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I was worried about the same thing! But I've logged in like 50 times (I'm obsessive lol) and my application has processed normally. Got my SAI calculation after about 3 weeks. Just don't click on any "edit" or "update" buttons while you're in there if you're worried!
Does anyone else think it's RIDICULOUS that we're all scared to even check our applications? The whole FAFSA system is such a disaster this year. My son's college financial aid office told us they're seeing TONS of students with unexplained corrections and delays. They actually advised us not to touch the application unless absolutely necessary!
It's definitely been a challenging rollout with the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. While I understand the caution, official FSA guidance doesn't support the "don't log in" approach. The issues are related to system processing, not user logins. Your son's school is likely being cautious due to the high volume of problems they're seeing.
do u think theyll fix the contributor stuff this time? my stepdad couldnt add himself as contributor cuz the system kept crashing and we had to submit without his info which messed up our SAI calculation
OMG the contributor section was IMPOSSIBLE! We had the same problem with my husband (student's stepdad) and had to call like 10 times to get it fixed. Hopefully they actually tested the system this time 🙄
I know we're all a bit traumatized from last year's FAFSA launch, but I've heard from colleagues at the Department of Education that they've completely overhauled the technical infrastructure after last year's issues. They're doing extensive testing before the launch this time, so hopefully it'll be much smoother. The new SAI calculation is actually more generous for many families than the old EFC was, especially for those with multiple students in college.
That's reassuring to hear! I've been reading that the new calculation doesn't give as much of a break for multiple students in college though? Is that accurate?
Yes, that's correct - I should have been clearer. The new SAI calculation is generally more favorable for lower-income families, but you're right that they removed the significant discount for multiple students in college that existed under the old system. Families with multiple college students may see higher SAI numbers than they would have under the old EFC calculation. Each student gets their own SAI now.
my daughter and i had the same thing happen last week!! what ended up fixing it was both of us using the SAME device (we used her laptop). For some reason when we used different devices the system couldn't sync properly. might be worth a try if nothing else is working!
UPDATE: We finally got it to work! For anyone who finds this thread later, here's what solved it for us: 1. We both logged out completely 2. Cleared browser cache and cookies 3. I logged in as the contributor first and went through each section again (even though everything showed complete) 4. Found that in the household section, even though all fields were filled and had green checkmarks, there was a hidden validation error that only appeared when I clicked the "Continue" button again 5. After fixing that and seeing the balloon page AGAIN, my daughter waited about 30 minutes before logging in 6. This time the system recognized my submission and she was able to complete the application Our SAI calculation came through about 4 hours later. Thanks to everyone for your help! The new FAFSA system definitely has some serious technical issues.
Glad you got it working! Your experience highlights why it's so important to start the FAFSA process early. With all these technical glitches in the new system, what used to take an hour can now take days or even weeks to complete. Thanks for sharing your solution - it will definitely help others facing the same issue.
Thank you for updating the thread with what worked! This is exactly the kind of hidden validation error we've been seeing at our financial aid office. I'm going to save your steps to share with other families who encounter this issue.
lol welcome to fafsa 2025-26... where everything's made up and your data doesn't matter! 🤣 but srsly tho the new "simplified" system is 10x worse than before
RIGHT?! they literally made it wayyyy more complicated and buggy. my counselor said they've had more fafsa problems this year than the last 5 years combined
Update on this issue: The Department of Education released a patch yesterday for this specific problem. If your parent logs in today, they should see an option that says "Recover previous contribution data" on their dashboard. This should restore the information they previously entered. If that option doesn't appear, there's a workaround: 1. Have your parent create a new contribution from scratch 2. On the first page where they enter their name/info, there's now a small link at the bottom that says "Load saved information" 3. Clicking that will usually recover their previously entered data Hope this helps with your May 1st deadline!
UPDATE: IT WORKED!! My mom logged in this morning and saw the "Recover previous contribution data" option! She clicked it and everything she had entered was there. She was able to complete the signature process and now my FAFSA shows as submitted! Thank you SO MUCH for letting me know about the patch!!!
Muhammad Hobbs
i just checked mine again after reading this thread and my SAI magically appeared today!!! maybe check yours again?
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Sasha Reese
•Just checked and still nothing for me. Fingers crossed it updates soon! When did you originally submit yours?
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Muhammad Hobbs
•like 2.5 weeks ago. hang in there!!
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Sasha Reese
UPDATE: My SAI finally showed up this morning! Looks like I just needed to be patient after all. Thanks everyone for the advice and reassurance. For anyone else with this issue - mine took exactly 8 days to process.
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Sadie Benitez
•Great news! This is pretty consistent with what we're seeing this cycle - most applications are processing in 7-10 days. Now make sure to check with your school's financial aid office about next steps for finalizing your aid package.
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