Do all colleges automatically receive FAFSA info once some have processed it?

Schools don't automatically "get" the FAFSA information - they can only access it if your daughter listed them on her FAFSA application using their school codes. When she submitted her FAFSA, there should have been a section where she entered the school codes for each college she wanted to receive her information. Check her StudentAid.gov account under "My FAFSA" and look at which schools are listed there. If all 7 schools are listed, then they all have access to her FAFSA data. Different schools just process at different speeds - some are very efficient, others take forever. You might want to call the financial aid offices at the 5 slower schools to check on status.

this happens ALL the time lol. my son applied to 9 schools and we got aid packages from like 3 of them within a week and then waited FOREVER for the rest. some schools are just faster than others, it doesn't mean anything is wrong

Financial aid advisor here - Yes, if your daughter listed all 7 schools on her FAFSA (you can list up to 10), then all of those schools received her information simultaneously when the FAFSA was processed. Each school has their own timeline and process for creating financial aid packages. Some factors that affect timing: 1. Size of the school's financial aid office 2. Total number of applicants they're processing 3. Their internal verification procedures 4. Whether they need additional documentation from you 5. If they use institutional methodology in addition to the FAFSA's federal methodology Importantly: some schools may have sent you requests for additional documentation through their student portals. Make sure your daughter is checking EACH school's portal/email system regularly. If a school is requesting verification documents and you haven't provided them, they can't finalize her package.

Call. The. Schools. Seriously don't wait. My daughter lost out on $5000 in grants because one school "didn't receive" her FAFSA even though it was submitted correctly. When we finally called them to ask about the delay they suddenly "found" it but said it was too late for some of the grants. ALWAYS follow up by phone if you don't hear back within 3-4 weeks of submitting FAFSA. The system is a mess.

Try using Claimyr if you're having trouble getting through to any of the financial aid offices. I was on hold with one school for HOURS trying to check on my son's financial aid package, then I found this service at claimyr.com that got me through to a real person in like 15 minutes. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. It worked really well for contacting the Federal Student Aid office too when we had questions about our SAI calculation. Saved me so much time and frustration.

Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you check if any of those 5 schools require the CSS Profile in ADDITION to the FAFSA. You mentioned that the 2 schools that already processed her aid only used FAFSA, but some (especially private schools) require both. If they need the CSS Profile and you haven't submitted it, they won't process her aid package. The CSS Profile is through College Board and has a separate fee, unlike FAFSA which is free.

Make sure 2 check ur junk mail or spam folder too!! My daughters aid letter went straight to spam from 2 universities for some reason and we almost missed the deadline 2 accept the scholarships!

I work in a financial aid office, and I have to say it's been an unusually busy year with the new FAFSA system rollout. Many schools are backlogged because of all the changes. Your daughter submitted her FAFSA pretty early if she already has some aid packages, which is great! But many schools are still catching up. If the schools were listed on her FAFSA, they 100% received the information - it's just a matter of when they'll process it. Calling to check is fine, but please be patient with the staff. We're all working as quickly as possible to get through the applications.

Schools are INCREDIBLY slow this year because of the new FAFSA system!!!!! My niece is in the same boat - some schools already sent packages, others are saying it could be APRIL before they finalize!!!! It's ridiculous how they expect students to make decisions by May 1 when they might not get financial info until a few weeks before!!!!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My son is a junior and we're just starting to learn about the FAFSA process. Reading about everyone's experiences with the delays and the need to check multiple portals is eye-opening. I had no idea about the CSS Profile requirement for some schools - that's definitely something we'll need to research early. One question: for those who have been through this before, what's the earliest you can submit FAFSA for the following academic year? I want to make sure we get ahead of any potential delays when it's our turn next year.