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My daughter is going thru the exact same thing right now!!! She submitted last week and her roommate already got the confirmation but she's still waiting. Makes no sense how they process these things. The financial aid world is so confusing for us parents. When I went to college we didn't have all this complicated SAI stuff. Just simpler times I guess.
ok but SAI is literally just the new name for EFC (expected family contribution)... its the same thing they've had for decades lol
Just checking back - did you ever get your confirmation number? If not, you should definitely call FSA directly at this point.
Yes! Finally got it this morning - took exactly 7 business days. My SAI is higher than I expected though, so now I'm worried about how much aid I'll actually get. Might need to start a new thread about that... But thanks everyone for the help with this issue!
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The FAFSA system this year is complete garbage. They rushed out all these "simplification" changes without proper testing and now students are paying the price. I've been trying to help my nephew with his application for WEEKS and we keep hitting different errors. The signature page issue is especially bad because it's literally the last step before submission, so you think you're done and then... ERROR. I complained to my congressman about it and surprisingly his office responded saying they've received hundreds of similar complaints and are pressuring the Department of Education to extend all financial aid deadlines this year. Maybe we should all be contacting our representatives about this disaster.
That's actually a great idea. I hadn't thought about contacting our representative, but you're right - this is a systemic issue that's affecting so many students. I'm going to do that tomorrow. Can't hurt to add another voice to the complaints!
yeah the "simplified" fafsa is like 10x worse than before lmaooo. whoever designed this needs to be fired fr
UPDATE: Finally got it to work! After trying basically everything suggested here, what finally worked was: 1. Using Microsoft Edge in InPrivate mode (thanks to the financial aid advisor who suggested this!) 2. Turning off my ad blocker (great tip from the parent who mentioned popup blockers) 3. Doing it at 5:30am when the system wasn't busy We got all the way through and have our confirmation email! Our SAI score was immediately available too. Now I'm going to help my daughter email her schools to explain the delay just to be safe. Thank you all so much for your help - I was seriously ready to throw my computer out the window!
Excellent news! I'm glad you got it resolved. That 5:30am timing definitely helps with the FAFSA system performance. Smart move to still contact the schools - it's always good to document these situations even after they're resolved.
5:30am?! you're a more dedicated parent than me lol! glad it worked out though!
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Just following up - after you contact your school's financial aid office, make sure to get documentation of your conversation. Ask them to note in your file that you're experiencing the known signature verification glitch. Many schools are implementing workarounds where they'll process your preliminary FAFSA data while waiting for the signature issues to be resolved. Also important - don't create multiple applications as someone suggested. This can cause even more problems in the system and potentially flag your application for verification, which adds another layer of complications.
Thanks for the follow-up! I got through to my school's financial aid office this morning. They were super understanding and said they're seeing this problem with lots of students. They made a note in my file and told me they'll process my preliminary data while I work on getting the signature issue fixed with FSA. What a relief!
FYI I just saw on the FSA Twitter that they're doing system maintenance this weekend that's supposed to fix the signature issues. Maybe wait until Monday before trying again? Good luck!
Really? That's great news! I'll definitely wait until after the maintenance before trying again. Hopefully this nightmare will finally be over. Thanks for the heads up!
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Just to add - don't forget that the Parent PLUS loan is also an option if the financial aid packages don't cover enough. That's what we ended up doing to fill the gap. It's not ideal because the interest rates aren't great, but it's there if you need it.
Be careful with Parent PLUS loans though! The interest rates are ridiculous and they can really add up. We're still paying off my oldest kid's PLUS loans 8 years later. Try to avoid them if possible.
Thank you everyone for your helpful responses! I feel so much better now understanding that this is just the federal portion and not the complete aid package. We'll wait for the schools to send their financial aid offers before making any decisions. One more question - if one school offers significantly less aid than another, is it possible to ask them to match the better offer? I've heard some people have success with this approach but wasn't sure if it's common practice.
Yes, this is called a financial aid appeal or professional judgment review. If you receive a significantly better offer from a comparable institution, you can absolutely contact your preferred school's financial aid office and ask if they can reconsider their offer based on the competing offer. Be prepared to provide documentation of the better offer. Many schools have formal appeal processes, and success rates vary by institution. It's always worth trying, especially if your preferred school is similar in standing to the one that gave the better offer.
Nina Chan
UPDATE: Finally got in! For anyone still having issues, I used Claimyr like someone suggested above and got through to an agent in about 15 mins. They confirmed they're having email system problems and helped me get a temporary access code that bypassed the email verification. My application is submitted now! If you're still stuck, definitely try calling through Claimyr or contact your school's financial aid office. Thanks everyone for the help!
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Diego Castillo
•Great news! Just as a heads up for everyone - make sure you save/print your confirmation page and SAI calculation once you submit. With the system being glitchy, it's always good to have documentation of your submission in case there are any issues later.
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Ruby Knight
omg it worked!! just got off phone with FSA and they fixed my account!! thanks for the claimyr tip, definitely worth it to not sit on hold for hours
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Logan Stewart
•I'm glad you were able to get through! I actually ended up calling my daughter's university financial aid office directly and they gave us a one-week extension on their institutional deadline. They said they've been getting many similar calls about the FAFSA email verification system.
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