Have you verified both you and your daughter have valid FSA IDs that are properly linked to the application? This was the issue with my son's application. Even though we both had FSA IDs and thought they were connected to the application, there was some kind of verification problem that prevented the final submission. When we finally got through to someone at FSA, they explained that both FSA IDs needed to be fully verified through the email confirmation process AND linked to the specific application. In our case, I had created a new FSA ID (forgot my old one) but the system was still trying to use my old one for verification purposes. I would recommend checking both FSA ID accounts separately to confirm verification status before trying anything else. The sign and submit button won't appear if either account has verification issues.

Just following up to see if any of these suggestions helped resolve your issue? The deadline for many schools' priority financial aid is approaching, so I wanted to check if you were able to make progress.

My twins graduated last year and honestly I'm STILL confused about how all this works lmao. But congrats on your daughter's acceptances!!! That's awesome! 🎉

Update: I called the admissions offices for the 3 schools she already applied to directly. Two of them said NOT to submit Common App since she's already accepted, but the third one actually wants her to submit through Common App too! They said it's for "record keeping purposes" which seems silly, but I guess we'll do it. Thank you everyone for the advice - this forum has been more helpful than the high school counselor!

After dealing with this same problem for days, I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid who fixed it for me! I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get past the phone wait - they have this service where they wait on hold with FSA for you and call you when an agent picks up. Saved me from sitting on hold for 2+ hours! The agent had to manually reset something on my account. Check out their demo video if you're curious how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Quick update for everyone: The Department of Education just posted that they'll be doing system maintenance this weekend specifically to fix this redirect issue. The portal will be down from Friday 10pm to Sunday 6am, and they expect the problem to be resolved after that. So if you can wait a few days, you might not need to call or try workarounds!

dont 4get to check if her major has any special scholarships!! my roomate got 3500 just for being in the engineering department but she had to ASK nobody told her about it lol

One final note: if you do end up needing private loans, having a cosigner with excellent credit can significantly reduce the interest rate - sometimes by 2-3 percentage points. Also, look for lenders that offer cosigner release after a certain number of on-time payments (usually 24-48 months). This allows your daughter to take over the loan independently once she has established her own credit history, which removes your liability.

just wait when my fafsa got processed it took like 3 weeks before the schools even looked at it. whole system is a mess this year

One more important tip: After your FAFSA is processed, many schools will also require the CSS Profile for institutional aid (scholarships and grants from the college itself). The CSS Profile is separate from FAFSA and administered through College Board. Check if any of your schools require this additional application!