FAFSA 24-25 form showing 'In Progress' after viewing it during 25-26 application - need to resubmit?

Omg, the EXACT thing happened to me last month!! I was working on my 25-26 app and opened my old one to check something, and it flipped to 'In Progress.' I panicked and called the Federal Student Aid helpline but couldn't get through after waiting for like 45 minutes. I ended up just resubmitting it again just to be safe, and nothing bad happened. My aid package stayed the same. It's probably just a glitch in their system.

This happened to me too and I resubmitted. turned out to be fine, the schools still had my original info

This is actually a known issue with the FAFSA system. When you view a previously processed application, the system sometimes incorrectly changes the status to 'In Progress' even if you didn't make any edits. Here's what you should know: 1. Your schools already received your processed 2024-2025 FAFSA data, including your SAI calculation 2. Simply viewing your application doesn't invalidate the data that was sent 3. Your financial aid package is based on the processed data that schools already have If you want to be absolutely certain, you can resubmit the 2024-2025 form. Since you didn't make any changes, it will send identical information. However, it's also perfectly fine to leave it as is - the 'In Progress' status is misleading in this situation and won't affect your current aid. Just focus on completing your 2025-2026 application accurately.

I work in a financial aid office, and we see this issue frequently. The 'In Progress' status change is just a visual glitch on the studentaid.gov interface - it doesn't affect your actual processed application data that schools have already received. You have two options: 1. Ignore it completely - schools won't even know about this status change on your end 2. Resubmit without making changes - this will update the status back to 'Processed' Option 1 is perfectly fine. The only reason to choose option 2 is for your own peace of mind. Your aid package will not be affected either way, since the data hasn't changed.

If you want a definitive answer, try calling Federal Student Aid directly. I spent HOURS trying to get through when I had a similar issue. A friend told me about a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that basically waits on hold with FSA for you and then calls you when an agent is available. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I used it last week and got through to a real person in about 30 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. The agent confirmed that viewing old applications can cause status changes but doesn't affect processed data. Saved me from stressing about it for days.

I don't think you need to worry too much, but the FAFSA system is SO glitchy these days, especially with all the changes. I'm helping my younger brother with his applications now and it's WAY more complicated than when I did mine a few years ago. The new SAI calculation is confusing enough without all these weird status issues! Anyway, my brother had something similar happen and we just resubmitted his form without changing anything and it went back to "Processed" within a couple days. No issues with his aid package.

UPDATE: I decided to call FSA directly after all using the Claimyr service someone recommended, and I'm glad I did! The agent confirmed it's just a visual bug that happens when you view a previously processed application. She said my 24-25 data is still valid and schools won't see any difference on their end. I don't need to resubmit unless I actually want to make changes. Just wanted to share the resolution in case anyone else runs into this problem!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a new student going through my first FAFSA process and was terrified I'd accidentally mess something up by looking at the wrong form. It's reassuring to know that this is a common glitch and that viewing a processed application won't actually affect your aid. The FAFSA system really needs better user interface design - it shouldn't be this stressful for students to navigate! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, especially the official confirmation from FSA.