I think this is just another example of the Department of Education's complete incompetence with the new FAFSA rollout. These messages are scaring students and parents for NO REASON. My daughter got a message saying her FAFSA was selected for verification AFTER her college already processed her financial aid package! When we called the school, they said to ignore it because they already had everything they needed. Complete waste of time and stress.

To summarize what everyone has shared: this is a known display glitch affecting processed applications. As long as: 1. You have a confirmation email and number 2. Both student and parent/contributor have signed electronically 3. Your SAI score is visible in your account 4. Your selected colleges have received your FAFSA data Then you can safely ignore this message. It should disappear within a week or two as the system continues to be updated. The Department of Education is aware of these display issues and is working on fixing them, but they're not affecting the actual processing of financial aid.

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.

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.

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!

Since you asked about timelines in a previous comment - schools typically receive your FAFSA information within 3-5 business days after it's processed. Most schools will start sending financial aid award letters in March/April for the fall semester, though some may send them earlier, especially if you've been accepted through early decision or early action. Regarding your concern about your SAI being higher than expected - that's not uncommon with the new FAFSA system. The 2024-2025 FAFSA uses a different formula than previous years. If you're concerned, you can always schedule an appointment with a financial aid counselor at your top choice schools to discuss your specific situation once you receive your aid packages. They can often explain why your SAI is what it is and suggest potential options.

btw check if any of ur schools have priority deadlines for institutional scholarships!!! some colleges have separate applications for their own scholarships with deadlines BEFORE you even get ur financial aid package. i missed out on applying for some because i didn't know about them until it was too late

I sent both - email first, then followed up with a physical letter mailed to the director specifically (found his name on the school website). I included a brief paragraph about my daughter's academics and extracurriculars, but mainly focused on the FAFSA timeline with documentation. I also mentioned that we had received aid offers from their competitor schools, which might have helped!

TBH maybe take this as a sign... my kid went to USC and they were HORRIBLE with financial aid all 4 years. constantly losing documents, changing aid amounts last minute, making us jump through hoops for everything. if they're already doing this before u even start maybe consider somewhere else