After using Claimyr to reach FSA yesterday, I wanted to update. The agent explained that there's a bug in the system where some colleges can see certain flags/issues that aren't visible to students on the studentaid.gov portal. They had to manually clear those flags in our account. Financial aid is now being processed at all schools! Definitely worth getting through to an actual agent who can see the backend system.

So glad to see this resolved! This thread is going to be super helpful for other families dealing with the same issue. It's crazy that there are backend flags that students can't see but schools can - no wonder so many people get stuck in this loop. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions. The FAFSA system definitely needs some major improvements, but at least we have workarounds like calling FSA directly or using services like Claimyr to actually get through to someone who can fix these invisible issues.

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your help! I followed the steps that were suggested, and it turns out I DID miss the final submission step. Even though my information was processed and I could see my SAI, I never clicked the final 'Submit to Schools' button on the submission tab. Once I did that and entered my FSA ID password again, the red mark disappeared and I got a confirmation email that my FAFSA was officially submitted! Such a relief. The interface really is confusing - they should make that final step more obvious!

Congratulations Natalie! This thread is going to be so helpful for other students who run into the same issue. I went through this exact same confusion last year and it's such a relief when you finally get that confirmation email. The FAFSA system really needs better user interface design - so many people get stuck at that final submission step because it's not intuitive at all. Thanks to everyone who contributed such detailed and helpful advice here!

Since you mentioned being short $30K for freshman year, I'd strongly encourage you to talk to the financial aid office about whether this amount will be consistent for all four years. Many families don't realize that $30K per year means $120K+ in loans by graduation. With current interest rates, that could mean payments of over $1,400/month for 10 years after graduation. Financial aid officers can sometimes find additional institutional aid or work-study opportunities to reduce that borrowing need.

I just went through this process last year with my son! A few things that might help: 1) Definitely explore if your daughter can take out additional federal loans first - dependent undergrads can sometimes get more than the standard $5,500 if the parent is denied for PLUS. 2) Some schools have emergency aid funds or late-breaking scholarships that aren't widely advertised - worth asking about. 3) Consider if she could start at a community college for gen eds and transfer to save money, though I know that's not ideal if it's her dream school. 4) Payment plans through the school can sometimes help spread costs without interest if you can swing monthly payments instead of borrowing. The Parent PLUS route is definitely doable but as others mentioned, that interest really adds up over time. Good luck!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! We're going to contact the financial aid office at her community college next week to discuss how they handle Pell Grant disbursements specifically. I feel much more confident now knowing that she should receive the full amount she's eligible for, even with free tuition. I'll make sure to ask about state grants and other aid opportunities too!

Congratulations on the negative SAI! That's fantastic news for your daughter's financial aid eligibility. Just wanted to add one more tip - have your daughter check if her community college has any emergency aid funds or completion grants available. Many schools have additional small grants (sometimes $200-500) that students don't even know about. Also, if she's planning to transfer to a 4-year school later, maintaining good grades at community college can help her qualify for transfer scholarships. The combination of Pell Grant plus free tuition is going to give her such a great head start financially!

UPDATE: I FIXED IT!!! It was exactly what @user7 suggested - the contributor section! Even though my ex-husband isn't financially involved in my daughter's education, I had to specifically add him as a parent and then mark him as "not contributing" rather than just leaving him off entirely. What's infuriating is that there was ZERO indication this was the problem. No error message, no highlighted section, nothing. Just a vague "incomplete" status. For anyone facing this same issue - check your contributor section and make sure ALL parents/guardians (even uninvolved ones) are specifically accounted for one way or another. Thank you all so much for your help!!

Congratulations on getting it resolved! This is such valuable information for other parents dealing with the same nightmare. The contributor section issue seems to be a really common trap that catches people off guard. I'm bookmarking this thread because I have a feeling I'll be helping other parents in my community who run into this exact same problem. The new FAFSA system really needs better error messaging - it's ridiculous that families have to play detective to figure out what's missing when their child's financial aid is on the line. Thanks for updating us with the solution!