As a financial aid advisor, I can clarify a few things: 1) You cannot delete a FAFSA yourself once it's been created 2) Having duplicate FAFSAs won't affect your SAI calculation, but it can cause processing delays 3) The best approach is two-pronged: - Contact Federal Student Aid to have one application marked as void - Reach out to your school's financial aid office to alert them to the situation This is a common issue this year with the new FAFSA implementation. The system should recognize duplicate applications by your FSA ID, but with all the technical issues they've been having, it's best to be proactive. Make sure to have your FSA ID, confirmation numbers from both applications, and the date you submitted each one when you call. This information will help them resolve the issue more quickly.

wait why cant they just make a delete button?? stupid government websites always making things complicated 🙄

Congratulations! I work in college admissions and want to explain why this happened, as it might help others. When your FAFSA was flagged for verification, they likely discovered information that actually LOWERED your SAI from what was initially calculated. This happens more often than people realize. Verification isn't always bad news - sometimes it results in more aid! For anyone still waiting, remember that schools often have two waves of financial aid offers: early offers based on initial FAFSA data, and revised offers after verification is complete. The second wave can be more generous if verification improves your situation.

did your daughter have to do anything special on her application beside the fafsa? my son is applying this fall and i'm trying to figure out if we need to fill out CSS Profile too or just fafsa?

i dont get why everyones having so many problems with fafsa this year lol. mine went through in like a week with no issues 🤷‍♂️

Quick update on processing times - I just checked the FSA website and they're currently reporting an average of 14 business days for applications in review status. That's significantly longer than previous years. Make sure you're checking both your email and your studentaid.gov account messages regularly, as they sometimes send requests for additional information through the message center that don't come through email.

I've never heard of this program! Just looked it up and it seems like Texas isn't part of the participating states unfortunately. But I wonder if there are other regional agreements I should be looking into?

You're right, I apologize - Texas isn't in WUE. For Texas residents specifically, check if your daughters qualify for any reciprocity agreements between Texas and either Colorado or Arizona. Some academic departments have their own exchange programs even when states don't have formal agreements. Worth asking both financial aid offices about any Texas-specific opportunities.

While searching is absolutely helpful, I also want to point out that the FAFSA has undergone significant changes for the 2025-2026 application cycle. The SAI calculation methodology has several key differences from previous years, particularly regarding how business income, multiple students, and divorced parent contributions are assessed. Make sure you're looking at posts from this current application cycle, as advice from even last year might be outdated. For example, the multiple children in college benefit was reduced, and the small business protection threshold changed from $175,000 to $240,000. There's also more emphasis on actual cash income rather than adjusted gross income in some calculations. So while search is valuable, verify information is current!

I think this thread is a perfect example of why the search function AND new posts both have value! We've gone from a simple tip about searching to a discussion about the new FAFSA changes that might not have happened otherwise. This is super helpful information.