This exact thing happened to me with my son's applications! It was driving me CRAZY. Turns out the problem wasn't his birthdate at all - it was because his high school had submitted his name to the FAFSA system with his middle name included, but we were applying with just his first and last name. Once we added his middle name exactly as the high school had it, the system accepted everything. Maybe check with your daughter's high school counselor to see how they submitted her info to the FAFSA system?

Any luck resolving this? One other thing to check - make sure the parent info (your name, SSN, etc.) is entered EXACTLY the same on both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 forms. Sometimes these validation errors happen because of parent data mismatches, not student information.

When my daughter sent me the contributor invitation last year, I waited about two weeks to complete it due to some tax complications I needed to sort out. The link was still valid, but I started getting automated reminder emails after about 5 days. The system will nudge you, but won't lock you out if you need some time. One thing to keep in mind: if your son is applying to schools with priority deadlines for financial aid, you'll want to make sure the entire FAFSA (including your portion) is submitted before those deadlines. Many schools have priority deadlines in February or March for maximum aid consideration.

i got an error when i tried to do mine and had to call the fafsa ppl. waited TWO HOURS and then got disconnected!!! had to start over the next day. SUCH a pain

Financial aid counselor here - just to clarify some timeline expectations for the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle: - "Processed" status means your application was received and initial checks were completed - SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation typically takes 3-10 business days after "processed" status appears - Schools don't receive your information until the SAI is calculated - If your application is selected for verification (about 35% are), the SAI will be delayed until that process is complete If you're approaching the 10 business day mark, I'd recommend contacting Federal Student Aid directly. Also make sure to check both the student and parent portals, as sometimes the information appears in one but not the other due to access permission differences.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! I had my daughter log into her student account and the SAI was actually there! It wasn't showing in my parent portal for some reason. For anyone else with this issue - definitely check both accounts. I appreciate all your help!

Since time is critical, I'd recommend pursuing multiple solutions simultaneously:\n\n1. Follow up on getting the provisional/conditional aid letter from financial aid\n2. Prepare the alternative documentation (bank statements, affidavit of support)\n3. Contact the Spanish consulate to confirm exactly what alternatives they'll accept\n4. Have your son check his SAI status daily and call FSA if there's any change\n\nThe good news is that once your FAFSA does process, things move quickly. Our SAI finally came through about 10 days before my daughter's visa appointment, and her school produced the final aid package within 48 hours after that. It was stressful right up to the end, but it worked out.\n\nOne more tip: when your son goes to his appointment, have him bring documentation of the FAFSA delays (news articles, official notices) to show this is a nationwide issue affecting many students. Sometimes this context helps the consular officers understand it's not just poor planning on his part.

Thank you for the thorough plan of action! I'm definitely going to pursue all these paths at once. The idea of bringing news articles about the FAFSA delays is brilliant - I hadn't thought of documenting that this is a nationwide problem. I'm feeling more hopeful now that we have some concrete steps to take!

@user8 - Yes, many private schools actually meet a higher percentage of demonstrated need than public universities. While their sticker price is higher, their discount rate (amount of institutional aid they provide) is often much higher too. Some elite private colleges meet 100% of demonstrated need with no loans, while most state schools meet 70-80% of need at best, often through loans. This creates the counterintuitive situation where a $55,000/year private school might actually cost less out-of-pocket than a $28,000 state school for families with high financial need.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I feel much more informed now. I'll be watching for the award letters and will make sure to check each school's deadline for accepting aid. I'm also going to try calling the financial aid office again tomorrow to ask about state-specific grants we might qualify for. If I can't get through, I might try that Claimyr service someone mentioned. Really appreciate all the guidance!