FAFSA 25-26 Soft Launch Today - What Glitches Are People Seeing?

I've been testing it for the past 3 hours. The good news: they've fixed the infinite loading screen issue from last year. The bad news: still TONS of problems. I'm seeing: 1) Parent contribution section randomly resets, 2) SAI calculation errors when you have multiple income sources, 3) Browser compatibility issues with Firefox specifically. Chrome seems to work better. If you're getting kicked back to login, try clearing your cache completely or using incognito mode - that worked for me.

Thanks for the tips! Will try Chrome incognito. Do you know if our progress is actually saved when it kicks us out? I'm afraid to close the browser in case I lose everything.

same here!! got to the tax info section and then BOOM back to start. so annoying. didnt they test this thing before launching?? 🙄

They said they did extensive testing this year after last year's fiasco, but clearly not enough! I'm waiting a few days before trying again. Not worth the headache right now when nothing's due for months anyway.

This whole FAFSA system is COMPLETELY BROKEN!!! I spent TWO HOURS getting through all the sections this morning only to get an

I understand your frustration. Remember though, this is just the soft launch period specifically designed to identify these kinds of issues before the official release. I recommend waiting a week or two before trying again. In my experience with government systems, the early bugs usually get fixed pretty quickly once they're identified in real-world use.

I've been working with students through the soft launch all morning and documenting the issues we're finding. Here's what I'm seeing consistently:\n\n1. The new login verification system is working well\n2. Multi-factor authentication is functioning correctly\n3. The student information sections work consistently\n4. The parent/contributor section is where most errors occur\n5. The tax information retrieval tool works but sometimes fails to populate all fields\n\nThe good news is that when you get kicked out, your progress DOES appear to be saved up to the previous section you completed. My advice is to complete one full section, then log out and back in before starting the next section. This helps prevent losing large chunks of work.

This is SO helpful, thank you! I'll try the section-by-section approach. Do you know if they've fixed the issue with stepparent income reporting from last year's form? That was a major headache for my family.

My daughter tried to submit her application this morning too and kept getting errors in the asset reporting section. Something about

That specific error usually means there's a special character hiding somewhere in the entry fields. Make sure there are no dollar signs, commas, or decimal points in the asset values - just plain numbers. The system is very picky about this particular format this year.

Oh! That makes sense - she probably entered the numbers with commas. Thanks for the tip, we'll try again without any formatting.

I tried calling the Federal Student Aid hotline to report the issues I was having and got the typical \

does that service actually work? i tried calling like 5 times yesterday and kept getting hung up on 😫

Yes, it actually worked for me! I was skeptical too but was desperate after multiple failed calls. Got through to someone in about 10 minutes who confirmed my application data was still in the system despite the errors I was seeing.

UPDATE: Just spoke with an FSA rep who explained that they're rolling out fixes throughout the day. The parent contribution section issues are supposed to be fixed by end of day today. The SAI calculation errors are a known issue they're still working on. They recommend waiting until at least tomorrow to try completing any applications unless you're just testing the system.

Thanks for the update! I'll wait until tomorrow then. Did they mention anything about browser compatibility issues being addressed?

They said Chrome and Edge are fully supported, Firefox has some known issues they're working on, and Safari on Mac should work but Safari on mobile devices might have problems. They specifically recommended using desktop/laptop rather than mobile if possible.

For those experiencing issues, remember that this soft launch period is intentionally designed to identify problems before the official release. The Department of Education learned from last year's difficulties and is taking a more gradual approach this time. Based on my experience with financial aid systems, here are some best practices:\n\n1. Use Chrome in incognito mode for best results\n2. Complete the form during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening)\n3. Have all your documentation ready before starting\n4. Take screenshots of completed sections as backup\n5. If you encounter errors, wait 24 hours before trying again\n\nThe good news is that the improved SAI calculation should benefit more students this year, and the streamlined form (despite the technical issues) requires less information overall than previous years.

Screenshots are a GREAT idea! I wish I'd thought of that before losing all my work. Do you know if they fixed the glitch where non-custodial parents couldn't access the contributor section? That was a HUGE problem last year.

Yes, that particular issue has been addressed in this version. Non-custodial contributors now receive a separate email link that doesn't require them to have full access to the student's application. The authentication process for contributors has been completely redesigned.

just tried again and got a little further! made it to assets section before crashing this time lol. progress i guess??

That is progress! Maybe they're implementing fixes in real-time. I might try again tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.