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yeah its completley ridiculous!!! my nephew is going through the same thing right now and my sister is losing her mind. they need to fire whoever was in charge of this disaster and go back to the old system that actually WORKED! now my nephew might have to take a gap year because of this mess.
I was in the same boat last week - absolutely desperate after waiting since January. I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. They connected me to an actual FSA agent who found that there was a small discrepancy in how we reported our retirement accounts that was causing the delay. They fixed it on the spot and our information was sent to schools within 3 days! Now we finally have aid packages coming in. Don't give up - sometimes it just takes reaching the right person who can actually help.
That's really encouraging to hear! How long ago did you get your issue resolved, and how quickly did schools send aid packages after that? I'm trying to gauge realistic timelines here.
We got our FAFSA issue fixed last Thursday, and two schools sent preliminary aid packages by Tuesday. The other schools said they'll have something to us by next week. So about 3-5 business days for the first responses, and 7-10 days for the rest. Much faster than I expected once the FAFSA data actually arrived!
my cousins best friend had the same thing happen but she ended up getting her FAFSA finally done and got into university for spring semester, so dont give up hope!!!
Since your son just submitted yesterday, I'd recommend having him check his StudentAid.gov account daily for the SAI calculation. Once that appears, immediately add the university's school code and then personally contact their financial aid office. Many schools have special provisions for students affected by FAFSA delays this year, including extended deadlines and expedited processing. The Department of Education has also directed schools to be more flexible with documentation for the 2025-2026 cycle due to the widespread issues.
I HATE THIS NEW SYSTEM SO MUCH!!!! Last year I could do all 3 of my kids applications in 30 minutes. This year it took me 7 HOURS to do the exact same thing!!!! And guess what? After all that the SAI calculation came back COMPLETELY WRONG because the system didn't properly account for multiple dependents in college at once. Had to file appeals for all 3 kids. Complete disaster. Good luck, you'll need it.
Oh no, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Did your appeal for the SAI calculation get resolved? We're counting on getting some aid with three in college at once.
Update for anyone finding this thread: The Department of Education just announced they're going to simplify the process for parents with multiple students in the 2025-2026 cycle. They're adding a "copy parent information" button that will be available starting in November 2024. Should save parents from entering the same information multiple times.
my daughter just went thru this whole mess with her FAFSA... the schools all wanted different things... some wanted paper forms... others wanted us to wait... it was a disaster. my advice is call EVERY school and be super persistent. keep notes of who you talk to. follow up every call with an email summarizing what they told you.
Quick update on corrections: The Department of Education just announced that the FAFSA correction functionality is scheduled to open on March 28th. They're implementing it in phases, with some students getting access earlier than others. If you've contacted the schools directly as others suggested, you should be in good shape, but mark that date on your calendar to submit the official correction as well.
Luca Ferrari
The whole FAFSA system is a disaster this year!! First they delay the application release, then they put out a buggy Beta version, then the main release has all these glitches... My daughter missed out on thousands in first-come-first-served state grants because of these delays and now we're stuck with more loans. So frustrating!!!!
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StarStrider
•I feel ur pain. We're deaing with verification now and it's a nightmare. They flagged our application for "unusual income changes" that aren't unusual at all! Just retired last year but the system doesn't understand that. Going on 6 weeks waiting for resolution...
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Sean Flanagan
Quick follow-up: For anyone else with this problem, make sure you complete your section IMMEDIATELY after being restored. I waited a few hours after getting access back, and when I tried to log in again, I was removed a second time! Had to go through the whole browser trick again. Don't delay once you get access back!
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