Has anyone else noticed that the FAFSA system this year is WAY worse than previous years? I've been helping my students complete their FAFSAs for 6 years, and I've NEVER seen so many technical issues. The signature problems, the SAI calculation errors, the contributor section glitches... it's honestly embarrassing how poorly this rollout has gone. And don't even get me started on how they're claiming these problems are fixed when they clearly aren't!!

UPDATE: We finally got this resolved! After trying everything suggested here with no luck, we did end up using Claimyr to reach FSA directly (after 3 days of failed call attempts on our own). The agent confirmed there was a mismatch between my daughter's name on her FSA ID (where she included her middle name) and the FAFSA (where she didn't). They fixed it on their end, and within a few hours, the signature button became active. We've submitted successfully and already received her SAI score! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

To officially answer your question: You have two safe options: 1. Call FSA directly and have them remove the incomplete form (best option) 2. Ignore the emails if the submitted FAFSA shows as "Processing" with a confirmation number What you should NOT do is try to complete the incomplete form or submit a new one. That will definitely cause problems with your existing submission. The system is designed to catch duplicate submissions by the same student for the same aid year.

I spent 2+ hours on hold with FSA last week trying to fix a similar issue. When I finally got through, they told me incomplete applications automatically expire after 45 days anyway. So you could just wait it out if you don't want to deal with their phone system.

Has anyone tried creating a new FSA ID? My cousin said that worked for her when her FAFSA got stuck.

Update: I tried the different browser suggestion and it worked! I can see our application now, though it still shows as "processing." Our SAI is showing as $14,822 which seems high to me given our income, but at least I can see it now. Still shows only 6 schools received it though. I'm going to try calling FSA tomorrow and will check out that Claimyr service if I can't get through. Thanks everyone for the help!

BE CAREFUL with paper corrections!!! I spent 5 weeks waiting after sending one, only to find out it never got processed because I didn't fill out Section 1 completely. They want EVERY FIELD in section 1 filled out even if only one thing needs fixing. And don't forget to include your DRN number from your SAR or they'll reject it without telling you.

btw the fafsa site has been crashing all day. maybe wait till tomorrow to try and print the correction form

Make sure you're looking at the full Cost of Attendance (COA) when evaluating the package. This should include tuition, fees, room, board, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Then subtract all free money (grants, scholarships) to get your net cost. Then decide how much of that you're comfortable covering through savings, income, and loans. Remember that Parent PLUS loans are available but often have higher interest rates than student Direct loans.

@OP - $45K gap is unfortunately pretty common these days especially at private colleges. Have you looked at your in-state public university options? Usually MUCH more affordable. Not worth going into massive debt for undergrad unless it's an Ivy or similar that will actually pay off career-wise. My middle son transferred after freshman year for this exact reason and it saved us about $100K overall.