Just wanted to follow up and mention that if you're approaching a priority deadline for your school, you should contact your financial aid office directly and let them know about the technical difficulties you're experiencing. Most schools have processes in place to accommodate students who have legitimate technical issues with FAFSA submission. They might be able to note your account or extend your deadline while you resolve the signature issue.

Did you verify that your dad's name is entered EXACTLY the same on the FAFSA as it appears on his FSA ID account? Even small differences (like using a middle initial in one place but not the other) can cause the signature verification to fail silently. Worth double-checking this if you haven't already.

One thing nobody mentioned - even though your pharmacy student doesn't need parent info for FAFSA, watch out for the Health Professions Student Loan if her pharmacy school offers it. That one DOES require parent info even for graduate students. My daughter's pharmacy program financial aid office didn't tell her this until after the deadline had passed! So frustrating.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I'll let my daughter know she doesn't need our information for the standard FAFSA, but will have her check with her pharmacy program about CSS Profile and Health Professions Student Loans. I'm also going to look into that Claimyr service in case we run into problems. This forum has been so helpful!

I'm going thru the exact same situation with my daughter's school (different top-tier college). We got a similar email basically saying "wait and see" but her roommate already got her full package for next year?! Makes no sense. The stress is killing me because we literally can't afford to continue without similar aid to what she received freshman year. Are we supposed to just wait until July or August to know if we can afford to return??

Update from the financial aid world: The Department of Education recently announced they're still experiencing significant delays processing 2025-2026 FAFSAs, particularly with the new SAI calculation system. Many schools are operating with incomplete information, which explains (but doesn't excuse) their vague responses. Here's the important part: federal student aid amounts (Pell Grants, subsidized loans, etc.) should still be available regardless of when your FAFSA is processed. It's the institutional aid (money from the college itself) that works on a first-come, first-served basis at many schools. I still recommend scheduling that direct conversation with financial aid to clarify exactly what your options are.

This is definitely one of the recognized issues with the new FAFSA system. The good news is that you can verify the official status by looking at the

Thank you, this is incredibly helpful! I just checked and the processed date is indeed after our last correction (we had to fix a small issue with our W-2 reporting). I feel much better now knowing that the system is working as it should, even if the communication is confusing.

Professional Judgment reviews typically take 2-3 weeks to process, but this varies widely by school. Some can turn them around in a week, others might take a month. Be sure to mention your May decision deadline when you contact them - many schools will prioritize appeals for students with pending decisions. One more thing to consider: if you're comparing financial aid offers, don't just look at the total amount. Pay attention to what's being offered as grants (free money) versus loans. A $20K package with $18K in loans isn't as good as a $15K package with $12K in grants.

also do teh css profile if ur schools take it!! my daughters school gave way more money after we did that even tho it's annoying to fill out