As a newcomer to this community who's currently navigating my first FAFSA correction, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I actually found this discussion while frantically searching for answers at 1am after discovering my correction status has been stuck on "Started" for over a week. I was convinced I had properly submitted everything, but clearly I missed some crucial final steps. Reading everyone's detailed explanations about the electronic signature requirement and having to review all sections (even unchanged ones) has been such an eye-opener. The FAFSA interface really doesn't make it obvious that there are multiple steps after you think you're "done" making your corrections. I'm definitely going to implement all the strategies mentioned here - taking screenshots of confirmation pages, setting phone reminders to check status 24-48 hours later, and calling FSA early in the morning if I need help. It's honestly ridiculous that we need to develop these workarounds for something as important as financial aid, but I'm so grateful to have found this supportive community where people actually share practical solutions. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - you're probably saving countless students from missing critical deadlines! Time for me to log back in and actually complete my correction submission properly this time.

As someone brand new to this community and dealing with my first FAFSA correction, I cannot express how relieved I am to have found this thread! I've been pulling my hair out for the past few days because my correction has been stuck on "Started" status and I had no idea what was wrong. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a lifesaver - I had absolutely no clue about the electronic signature requirement or that you need to review ALL sections even if you only changed one thing. The FAFSA system really doesn't make any of this clear, especially for newcomers like me who are already overwhelmed by the whole financial aid process. I'm definitely going to follow all the amazing advice shared here: taking screenshots of confirmation pages, setting reminders to check my status after 24-48 hours, and calling FSA first thing in the morning if needed. It's pretty frustrating that we have to become FAFSA experts just to get our financial aid sorted out, but I'm so grateful for communities like this where people actually help each other figure it out. Time to log back in and properly complete my submission - with all this guidance, I finally feel confident I know what to look for! Thank you everyone for sharing your hard-earned wisdom!

Just want to echo what others have said about staying persistent with the financial aid office! I went through this same situation with my daughter two years ago, and what really helped was documenting every phone call (date, time, who I spoke with, what they said). When I finally got through to a supervisor and could reference specific conversations, they were much more responsive. Also, if your daughter's school uses a third-party loan servicer like Heartland ECSI or ECMC, you might need to complete additional steps with them after the school processes everything. Don't assume the process is done just because you've completed the federal requirements - some schools have their own additional loan processing steps that aren't always clearly communicated. Keep that checklist handy and don't be afraid to ask for a step-by-step timeline from the financial aid office once you get that package on Friday!

I'm in the exact same boat with my son! We've been waiting for his aid package for weeks and I was starting to panic that we were doing something wrong. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially learning about the entrance counseling and MPN requirements that come after accepting the loan. I had no idea there were so many steps involved beyond just the FAFSA. One question I have: if our EFC is really low (like $0), would that mean more of the $5500 would be subsidized rather than unsubsidized? I'm trying to understand how the SAI affects the breakdown between the two loan types. Also planning to call admissions tomorrow about a deposit extension - glad to hear that worked for you Ruby!

This thread has been such an incredible resource! As someone who just received my first financial aid award letter and is feeling completely overwhelmed by all the steps involved, reading through @7f633d5170bd's experience has been both educational and reassuring. The entrance counseling requirement seems like such a hidden gotcha - I immediately checked my StudentAid.gov account after reading about it and sure enough, I have requirements sitting there that I had no idea about! What really strikes me is how much this demonstrates the importance of understanding that financial aid isn't just "submit FAFSA and wait for money." There are so many moving parts - entrance counseling, MPN, verification, different office responsibilities, disbursement schedules. I feel like I just got a masterclass in financial aid navigation that I never would have received from my school's orientation materials. I'm already creating my action plan based on all the wisdom shared here: contact both Financial Aid AND Bursar offices, set up direct deposit, research my school's disbursement calendar, and look into emergency aid options as backup. The tip about saving confirmation emails and reference numbers is brilliant too. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and professional insights - this community support makes such a difference for those of us navigating this confusing system for the first time. @7f633d5170bd, I'm so glad you got everything resolved and were willing to share the whole journey with us!

Wow, this thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! As someone who's about to start my first semester and just got my financial aid package approved, I was starting to panic because I haven't seen any money in my account yet. Reading @7f633d5170bd's entire journey from confusion to resolution has been so reassuring - and educational! The entrance counseling requirement seems to be the hidden culprit that trips up so many first-time borrowers. I immediately went to check my StudentAid.gov account after reading about it and discovered I have pending requirements too! I had no idea these existed beyond just submitting the FAFSA. What I find most valuable about this discussion is how it's revealed all the different offices and their specific roles - Financial Aid for eligibility, Bursar for actual disbursement, Registrar for enrollment. I would have been calling the wrong departments and getting nowhere, just like what initially happened here. I'm taking notes on everyone's advice about being proactive: completing all requirements immediately, saving contact information for multiple offices, researching disbursement calendars, and having emergency backup plans. The tip about keeping confirmation emails and reference numbers is something I never would have thought of but makes perfect sense. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and professional insights! This community's willingness to help fellow students navigate these confusing systems is truly amazing. This thread should be required reading for every first-time financial aid recipient!

This entire thread has been absolutely invaluable as someone who's getting ready to submit my FAFSA for the first time! Reading through @Ravi Choudhury's three-month odyssey and everyone's troubleshooting strategies has given me a completely different understanding of what this process actually involves versus what the official guidance suggests. What really stands out is how much active monitoring and advocacy is required - this definitely isn't a "submit and wait" situation anymore. Between @Oliver Wagner's insider tips about optimal calling times and DRN requests, @Mikayla Brown's advice about documenting "good faith effort" in your file, and everyone's emphasis on using specific technical terminology when calling schools, I feel like I'm getting a masterclass in financial aid system navigation that you simply cannot find anywhere else. The fact that a simple SSN transposition could cause a three-month delay really drives home how fragile these new systems are. I'm definitely going to triple-check that all my personal information matches exactly between my FAFSA and school records, and I'll be calling proactively after 2-3 weeks rather than waiting months to discover problems. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share such detailed experiences - this community knowledge-sharing is exactly what makes navigating these complex processes less intimidating. You've probably saved countless future students from unnecessary stress and missed deadlines!

As a complete newcomer to the FAFSA world, this thread has been absolutely incredible to read through! I'm planning to submit my first application in a few months and honestly had no idea about any of these potential complications. Reading @Ravi Choudhury's three-month journey and everyone's troubleshooting strategies has completely changed my understanding of what this process actually involves. What strikes me most is how the "simplified" FAFSA seems to have created so much hidden complexity behind the scenes. The fact that students now need to know technical terms like "FAA Access portal," "COD system," and "DRN numbers" just to get their financial aid processed is pretty mind-blowing! I'm definitely taking notes on all the proactive strategies shared here: calling schools 2-3 weeks after submission during optimal hours (thanks @Oliver Wagner for that insider tip!), triple-checking that personal info matches exactly between FAFSA and school records, asking specifically about SAI calculation completion rather than just "processed" status, and keeping detailed documentation of all interactions. The idea of requesting "good faith effort" notes in your file is brilliant too! It's honestly concerning that so much institutional knowledge is required just to navigate what should be a straightforward financial aid application, but I'm incredibly grateful for this community sharing their hard-won insights. You've probably saved me months of potential stress and confusion. This thread should definitely be required reading for anyone starting the FAFSA process - thank you all for being so generous with your experiences and solutions!

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who works in IT support - the Chrome/FAFSA compatibility issues are actually related to Chrome's recent security updates and how they handle cross-origin requests. The FAFSA site uses some older web technologies that don't play nice with Chrome's stricter security policies. Firefox and Edge are more lenient with these legacy systems, which is why they work better. If you absolutely must use Chrome for some reason, you can try adding studentaid.gov to your trusted sites and temporarily lowering your security settings, but I'd honestly just recommend Firefox like everyone else here. It's saved me so much headache when helping family members with their applications!

As someone who just went through this exact same frustration two weeks ago, I can definitely confirm that Firefox is the solution! I spent hours banging my head against the wall with Chrome - it would crash right at the parent contribution section every single time. The moment I switched to Firefox (in private browsing mode like others mentioned), everything worked smoothly. One thing I'd add is to make sure you completely close Chrome before opening Firefox, just to avoid any potential conflicts. Also bookmark the FAFSA login page in Firefox so you don't accidentally go back to Chrome out of habit like I almost did! It's ridiculous that we have to deal with these browser compatibility issues for something as important as financial aid applications, but at least there's a reliable workaround.