FAFSA Application: 8 weeks with no response - normal or should I panic?
I submitted my FAFSA application on October 2nd and it's now December 1st - that's a full 8 WEEKS and still nothing! The studentaid.gov account just says "Processing" with no updates. My college financial aid deadlines are coming up fast and I'm seriously freaking out. Is this normal for the 2025-2026 FAFSA? How long did everyone else wait to get their SAI calculation? I'm a first-gen college student and honestly have no idea if I should be worried or if this is just how the system works now with all the FAFSA changes. My friends who applied 3 weeks after me already got their confirmations!
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Leeann Blackstein
The processing times are all over the place this year with the new FAFSA system. My son applied in early October and got his SAI calculation in about 4 weeks. My daughter applied mid-October and just got hers yesterday - so about 6 weeks. I think 8 weeks is definitely on the longer end, but not completely abnormal given the system changes. Have you checked if there are any notifications or requests for additional information that you might have missed?
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Liv Park
•Thanks for responding. No notifications at all! I check the portal literally every day and there are no requests for more info or verification notices or anything. It's just stuck on "Processing" which is driving me crazy. I'm worried something got lost or my application has some kind of invisible error.
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Ryder Greene
This new FAFSA rollout has been a disaster. Processing times shouldn't be taking this long, but unfortunately it's happening to a lot of students this year. At this point, I'd recommend reaching out directly to Federal Student Aid to check on your application status. You can try calling them at 1-800-433-3243, but be prepared for very long wait times (often 2+ hours if you can even get through).
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Carmella Fromis
•good luck calling them lol i tried 5x last week and kept getting disconnected after waiting for over an hour each time!!
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Theodore Nelson
After waiting on hold for 3 hours and getting disconnected twice, I finally used Claimyr to reach a Federal Student Aid agent about my delayed application. Their service connected me within 20 minutes and the agent found that my application had a flag that needed manual review. I would have never known without speaking to someone! You can see how it works at claimyr.com or watch their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Seriously worth it to avoid the hold time nightmare.
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Liv Park
•I've never heard of this service before. Did they actually help resolve your issue or just tell you why it was delayed?
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Theodore Nelson
They resolved it completely! The agent removed the flag that was causing the delay (turned out to be a system error with how my parent's name was entered). My application was processed within 48 hours after that call. Without speaking to an agent, it would have just sat there indefinitely.
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AaliyahAli
•same thing happened to me!!! system thought my moms hyphenated last name was some kind of error and it was just stuck in limbo until i got them on the phone
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Ellie Simpson
8 weeks is definitely on the longer side but not necessarily a reason to panic yet. If your FAFSA deadline for school is coming up soon though, you should email your school's financial aid office and let them know about the delay. Most schools understand the FAFSA is running behind this year and they might give you an extension or work with you on a provisional aid package.
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Liv Park
•That's a really good idea, thank you. I'll email my top schools today and explain the situation. Do you think I should attach screenshots of my FAFSA portal showing it's still processing?
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Ellie Simpson
Yes, definitely include screenshots of your FAFSA portal showing the "Processing" status and the date you submitted. Also include your FAFSA confirmation number if you have it. This documentation will help the financial aid office understand that you submitted on time and the delay is on the Federal Student Aid side, not yours.
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Arjun Kurti
•Be sure to add your student ID number in any emails to financial aid offices too. Makes it MUCH easier for them to look up your file when they have that ID. Learned this the hard way when my son's emails kept getting generic responses until he included his ID.
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Raúl Mora
My application took 9 WEEKS to process!!! I was FREAKING OUT but then suddenly one day it just updated with my SAI score. No explanation for the delay or anything. The whole system is broken this year with the new FAFSA changes and it's TOTALLY UNFAIR to students who need to know their aid packages to decide which colleges they can actually afford!!!!
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Liv Park
•Omg 9 weeks?! That actually makes me feel a little better knowing I'm not alone, but also worse knowing it could be even longer. Did you do anything special that finally got it processed or did it just randomly update?
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Raúl Mora
It just updated randomly! I never got any explanation. My friend told me her financial aid counselor said that applications get stuck in "processing" if there's ANY little mismatch between what you entered and what the IRS data shows. But they don't tell you there's a problem until some random person manually reviews it, which is ridiculous!
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Leeann Blackstein
•This is accurate. The new FAFSA system does direct data retrieval from the IRS now, and if there's even a minor discrepancy (like a hyphen in a name, or an address format difference), it can trigger a manual review flag. The problem is they're severely understaffed for handling these reviews, so applications can sit in limbo for weeks.
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Liv Park
Update: I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid! The agent told me my application was flagged for manual review because my parents' tax filing status changed between 2023 and 2024. They're expediting it now and said I should see my SAI calculation within 72 hours. Thanks everyone for your advice and support!
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Ryder Greene
•That's great news! This happens quite frequently with the new FAFSA - changes in tax filing status can trigger reviews. Glad you got it resolved. Be sure to follow up if you don't see the update within the 72 hour window they promised.
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AaliyahAli
wait how did you actually get through to them? i've been trying for days and can't get past the automated system
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Liv Park
•I used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above. I was skeptical but desperate enough to try anything. They connected me to an agent in about 25 minutes when I had been trying unsuccessfully for days on my own. Totally worth it.
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