed and saw such a big improvement in your SAI. The step-by-step correction instructions from @Marcelle Drum are super clear too. This community is amazing!

Update: I was able to add the community college through the correction process! It was actually really simple - just logged in, selected "Make FAFSA Corrections," and added the new school code. The whole thing took maybe 5 minutes. I also called the community college's financial aid office, and they said we're well within their priority deadline for fall semester. Thanks everyone for your help!

So glad to hear your update worked out! Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - when you add schools through the FAFSA correction process, make sure to print or save a copy of the confirmation page. I learned this the hard way when there was a technical glitch and one school didn't receive my daughter's FAFSA data. Having that confirmation helped us resolve it quickly with Federal Student Aid. Also, keep checking your Student Aid Report (SAR) to make sure all the schools you want are listed there. Community college was the best decision my daughter made too - she's now at her dream university as a junior with zero debt from her first two years!

One other important point: make sure you're in the correct section of the portal. Many schools have multiple places where banking information is stored. There's often a section for payroll direct deposit (if you work on campus) and a separate section for financial aid refunds direct deposit. They don't always share information between systems even within the same portal. Look specifically for "Financial Aid Refund" or "Student Account Refund" in the direct deposit setup.

my roommate had this EXACT problem and it turned out his bank was blocking the verification attempts from the school!! call your bank and ask if they're blocking any verification attempts from your school. some banks have super strict fraud prevention especially for student accounts

Just wanted to add - make sure you understand if her full-ride includes room and board or just tuition and fees. Sometimes students still need loans for living expenses even with a "full tuition" merit scholarship. If that's the case, you might actually want to keep your FAFSA active to qualify for federal loans which typically have better terms than private options.

Congratulations on your daughter's full-ride scholarship! As someone who went through a similar situation last year, I can share what worked for us. We had already submitted our FAFSA when my son received a full merit scholarship, and I was worried about the same thing. Here's what I learned: you absolutely cannot withdraw or delete a processed FAFSA - it's permanently in the federal system. However, what matters is how the school handles it. Since your daughter's scholarship is specifically labeled as merit-based and states it's not based on financial need, you should be protected. I'd suggest drafting an email tonight that says something like: "My daughter has been awarded the Presidential Merit Scholarship. We would like to formally decline consideration for all federal financial aid but want to confirm this will not impact her merit-based scholarship award in any way." In our case, the school's financial aid office was very understanding and simply marked our file as "federal aid declined" while keeping the merit scholarship intact. The key is getting that written confirmation for your peace of mind!