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One more thing to consider: many schools require you to actively decline aid you don't want. If you simply ignore the financial aid offer, they might assume you're not attending or place a hold on registration. Always formally accept or decline each component of your package by their deadline.
That's a really important point I hadn't considered. I'll make sure to formally respond to each part of the package after I talk to the financial aid office.
also dont 4get some of the institutional scholarships might have DIFFERENT deadlines than the federal aid parts!!! my sons honors scholarship had an earlier acceptance deadline than his federal loans did. its all so confusing!!!
Oh great, another layer of complexity! 😩 Thanks for pointing this out - I'll ask about ALL deadlines when I call.
Has anyone actually had this resolved yet? My son's FAFSA data FINALLY showed up at his school yesterday - almost 7 weeks after getting his SAI. No rhyme or reason to it, just suddenly appeared. The financial aid office is now scrambling to put together aid packages before the May 1 decision deadline.
That's great news! Most financial aid offices are well-prepared for these situations, especially since the maintenance affects students nationwide. Glad you got the extension you needed!
My brother went thru this exact thing & ended up having to appeal directly to the college financial aid office. The FAFSA people weren't able to fix it in the system but the college could override it manually. He had to provide proof of disability & income but they fixed it pretty quick once he talked to the right person.
UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! For anyone dealing with similar issues: 1. I corrected the FAFSA by manually entering my spouse as a non-tax filer 2. I used Claimyr to reach an actual FSA agent who added notes to our application 3. I gathered documentation (benefit award letters, bank statements, IRS non-filing verification) 4. I contacted my son's school financial aid office with all documentation It took about 2 weeks, but they recalculated our SAI and my son IS eligible for a Pell Grant after all! The financial aid officer told me they're seeing this issue a lot with disability income and the new FAFSA. Thanks everyone for your help! This community saved us literally thousands in financial aid!
So happy to hear this worked out for you! Congratulations! 🎉 It's always great to hear success stories with the FAFSA process.
Fatima Al-Suwaidi
I think they might be prioritizing certain applications right now? My wife and I filed our daughter's FAFSA late (last week) and it was processed in 2 days. My coworker filed his son's in March and it's still processing. Maybe they're focusing on getting newer applications through the system first? Either way, definitely faster than when I went to college!
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Sofia Morales
•That's incredibly frustrating if true. Why would they prioritize late applications over people who submitted on time? The whole system makes no sense.
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Amara Nnamani
Update: I just got an email that we've been selected for verification too, despite the quick initial processing! Ugh, back to waiting I guess. They're asking for 2023 tax transcripts and W-2 forms. Is this happening to a lot of people this year?
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Ava Garcia
•I told you not to get too excited! Verification is completely random from what I understand - they select a percentage of all applications. Some schools verify 100% of their FAFSA applicants too. Hope your verification goes smoothly though!
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