Update from an academic advisor perspective: The Department of Education confirmed there's a processing backlog affecting SAI calculations. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, they're experiencing delays of 3-4 weeks for some applicants, particularly when there are multiple contributors or complex income situations. If your application was submitted correctly, the SAI should eventually appear without you needing to take action. However, if it's been more than 4 weeks, definitely contact FSA directly.

UPDATE: Just wanted to let everyone know what happened in my case. After checking everything multiple times, I finally got through to FSA and found out the issue. Even though both my parents used the IRS data retrieval tool, there was a glitch where my dad's income information wasn't properly linked to my application. It showed as complete in the system, but the actual data wasn't there! The agent had me go back in with my dad and re-authorize the IRS retrieval, and my SAI showed up 24 hours later. So if you're having this issue, definitely don't wait - try to contact FSA directly. Thanks everyone for your help!

This is excellent news! Your proactive approach is exactly what I recommend to families. Document everything thoroughly and be completely transparent. Most financial aid offices genuinely want to help students receive appropriate aid within federal guidelines. If you have any questions while completing the forms, don't hesitate to reach back out to them.

Awesome!! So glad they were nice about it!

Financial aid advisor here. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, paper FAFSA forms are indeed experiencing significant delays. The Department of Education is prioritizing the online system, and paper forms are being processed in batches rather than continuously. Here's what you should do: 1. Contact your school's financial aid office immediately to explain your situation. They may have a provisional process or can note your account. 2. If you need verification of receipt, call FSA at 1-800-433-3243. Be prepared for long wait times or try early morning (8am ET). 3. If you have access to a computer now, consider submitting the online FAFSA as well. The system will recognize if you have a paper form in process and will treat the online submission as a correction rather than a duplicate. 4. Keep documentation of when you mailed your form (receipt, etc.) in case you need to prove your timely submission. This year has been especially challenging with the new FAFSA simplification initiative. Rest assured that most schools are aware of these delays and making accommodations.

Quick update for anyone following this thread - I just called my school's financial aid office as suggested above, and they told me they've extended their priority deadline to May 1st because of all the FAFSA delays this year. Might be worth checking if your school has done something similar!

Financial aid advisor here - I want to clarify a few things about the current processing situation: 1. The Department of Education is aware of the delays and has been working through applications chronologically (with some exceptions for urgency). 2. Applications submitted in January are indeed being processed now, but the queue is substantial. 3. Most institutions have adjusted their priority deadlines specifically because of these FAFSA delays. 4. Your 'In Review' status updating on 3/15 is actually a good sign - it means your application passed the initial checks and is in the verification queue. 5. If you contact your schools' financial aid offices, ask specifically about their "FAFSA delay accommodation policy" - most have one in place this year. The new FAFSA system has indeed been challenging, but rest assured your application isn't lost - it's just moving through a significantly backlogged system.

just checking back - any updates?? mine finally processed yesterday after 8 weeks!! got my sai score and everything

I work at a community college financial aid office (not a CSU), but I can tell you that this year has been exceptionally slow for all schools processing financial aid. The 2024-2025 FAFSA had major changes, and many schools are running behind their normal timelines. A few things to know: 1. The SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced the old EFC this year 2. System-generated corrections often trigger verification requirements 3. Each individual school must review your FAFSA before creating an aid package 4. Schools are processing applications in chronological order based on when they were COMPLETED (not just submitted) I strongly recommend checking each school's student portal for verification requirements. With the May 2nd completion date, I'd expect packages to start arriving in mid-June at the earliest.

UPDATE: You all were right! I checked my daughter's student portal for Northridge and there was a verification request from May 17th sitting there that we never knew about! They needed copies of our 2022 tax transcripts and her birth certificate. Just uploaded everything. Thanks everyone for your help!