FAFSA
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FAFSA aid acceptance deadline vs. enrollment deposit deadline confusion - can we still decide on loans?
We recently paid the $500 enrollment deposit for my daughter's college choice (due May 1), but we're still weighing whether to accept the Federal Direct Loans in her financial aid package. The aid portal shows a separate June 15 deadline for financial aid decisions, but the admissions counselor made it sound like everything had to be decided when we paid the deposit. Can we really take more time to decide about the loans? The Parent PLUS loan interest rates seem high right now, so we're considering other options, but don't want to lose the Direct Loans if we need them later. Anyone know if these deadlines are truly separate?
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How to verify if our FAFSA is actually complete when spouse likely made errors?
I'm seriously concerned about my daughter's FAFSA application status. She completed her portion and my husband did the parent contribution part, but I have no way to confirm if it's actually FINISHED or if he made critical errors. We file taxes jointly and live together, so I understand I don't need to complete a separate parent portion, but my husband has a history of messing up important forms (he once registered our daughter incorrectly for the SAT which delayed her test by months!). How can I verify the FAFSA is actually complete and submitted correctly? Is there a confirmation page or email we should have received? If he did make mistakes, can we still fix them at this point? I'm worried this will affect her financial aid eligibility and I have no idea how to check for errors. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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To directly answer your questions: 1. You know your FAFSA is complete when: - The status shows "Processed" on studentaid.gov - You receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) via email - You can see a calculated SAI (Student Aid Index) number 2. You CAN correct information: Log in to studentaid.gov, select "Make FAFSA Corrections" and update any incorrect information. 3. To verify what was submitted: View the Student Aid Report (SAR) which shows all submitted information and calculated results. Best to check this soon, as some schools award aid on a first-come, first-served basis!
Thank you for this clear breakdown! I'll check for the SAR right away. Do you know if there's a way to quickly identify potential red flags that might indicate errors in how the assets or income were reported?
After checking everything, we found out my husband had incorrectly entered our home equity as an investment asset (it's not supposed to be reported for FAFSA) which would have SIGNIFICANTLY hurt our daughter's aid eligibility. I was able to make the correction online, and we received an updated SAI about 10 days later. The schools automatically received the updated information. Thank you everyone for your help! I feel so relieved that we caught this before aid decisions were made.
I'm so glad you caught this error! Home equity is indeed excluded from the FAFSA (though not from the CSS Profile that some private schools require). This is exactly the type of mistake that can cost families thousands in aid. For anyone else reading this thread, always remember that your primary residence value is NOT reported on the FAFSA!
FAFSA correction status stuck in 'review' after parent signature - how long is normal?
I finally managed to get into my daughter's FAFSA account yesterday after dealing with a verification code issue. I was able to electronically sign both her portion and mine as the contributing parent. The application status changed from 'Signature Required' to 'Correction Received - In Review' immediately. It's been about 24 hours now and the status hasn't changed. I'm worried because her college priority deadline is coming up in 2 weeks. Is this normal processing time? How long should I expect to wait before the corrected SAI is calculated? We had to make some significant corrections to our tax information, so I'm wondering if that slows things down. Anyone have recent experience with how long the 'in review' status typically lasts?
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quick question does anyone know if making corrections resets your place in line for getting your SAI?? i need to fix something but don't want to lose my spot if I'm already being processed
yeah it does reset ur spot i think. my cousin made a correction and got pushed back like a week
UPDATE: Our status finally changed from "In Review" to "Processed" this morning! It took exactly 4 business days (6 days total including the weekend). Our new SAI has been calculated and is now showing on the dashboard. I emailed the college financial aid office like many of you suggested and they were super understanding. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!
That's great news! Glad to hear it processed within a reasonable timeframe. This is helpful information for others in the same situation - the 4-5 business day window seems to be fairly standard for tax-related corrections right now.
Fresh Start Program failure: wage garnishment restarted despite FAFSA loan collections freeze
I'm literally watching my paycheck get decimated again even though I enrolled in the Fresh Start Program for my defaulted federal student loans two months ago. The Dept of Education SAID there was a collections freeze in effect until December, but my employer just reactivated the 15% wage garnishment this week! When I called the ED, the agent had the nerve to tell me 'we don't inform employers about the collections freeze' - seriously?? Are employers supposed to be psychic? I've submitted all the required paperwork, got confirmation of my enrollment, and STILL losing hundreds of dollars per paycheck. Has anyone else had their garnishment continue despite being in Fresh Start? Any advice on how to actually MAKE this freeze work? I've already missed a rent payment because I was counting on having my full paycheck.
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THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO FAIL!!! They make these programs sound great in the news but make them IMPOSSIBLE to actually use! I spent 6 MONTHS trying to get my garnishment stopped under Fresh Start. SIX MONTHS!!! Lost $4800 in wages that I'll never get back. The ED and loan servicers should be SUED for this garbage implementation.
100% THIS. They create these programs for the headlines but then make them impossible to actually use. And we're the ones who suffer while they sort out their 'communication issues.' It's theft, plain and simple.
One more important tip: keep detailed records of EVERY communication. Note the date, time, name of representative, and what was discussed. If you speak with someone at ED who confirms your Fresh Start status, ask them to email you confirmation that same day. Also, if your garnishment continues despite your efforts, you have the right to request refund of improperly garnished wages once the issue is resolved. The Department of Education won't volunteer this information, but they are required to refund wages garnished during periods when collections should have been suspended.
Thank you! I've started keeping a log of all calls and emails. I didn't know I could request a refund for the improper garnishments - that's really good to know. I'll definitely be pursuing that once I get the current garnishment stopped.
FAFSA delays causing aid package limbo - where do we go from here?
Just read that Washington Post deep-dive on why the FAFSA system is such a disaster this year. It actually helped me understand why my daughter's college is STILL saying they can't finalize her aid package. The article explained all the technical failures and political decisions that led to this nightmare. What's frustrating is that now we're stuck in this weird limbo - accepted to schools but no idea if we can afford them! Four different colleges have told us different timelines for when aid packages might be ready. Anyone else sitting in this awful waiting pattern? Has anyone actually received their complete aid package yet for 2024-2025?
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This is my third kid going through the college process and by far the worst experience. The new "simplified" FAFSA is anything but simple. My daughter's application got flagged for verification (which never happened with my older kids) and now we're stuck in this endless loop of submitting documents that never seem to satisfy what they're asking for. The timing couldn't be worse either - she was planning to start at community college this summer but now might have to delay because she can't register without financial aid being processed. The system is broken at every level.
verification is the WORST!! we got flagged for that too and had to send the same tax documents like 3 different times because they kept saying they couldn't read them or something?? such a waste of time
Quick update for everyone in this thread - the Department of Education just announced they've fixed several more calculation errors in the SAI formula and will be reprocessing affected applications "in the coming weeks." So even if you've already received an SAI, it might change. And schools are being advised not to finalize aid packages until all these corrections are complete. I know this is incredibly frustrating for families trying to make decisions. My best advice is to stay in regular contact with your financial aid offices, ask about contingency plans they might have for deposit deadlines, and document all communications.
Oh no...so even if we do get aid packages soon, they might all change again? This is becoming a complete nightmare. My daughter is starting to consider just taking a gap year because of all this uncertainty.
Maxwell St. Laurent
i got SO confused by all this last year!!! signed up for a parent plus loan but then found out my credit wasn't approved so had to do all these extra steps for my daughter to get more unsubsidized loans. the whole system is a mess tbh. but yes the deposit deadline and aid acceptance are different things.
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Marcus Marsh
AuthorSorry you had to deal with that extra stress! If you don't mind sharing, what were the extra steps when your Parent PLUS was denied? I'm a little worried about our approval since we're self-employed with somewhat complicated finances.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
when my plus loan was denied my daughter automatically qualified for $4000 more in unsubsidized loans. had to fill out a form saying we were declined plus but wanted the extra unsubsidized loans. took like 2 weeks to process. not the end of the world but just more paperwork during an already stressful time!!!
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Cedric Chung
One more important detail: make sure to complete the FAFSA every year by the priority deadline (usually between Dec 1 - Mar 1 depending on the school). Your financial aid package can change significantly year-to-year based on your financial situation, so staying on top of those annual deadlines is crucial for maintaining aid eligibility throughout your daughter's education.
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Marcus Marsh
AuthorThank you! We already have a reminder set for October 1st to complete next year's FAFSA. Hoping it goes smoother than this year's application with all the changes they made. Appreciate all the helpful advice!
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