Quick update for everyone in this thread - the Department of Education announced yesterday that they're experiencing higher than normal processing volumes right now, and some applications may take up to 10 business days to process. This is temporary and they're working to speed things up. If your application takes longer than 10 business days, then you should definitely contact them as something else might be wrong.

UPDATE: Just got my SAI this morning! Took exactly 5 business days. For anyone else waiting - hang in there! And thanks everyone for the advice about the housing application - I contacted the school and they said the FAFSA confirmation number is fine for now as long as I update them when I get my actual aid package.

One strategy I used when my son transferred from CC to university was splitting our savings between my Roth IRA (for the FAFSA protection) and paying down our mortgage (reducing countable assets while essentially "saving" by building equity). This worked really well for us - we got a much better aid package than expected. Just be careful with the Roth - you can only contribute earned income up to the annual limit. Don't exceed this or you'll face penalties that defeat the purpose of your strategy.

my brother put his kids college money in pokemon cards lol. but seriously just use a 529 cuz u can use it for the community college costs too not just when they transfer

The whole FAFSA process is DESIGNED to be difficult to discourage people from applying. Change my mind. They don't want to give out aid so they make the process as painful as possible. Notice how the glitches ALWAYS get fixed right AFTER the priority deadlines pass? 🤔

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions! I ended up following the advice to use a desktop computer with Chrome, and that solved my problem. For anyone else struggling with this issue, here's what worked: 1. Used Windows laptop (not iPad/mobile) 2. Cleared browser cache completely 3. Disabled Chrome autofill 4. Used keyboard Tab key to navigate between fields I was finally able to enter the correct DOB and complete my application. Now fingers crossed for a decent aid package!

My cousins SAI calculation was totally wrong because his mom forgot to sign and they submitted a correction too late. Then he got way less money than he shouldve. This whole systems a mess.

UPDATE: My dad just signed it! The status changed to "processing" immediately. Thanks everyone for the advice - I'll email my schools in the morning to let them know about the delay. Fingers crossed they'll still consider me for full aid packages despite missing the priority deadline by a few days.

Totally agree with checking if colleges need the CSS Profile too! My daughter applied to 6 schools and 2 required both FAFSA AND CSS Profile. The CSS asks for way more financial info and costs $25 for the first school and $16 for each additional one. They do have fee waivers though if your income qualifies.

@Theresa Just be mentally prepared for how invasive these financial aid forms feel. They want to know EVERYTHING - your income, savings, home equity (for some schools), even child support. I felt like I needed a financial advisor AND a therapist after filling everything out! 😫 Oh and make SURE you're using the official studentaid.gov site. There are scam sites that charge you to fill out the FAFSA which should always be FREE!