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does anyone know if adding more schools will change my SAI?? i'm worried that making ANY corrections might mess up my current number which is pretty low
Adding schools won't affect your SAI calculation. Your Student Aid Index is based solely on your financial information and family circumstances, not which schools you select. You can add up to 20 schools total, and it won't impact your aid eligibility at all.
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?
also just fyi if u get selected for verification STAY ON TOP OF IT!!! my roommate got selected and didn't complete everything in time and lost out on like $4000 for that semester!! they are SUPER strict about deadlines with that stuff
Yep this is so true! And some schools have earlier internal deadlines than what FAFSA says. My brothers verification took so long that he almost didn't get his money in time for spring semester. The whole verification thing is basically them saying "prove you're really this poor" which is annoying but you gotta do it
One more thing to consider: since you'll have a full Pell Grant, you might also be eligible for additional institutional aid from your school. Many colleges offer supplemental grants or scholarships to Pell-eligible students. When you speak with the financial aid office, specifically ask if there are any additional funding opportunities you qualify for with your negative SAI. Also, make sure to file the 2026-2027 FAFSA as soon as it becomes available (usually October 1, 2025) if you plan to continue your education beyond Spring 2026. Early filing often means access to more institutional funds.
I had no idea there might be additional aid available! I'll definitely ask about that when I call tomorrow. And thank you for the reminder about filing early for next year - I'm planning to get my associate's degree so I'll need to keep applying. I feel so much less stressed now having a clear plan of what to do next.
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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