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The Federal Student Aid website has been a DISASTER this year!!! I'm convinced they're deliberately making it difficult so fewer people get financial aid. They can claim they're "offering" all this money while making the system so broken nobody can actually complete the application! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
While the frustration is understandable, there's no evidence of deliberate obstruction. The issues are most likely related to the significant overhaul of the FAFSA system for 2025-2026, which changed from the old EFC to the new SAI calculation model. Any major system update of this scale typically has bugs that need to be worked out. It's unfortunate timing but not a conspiracy.
UPDATE: I followed the advice from this thread and FINALLY got it fixed! For anyone having the same issue, what worked was: 1. Clearing my browser cache completely 2. Using Chrome instead of Safari 3. Re-signing both student and parent sections even though they showed as complete 4. Staying on each page for at least 30 seconds before proceeding (weird but it worked!) AND most importantly - I used Claimyr to reach a Federal Student Aid agent who manually verified the signatures were received on their end. The agent confirmed there was a known issue with signature verification for some accounts and put a note on my file. My FAFSA now shows as fully processed with an SAI score! Thanks everyone for your help!
my daugter got a letter from her school saying they received her fafsa today but it was corrected back in march. its all messed up this year lol
March to now? That's almost two months! I really hope ours doesn't take that long. Did they extend her decision deadline because of the delay?
Quick update for everyone in this thread - FSA just released a statement yesterday acknowledging ongoing transmission delays to institutions. They're implementing a system update this weekend that should clear the backlog. If your school still hasn't received your FAFSA by next Wednesday, they recommend submitting a case through the FSA Feedback Center online rather than calling, as the call centers are overwhelmed.
Thank you for sharing this update! That's really helpful information. I'll wait until next Wednesday before submitting a case. Appreciate everyone's help and suggestions!
thx for sharing! just checked and my school FINALLY got our fafsa today!! maybe they started clearing the backlog already??
Financial aid advisor here. The "parent doesn't exist" error (PA-2345) is one of the most common issues with the new FAFSA system. I want to clarify a few important points: 1. This is a system matching error, not a reflection of your information being incorrect 2. Your school CAN'T fix this directly - it must be resolved with FSA 3. This will NOT affect your aid eligibility once resolved 4. While waiting for resolution, contact your school's financial aid office to document that you're actively working on the issue The fastest resolution is speaking directly with an FSA technical support agent who has the authority to perform a manual override. If you're struggling to get through on the phone, email FSA_FAFSA@ed.gov with "URGENT: Parent Verification Error PA-2345" in the subject line. Include your name, FSA ID (not password), and a brief description of the issue. Schools are aware of these system problems and most have processes in place to prevent these technical issues from affecting your aid packages, as long as you're actively trying to resolve them.
Thank you for this detailed information! I didn't know about the email option - that might be easier than trying to get through on the phone. Is there specific documentation I should gather before contacting them? And should my mom be available when I speak with them, or can I handle it myself?
You should have your FSA ID ready, and it's helpful to have a copy of your mom's social security card and a recent tax return nearby for reference. Your mom doesn't need to be present for the call, but having her available could speed things up if they need to verify additional information. For security reasons, they won't discuss her specific information with you unless she provides verbal authorization during the call or has completed the parent authorization form on studentaid.gov.
Update: I finally got through to FSA technical support this morning using the menu options that @FinAidHelper suggested! The agent confirmed it was an issue with my mom's hyphenated last name - apparently there was a space after the hyphen in the IRS database but not in the Social Security database. They did a manual override and told me it should be resolved within 48 hours. Thanks everyone for your help! I'll update again when I can confirm it's fixed.
Great news! Glad you got it resolved. The 48-hour timeframe is usually accurate in my experience, though sometimes it happens faster. Make sure to check your application status in the morning as the system updates overnight.
congrats!!! how long were u on hold?
my cousin was in a similar spot and ended up going to school in canada for animation. way cheaper even as an international student might be worth checking out
One additional option to consider: has your daughter looked into BFA programs at public universities? While the most famous animation programs tend to be at private art schools, there are some excellent animation tracks at public universities that would be significantly more affordable. Schools like San Jose State, UT Austin, and University of Central Florida have animation programs with strong industry connections at a fraction of the private school cost.
We did apply to a couple public universities with animation programs, but she didn't get into the most competitive ones. The less selective public programs we looked at didn't have the same quality of instruction or industry connections according to our research. But maybe we need to cast a wider net and look beyond the most obvious choices. Thank you for this suggestion!
Kristian Bishop
Just want to give you some hope - my daughter submitted in January too and randomly got her SAI yesterday with no emails or anything beforehand. The system just updated. Maybe check your account again?
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•Just checked again and still nothing 😠But it's good to know it might just suddenly appear!
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Luis Johnson
UPDATE: I called FSA this morning using that Claimyr service I mentioned, and the agent was super helpful. Turns out my application was complete but stuck in a processing queue. She manually pushed it through and said my SAI should appear within 3-5 business days! So relieved I didn't wait any longer to call.
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Axel Far
•Figures that you have to PAY someone just to get the government to do their job! This whole FAFSA system is a JOKE.
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