Has anyone had success getting through to the Federal Student Aid phone line? I've been trying for days and either get disconnected or told the wait is over 3 hours!

UPDATE: I thought I should share what finally worked in case anyone else has similar issues: 1. For my daughter's missing parent signature: I followed the advice to completely log out, then log back in with MY FSA ID (not hers). The parent signature option was then visible at the end of the form! Completed it and that application is now fully processed. 2. For my son's SAI calculation error: It was indeed a mismatch between marital status and tax filing status. I had to correct my tax filing status to match how we actually filed. After updating that information and resubmitting, the SAI was calculated correctly within 48 hours! Thank you all for your help - this forum saved me so much time and stress. And for anyone else dealing with these issues, definitely document everything as suggested and don't be afraid to reach out to FSA directly if you're still stuck after trying these solutions.

have u looked at michigan state instead of u of m? my brother goes there and its cheaper and he got better scholarships! might be less competitive too

That's a good suggestion. I think his heart is set on Michigan because of his girlfriend, but we should at least visit MSU while we're out there. Do you know if their out-of-state tuition is significantly less?

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to resolve this? If you're still having issues, I'd recommend calling your state's higher education assistance authority. Many have dedicated FAFSA support teams that can help with verification issues specifically. They often have direct lines to the FSA's technical team that regular callers can't access.

We made some progress! We tried multiple suggestions here - switched browsers, resubmitted using my FSA ID instead of my son's, and used Claimyr to finally reach someone helpful. They found that our foreign income was flagging the system and helped us submit the right documentation. The status now shows \

I want to emphasize what was said earlier - please contact the financial aid offices directly at each school your daughter is considering. As someone working in financial aid, I can tell you we're maintaining lists of students affected by FAFSA delays and working with them individually. Many schools are creating contingency plans for students caught in this situation, including offering preliminary aid packages based on the information you can provide directly to the school while waiting for the official FAFSA results.

Yes, sending your 2022 tax documents directly to the schools could definitely help them create a preliminary aid estimate. Some schools also have their own institutional aid application forms they can use as alternatives. Each school handles this differently, so when you call, ask specifically what documentation they need to create a preliminary aid package while waiting for the official FAFSA results. This approach won't work for federal aid directly, but it can give you a good idea of what to expect and help with your decision-making process.

I work part-time in my university's financial aid office, and we see Bright Futures issues all the time. Most common problems: - Student didn't send final high school transcript to their college (yes, even after being admitted) - Student's major is listed as "undecided" (some Bright Futures levels require a declared major) - Student didn't complete the FFAA verification steps after initial approval - Credit hours dropped below minimum for full funding Call your school's financial aid office and specifically ask: "Is my Bright Futures scholarship showing as eligible for disbursement in your system?" That exact wording will get you the right answer.

Also, one more thing I forgot to mention - make sure to check your school email regularly! UCF sent me three important emails about Bright Futures that went to my school email, not my personal one. One of them required action within 14 days or my funding would have been delayed. The whole system is designed to make you fail, I swear 🙄