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Advice from someone who was in your exact position last month: call the school's financial aid office every single day until they give you more information. Be polite but persistent. They have access to more detailed status information than what shows up on your studentaid.gov account. Our daughter's application was stuck in "reprocessing" for 3 weeks until I finally got someone who explained exactly what document was missing (it was something we had no idea we needed to provide).
Thank you for this advice! What was the missing document in your case, if you don't mind sharing? I'm wondering if we might be missing something similar without knowing it.
UPDATE: I finally got some answers! I called the Federal Student Aid Information Center this morning (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it actually worked really well) and discovered our application was flagged for verification because my husband's reported income on the FAFSA didn't exactly match what the IRS data transfer showed (off by about $200 due to a late-reported retirement contribution). The weird part is that this verification flag was applied THREE WEEKS AGO but we were never notified! The FSA agent said schools are supposed to notify us about verification requirements, not the Department of Education. I then called the school again and spoke to a different financial aid counselor who confirmed they can see the verification flag but said they haven't started processing verifications for regular decision students yet - only for early decision. That's why they haven't contacted us about what documents they need. After explaining our situation with the approaching decision deadline, they're expediting our verification and will send the document request today. The counselor said once we submit the required documents, they should be able to prepare an aid offer within 3-5 business days. Lessons learned: 1) The FAFSA system doesn't always notify you of issues, 2) Schools handle verification differently, and 3) Being persistent and escalating your case can help get answers!
This is great news! And unfortunately very typical of this year's FAFSA rollout. The lack of notification about verification selection has been a widespread issue. I'm glad you were able to get answers and that they're expediting your verification. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, always check your FAFSA status regularly even if you haven't received any notification of issues. And don't hesitate to contact schools directly if you haven't received expected financial aid offers.
ur overthinking this!! just apply everywhere and decide later. my roomate did this and got like 6 acceptance letters and just picked the one with best $$$$ in april. no big deal!
While applying to multiple schools is good advice, this situation is different because it involves a potential mid-year transfer if the school closes suddenly. Financial aid packages for mid-year transfers work differently than regular fall admissions, and there are specific considerations like teach-out plans that need to be accounted for. It's not just about picking the best offer in April.
Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made a list of action items based on your advice: 1. Contact backup schools' financial aid offices to explain our situation 2. Get documentation from current school about their status 3. Look into transfer scholarship options at backup schools 4. Save copies of all current financial aid documents and transcripts 5. Check for deposit refund policies at all potential schools I feel much more prepared now to help my daughter navigate this uncertainty. Really appreciate all the guidance!
I'd recommend sending a polite but direct email to each financial aid office with:\n1. Your full name and student ID\n2. FAFSA submission date (1/16) and processing date (3/28)\n3. Confirmation number from your FAFSA\n4. A specific request for confirmation that you'll still be considered for all aid programs\n\nKeep the email professional but mention you've been anxiously waiting due to the lengthy processing time. Financial aid officers are overwhelmed right now, but most are being understanding about the nationwide delays.
One important thing nobody mentioned - make sure you and your daughter know the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized Direct loans! My son didn't understand this at first and it makes a BIG difference. Subsidized = no interest while in school. Unsubsidized = interest accumulates the whole time. Parent PLUS loans always accumulate interest from day one and have the highest rates of all federal loans.
ya n also the interest rates for next yr might b different right? does ne1 know when they announce the new rates for fall 2025 loans?
Federal student loan interest rates for the 2025-2026 academic year will be announced in May 2025. They're based on the 10-year Treasury note auction plus a fixed add-on amount depending on the loan type. Current rates were announced last May, so that's the typical timeline to expect for next year's rates.
Mateo Rodriguez
OMG the exact same thing happened to us last month!!! So frustrating! It turned out that even though we both signed, my daughter's FSA ID wasn't properly linked to her Social Security number in the system. We had to call and stay on hold for almost 2 hours, but they finally fixed it. The problem is that the system sometimes shows "in review" status even though it's actually waiting for something else to be fixed. Keep trying the phone line at odd hours - we got through at 8:05am on a Tuesday.
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Diego Rojas
•Two hours on hold?! That's insane. I'll try calling right when they open tomorrow morning. Did you have to provide any specific information when you finally got through?
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Diego Rojas
UPDATE: I finally figured it out! After trying literally everything suggested here, I discovered the issue was actually with our browser settings. I switched from Chrome to Firefox, cleared all cookies, and suddenly a pop-up appeared with the signature prompt when I logged in. For anyone facing this issue - try different browsers and disable any ad blockers or cookie blockers you might have. The signature page was there the whole time but was being blocked by my browser settings. My daughter's FAFSA now shows fully processed instead of in review. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Glad you figured it out! Their website is so poorly designed it's ridiculous. Thanks for sharing the solution!
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Nia Thompson
•Great troubleshooting! This is actually a common issue with the new FAFSA system - certain browser configurations can prevent security elements from loading properly. I'll add that using private/incognito browsing mode can sometimes help with these issues as well.
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