Anyone received their 2025-2026 FAFSA award letter yet? Still waiting after 8 weeks

lol ur way 2 early, award letters dont usually come out until April-May for most schools, chill

The 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout has been significantly delayed compared to previous years. Most institutions are only now beginning to receive and process SAI information, even if you submitted early. According to the Department of Education's latest update, schools are running about 4-6 weeks behind their normal processing schedule. Here's what you should know: - Having your SAI score appear on studentaid.gov is a good sign - Schools typically don't start sending award letters until they've determined their internal budgets - Many institutions are still waiting on final federal allocation amounts - First-year students often receive award letters before continuing students I recommend checking your school's financial aid office website for any announcements about their timeline. Many have posted updates specifically about the 2025-2026 delays.

IM FREAKING OUT TOO!!! applied to 6 schools and NOTHING from any of them!!! last week i called my top choice and they said they havent even STARTED reviewing most files?!?! how are we supposed to make decisions like this??? my parents keep asking me what school im going to and i have NO IDEA without seeing the money!!!

I actually just received my award letter yesterday from State University! But only that one school - my other four are still silent. When I checked my State portal last week, it still showed nothing, then suddenly yesterday the full package appeared. My EFC is pretty low though (Pell-eligible), so maybe they're prioritizing certain students? My roommate who has a higher family income hasn't heard anything yet.

Former financial aid counselor here. The 2025-2026 FAFSA process has been unusually challenging for institutions. The Department of Education implemented significant changes to the formula and processing system, which created a backlog. Typically, schools follow this timeline: 1. Receive FAFSA data from ED (delayed this year) 2. Import into institutional systems (many reporting technical issues) 3. Run verification on selected applications (approximately 30% of applications) 4. Calculate institutional aid packages 5. Generate and send award letters Many schools are only at step 2 or 3 right now, when normally they'd be at step 5. If you're concerned, I recommend calling the financial aid office directly. Online portals aren't always updated immediately, and sometimes a counselor can tell you where your application stands in their process.

Just an update - I received an email from Northwestern University's financial aid office today stating they expect to release award letters for continuing students in mid-April, which is about 3 weeks later than their normal timeline. They specifically mentioned the FAFSA processing delays as the reason. Might be worth checking if any of your schools have sent similar communications.

my cousin works in financial aid at a small college and she told me they're a MESS this year. apparently the new SAI system is causing all kinds of problems and they've had to manually review way more applications than usual. she said dont expect anything until at LEAST mid-april and maybe even may for some schools!!!

Has anyone noticed that the new SAI scores seem really different from the old EFC numbers? My SAI is about 35% higher than my EFC was last year, even though our family finances haven't changed much. I'm worried this means I'll get less aid than before.

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I feel a lot better knowing it's a systemic issue and not something wrong with my specific application. I'll check my schools' websites for updates and try calling their financial aid offices next week. Fingers crossed we all get our award letters soon!

I'm in the same boat and this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I submitted my FAFSA back in January and have been checking my portals obsessively. It's really helpful to know this is happening everywhere and not just with my applications. I'm a transfer student applying for fall 2025, so I wasn't sure if that was causing additional delays. Has anyone heard if transfer students are being processed differently or on a different timeline than first-year students this year?

I'm also experiencing the same delays and it's so stressful! I submitted my FAFSA in December and still haven't heard anything from 4 out of 5 schools. The one school that did get back to me sent a very brief email saying they're "working through technical challenges with the new FAFSA system" and expect to have awards ready by late April. What's really frustrating is that some of my friends who applied to the same schools but have different financial situations (higher family income) seem to be getting their letters faster. I'm wondering if schools are prioritizing applications in a different order this year? For anyone still waiting, I found it helpful to set up email alerts on my student portals so I don't have to keep checking manually. Also, a few schools have been posting updates on their Instagram accounts about FAFSA delays, which has been more current than their official websites. Hang in there everyone - sounds like we're all in this together!

I'm also waiting for my 2025-2026 FAFSA award letters and this thread has been so helpful! I submitted mine in early January and have only heard crickets from all 7 schools I applied to. My SAI showed up about a month ago, but like others have mentioned, it seems like the schools just aren't ready to process anything yet. What's been particularly stressful for me is that I'm a first-generation college student, so my parents don't really understand the process and keep asking me when I'll know about financial aid. I've been trying to explain the delays but they're worried something went wrong with our application. I actually called one of my schools last week and the financial aid counselor was really understanding. She explained that they're dealing with a lot of technical issues importing the new FAFSA data and that their normal timeline has been pushed back by about 6-8 weeks. She also mentioned that they've been getting a lot of calls from anxious students and families, so we're definitely not alone in this. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps to know this is a widespread issue and not something specific to my application!

I'm in the exact same situation and this thread has been a lifesaver for my anxiety! Submitted my FAFSA in early February and have been radio silent from all 6 schools I applied to. What's really been getting to me is seeing some classmates posting about their award letters on social media while I'm still waiting. I ended up creating a spreadsheet to track all my schools' financial aid office phone numbers and any updates I find on their websites. So far, 3 out of 6 have posted notices about FAFSA delays, with most saying to expect award letters 4-6 weeks later than usual. One thing I learned from calling my state school is that they're prioritizing applications that don't require verification first. Since about 30% of FAFSAs get selected for verification this year (higher than usual), that might explain why some people are hearing back faster than others. Hang in there everyone! Sounds like April/May is going to be the magic timeframe for most of us. At least we know it's not just us!

I'm so relieved to find this thread! I submitted my FAFSA in late January and have been completely panicking thinking I did something wrong. I'm a senior trying to decide between my top 3 schools and literally can't make any decisions without knowing what my aid packages look like. My parents keep asking me which school is most affordable and I have NO IDEA. What's been driving me crazy is that my guidance counselor kept telling me the new FAFSA was supposed to be "streamlined" and faster, but this feels like the opposite of streamlined! I've been losing sleep over this thinking my application got lost somewhere. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel so much better knowing this is happening nationwide. I'm definitely going to try calling my schools next week armed with all the info from this thread. Has anyone had luck getting updates through email instead of phone calls? Some of these financial aid offices seem impossible to reach by phone. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and tips - this community has been more helpful than any official source I've found!

This thread has been such a relief to read! I submitted my FAFSA back in December thinking I was being super proactive, but here I am still waiting like everyone else. I'm a junior applying for graduate school and was starting to panic that maybe the process was different for grad students or that I missed some important deadline. What really resonates with me is everyone mentioning the stress of not being able to make informed decisions. I got into my top choice program but also have a backup option at a state school, and the financial aid package is literally going to determine which path I take. My family keeps asking about my plans and I feel like I'm in this weird limbo where I can't commit to anything. I called my top choice school yesterday and the financial aid officer was really reassuring. She said they're about 6 weeks behind their normal schedule and specifically mentioned that graduate student awards might take even longer because they have to coordinate with departmental funding decisions. She suggested checking back in mid-to-late April. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and timeline updates - it's so much better knowing this is a systemic issue rather than feeling like I'm the only one still waiting!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I submitted my FAFSA in early February and have been checking my student portals obsessively every day thinking something was wrong with my application. I applied to 5 schools and haven't heard a peep from any of them, which has been making me incredibly anxious about making my college decision by May 1st. What's been particularly stressful is that I'm comparing offers from both in-state and out-of-state schools, and without knowing the financial aid packages, I can't even begin to evaluate which option makes sense for my family. My parents have been asking me to start eliminating schools from consideration, but how can I when the aid could make a $40K/year school more affordable than a $15K/year school? Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a huge relief - knowing that December and January submissions are still waiting makes me feel so much better about my February timeline. I'm definitely going to try emailing my schools this week using some of the tips shared here, and I'll check their social media accounts for updates too. Thanks to everyone for being so transparent about their situations and sharing helpful strategies. This community has been way more informative than any official communication I've received from schools or the Department of Education!

I'm in the exact same situation and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I submitted my FAFSA in mid-January and have been radio silent from all 4 schools I applied to. What's been really helpful is reading everyone's experiences and realizing this is truly a nationwide issue with the new FAFSA system, not something wrong with our individual applications. I actually just got off the phone with my state university's financial aid office (after waiting on hold for 45 minutes!) and the counselor confirmed they're running about 6-8 weeks behind their normal timeline. She said they're still importing data from the Department of Education and expect to start releasing award letters in mid-to-late April. She also mentioned that many schools are extending their deposit deadlines or making them more flexible given these unprecedented delays. One tip that worked for me: I called right when they opened at 8am on a Tuesday, which seemed to have shorter wait times than calling later in the day. The counselor was really understanding and said they've been getting tons of calls about this, so don't feel bad about reaching out for updates. Hang in there everyone - sounds like we just need to wait a bit longer, but at least we're all in this together! The waiting is definitely stressful when you're trying to make such a big decision, but knowing it's not our fault helps a lot.

I'm also in the same waiting situation and this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! I submitted my FAFSA in late January and have been anxiously checking my portals from all 5 schools with zero updates. Like many others here, my SAI appeared on studentaid.gov several weeks ago, but it feels like the schools are completely stuck in processing mode. What's been particularly nerve-wracking for me is that I'm comparing a mix of private and public schools with very different sticker prices, so the financial aid packages will literally determine which option is feasible. My family has been asking me to start narrowing down choices, but without seeing the actual aid offers, it's impossible to make any informed decisions. I'm planning to try the early morning phone call strategy that @Aidan Percy mentioned - 8am on a weekday seems like it might be the key to actually getting through. I'm also going to check my schools' social media accounts for updates like @Caleb Stone suggested, since that seems to be where some of the most current information is being posted. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences and timelines here. It's such a relief to know this is a widespread systemic issue with the new FAFSA rollout rather than something wrong with our individual applications. Hopefully we'll all start seeing some movement in the next few weeks!