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Just to clarify - the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) is specifically for undocumented students, DACA recipients, U visa holders, and students with TPS status who can't complete the FAFSA. If you're a California resident who is a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, you should complete the FAFSA, not the CADAA. Completing the wrong form can significantly delay your financial aid.
omg this happened to my cousin too!! they had to call like 50 times and then finally someone actually looked at her application properly instead of just saying "everything looks fine on our end" when it clearly wasn't fine!!!
So glad you finally got it figured out! I had a similar nightmare situation with my FAFSA two years ago when I was applying. Started panicking because my SAI score wasn't showing up correctly and the school kept saying they couldn't see my application. Turned out my birthday was entered with the wrong year (1990 instead of 1999) and nobody caught it through multiple reviews. I actually lost a scholarship opportunity because it took so long to fix. The whole system needs a complete overhaul honestly.
That's awful you lost a scholarship because of their error! Did you try appealing to the scholarship committee? I'm finding this whole process makes me anxious about what other issues might pop up before my daughter actually receives her aid.
I tried appealing but they had already distributed all funds by then. The financial aid officer felt bad but said there was nothing they could do. My advice is to follow up WEEKLY with both FAFSA and your school until everything is confirmed received and processed. Don't trust when they say "it looks fine" - ask specifically if they can see the application in THEIR system, not just that it was submitted.
I've been tracking the SAVE Plan since it was first announced, and it's important to note that any changes would likely be phased in rather than happening overnight. The current legal challenges may also delay implementation of any rollbacks. In the meantime, you should document all your current loan details, payment amounts, and program enrollment status. This documentation can be crucial if you need to dispute changes or demonstrate that you were following program requirements. Also worth noting - the SAVE Plan's more generous provisions for undergraduate loans (5% of discretionary income rather than 10%) weren't scheduled to take effect until July 2024 anyway, so some of what you're worried about losing may not have even been implemented yet.
Thank you for this information. You're right that I should document everything. I hadn't realized the 5% calculation wasn't even in effect yet - I thought that was part of what I was already getting. The financial aid system is so confusing sometimes. Do you know if there's a specific way I should be documenting things or specific information I should make sure to save?
I recommend taking screenshots of your loan servicer account showing current balances, payment amounts, and especially your enrollment in specific repayment plans. Save any emails confirming your enrollment in SAVE or other IDR plans. Keep records of your income certifications and when they were processed. If you speak with representatives, get reference numbers for the calls and take detailed notes about what they tell you. The Department of Education and servicers have made errors in the past, so having your own documentation is crucial.
Thanks everyone for the advice and commiseration. I'm still anxious but at least I feel less alone in this. I'm going to try reaching out directly to my loan servicer tomorrow and see if I can get some clarity on my specific situation before making any decisions. And I'll definitely be documenting everything going forward - that advice makes a lot of sense. I just wish the whole system wasn't so complicated and that they wouldn't keep changing the rules on us when we've built our entire financial lives around certain expectations.
let us know how it goes when u call them!! i need to do the same thing but i'm dreading it
Just to clarify for everyone: The "days remaining" countdown is ONLY relevant for applications that haven't been submitted yet. Once the FAFSA shows as "processed" in the system, the application is complete and has been successfully transmitted to schools. The Department of Education is aware of this confusing UI issue but with all the other problems in the new system, fixing the countdown timer hasn't been their priority. As long as you can see your SAI calculation and the status shows "processed," you can safely ignore the countdown.
I'm filling out my first FAFSA now and I'm terrified I'll mess something up... how long did it take after your daughter submitted for the SAI calculation to show up? Mine's been pending for almost a month!
Ava Rodriguez
This is a known issue with the new studentaid.gov platform. I work in a university financial aid office, and we've been seeing this problem frequently. The technical explanation is that there's a synchronization issue between the FSA ID database and the main FAFSA database after the simplified FAFSA rollout. Important: DO NOT create multiple FSA IDs as some have suggested. This can cause more problems with your account and could potentially flag your application for verification. The fastest solution is to speak with an FSA agent who can manually reset the database connection for your account. If you're up against a verification deadline, make sure to ask the agent to note this in your file. They can add an extension code that will give you additional time for document submission while this technical issue is resolved.
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Amara Adeyemi
•Thank you for the professional insight! Good to know about not creating multiple FSA IDs - we were about to try that based on another comment. I'll definitely ask about the extension code when I finally reach someone. Really appreciate the help!
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Amara Adeyemi
Update: Finally got through to FSA! I used the Claimyr service someone recommended above and got a callback within 30 minutes. The agent confirmed there's a system-wide issue affecting parent/contributor access, especially for accounts that have gone through verification. The fix was that they had to clear some kind of "authentication flag" on our account and then had us do one more password reset while they monitored the system. We're back in now and can access everything! They also added a 14-day extension to our verification deadline because of the technical issues. Thanks everyone for your help! If anyone else runs into this, definitely ask about the authentication flag and request an extension if you're close to a deadline.
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Dylan Wright
•Glad you got it fixed! This whole FAFSA system is such a mess, but at least some of the agents know what they're doing. I'll remember that "authentication flag" thing if it happens to me again.
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