FAFSA Parent PLUS loan approved but college hasn't received it after 2 weeks - deadline panic!

The 'approved' status just means your credit check passed, but there are still several steps before the college receives the funds. You need to make sure both you AND your son have completed the Master Promissory Note (MPN) for the Parent PLUS loan. Many parents miss this step. Also, check that your son's FAFSA has been fully processed with a valid SAI score. Log back into studentaid.gov and look for any incomplete tasks.

I had a similar issue last year with my daughter's Parent PLUS loan. Even after completing everything, it still took about 10 business days for the school to show it in their system. The financial aid office told me they only process loan approvals in batches twice a week, so timing can be tricky. Call your son's financial aid office ASAP and explain the situation - they can often place a temporary hold on the account if they know funds are coming.

This happens every year! The Parent PLUS approval is just the credit check part - still need the MPN and for the school to certify the loan amount. Sometimes the school won't even start processing until all other financial aid (grants, scholarships, direct loans) is settled. Call the school ASAP!!

You might want to try Claimyr if you're having trouble getting through to anyone at FSA. I was in a similar situation last month and kept getting stuck on hold or disconnected. Claimyr helped me get through to an actual FAFSA agent in under 15 minutes who confirmed my Parent PLUS loan status and explained exactly what was still pending. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and you can sign up at claimyr.com. Saved me hours of frustration and helped me understand where my application was stuck.

omg my mom went thru this exact thing last semester!!! the financial aid office at my school told us that 'approved' just means the credit check part passed (yay!) but then theres like 5 more steps 😩 my mom had to do the loan agreement and then the school had to certify the amount and thennnn it takes time to process. def call ur kids school and tell them its in process!!

THIS IS WHY THE WHOLE FAFSA SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! They make everything INTENTIONALLY CONFUSING so people miss deadlines! I went through this EXACT situation and ended up having to take a high-interest private loan because the Parent PLUS didn't process in time. The "approved" status is MEANINGLESS because they don't tell you there are still 4-5 more steps. The whole system is designed to fail families. CALL EVERY DAY until it's processed!

Just to clarify some misconceptions I'm seeing in this thread: The Parent PLUS loan process has several distinct steps: 1. Credit check (what you've completed) 2. Master Promissory Note (MPN) - must be completed by the parent borrower 3. Loan origination - school certifies the loan amount 4. Processing - usually 3-7 business days 5. Disbursement - funds sent to school Many schools will place a temporary hold on your account if they can see the loan is in process. Make sure you call your son's financial aid office and explain the situation.

Update: I just went through this process last month. After completing the MPN, I called the school's financial aid office and they told me they could see the loan had been originated but was still processing. They automatically put a 2-week hold on my daughter's account since they could see the funds were coming. Definitely call the school - they deal with this constantly and usually have procedures in place!

Just a quick tip that helped us: if your son's school has an online financial aid portal, check there too. Sometimes the status updates there before anyone at the financial aid office even knows. My daughter's portal showed "Parent PLUS - Processing" a full week before the financial aid counselor could see it in their system.

I went through this exact same panic last year! One thing that really helped me was creating a checklist to make sure I hadn't missed anything. After the credit approval, I had to: 1) Complete the MPN (which I initially forgot), 2) Make sure my daughter's FAFSA was fully processed, and 3) Confirm the school had received all required documents. The whole process took about 2.5 weeks from credit approval to funds showing up at the school. Definitely call the financial aid office tomorrow - they're usually very understanding about payment deadline extensions when they can see a PLUS loan is in process. Also, have your son's student ID and your confirmation numbers ready when you call. You've got this!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now with my daughter's Parent PLUS loan! Got the credit approval 10 days ago and have been refreshing the school portal obsessively. Reading through all these comments has been so helpful - I had no idea about the MPN step either! Just completed mine after seeing Sean's breakdown of the 5 steps. One thing I'd add is to screenshot everything from studentaid.gov showing your approval status and completion dates. When I called my daughter's school yesterday, they asked for the specific date I completed each step, and having those screenshots saved me from having to call back. Also, if your son's school uses a third-party billing system (like Nelnet or Flywire), sometimes there's a delay between when the financial aid office processes the loan and when it shows up on the billing portal. Hang in there - it sounds like you're on the right track now that you've got the MPN done!

Hey StarStrider! I'm going through the exact same thing right now with my son's Parent PLUS loan - it's so nerve-wracking when deadlines are approaching! Based on what I learned from my situation (and from reading all these helpful comments), here's what I'd suggest: First, make sure you've completed that Master Promissory Note (MPN) - that seems to be the step most of us miss after getting the credit approval. Second, call your son's financial aid office ASAP and explain the situation. From what others have shared, they're usually pretty understanding and can place a temporary hold on the account when they see a PLUS loan is in process. Have your son's student ID and any confirmation numbers ready when you call. Also, check if your son's school has an online financial aid portal - sometimes the loan status updates there first. The whole "approved" status is definitely misleading since it's really just the credit check part! Don't panic though - it sounds like 2-3 weeks total processing time is pretty normal for Parent PLUS loans, especially for first-time borrowers. You're not alone in this stress!

I totally understand your panic! I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year and it was incredibly stressful. The "approved" status from the credit check is really just the beginning - there are several more steps that have to happen before the school receives the funds. After reading through all these helpful comments, it sounds like you've figured out the MPN step which is huge! When I called my daughter's school about this same issue, the financial aid counselor told me they see this situation constantly, especially with first-time Parent PLUS borrowers. They were able to put a temporary hold on her account while we waited for the loan to process, which took about 12 business days total from credit approval to disbursement. One thing that really helped ease my anxiety was asking the financial aid office to walk me through their timeline - they explained that they only process federal loan batches twice a week, so depending on when your paperwork gets completed, there can be natural delays. Don't beat yourself up about not knowing about all these steps - the whole system is confusing and they definitely don't make it clear that "approved" doesn't mean "done"! You're on the right track now.

I'm a college financial aid counselor and see this Parent PLUS situation multiple times every week, especially during peak enrollment periods! You're absolutely doing the right thing by completing the MPN - that's the step about 80% of parents miss after getting credit approval. Here's what I tell families in your exact situation: call tomorrow morning and ask to speak with a financial aid counselor (not just front desk staff). Give them your son's student ID and explain that your Parent PLUS credit check was approved 2 weeks ago and you just completed the MPN yesterday. Most schools can see the loan in "pending" status once the MPN is done and will place an automatic payment deadline extension. We typically see 7-10 business days from MPN completion to disbursement, but it varies by school processing schedules. The key is getting that temporary hold on the account - no student loses their enrollment spot over Parent PLUS processing delays when the school knows funds are coming. You're going to be fine! The "24 hour" timeline on the confirmation page is misleading - that's just when the credit approval gets transmitted to the school, not when funds arrive.

I just went through this exact panic last month with my daughter's Parent PLUS loan! The anxiety is real when you're staring at a payment deadline and the funds aren't showing up. After reading through all these comments, it sounds like you're on the right track now that you've completed the MPN. One thing I'd add is to ask the financial aid office specifically about their "batch processing" schedule when you call tomorrow - some schools only process federal loans on Tuesdays and Fridays, which can add a few extra days depending on timing. Also, if your son's school uses a student portal, check the "to-do list" or "requirements" section - sometimes there are additional steps that need to be completed by the student (like entrance counseling) that can hold up the whole process. The good news is that every parent I've talked to who went through this stress eventually got their loan processed, and the schools really are understanding about deadline extensions when they can see a PLUS loan in progress. You've got this!

I'm a parent who went through this exact same situation two years ago with my twin daughters - the stress is absolutely real! What helped me was creating a simple tracking document with all the key dates and steps. After reading through everyone's helpful advice here, I'd suggest: 1) Call the financial aid office tomorrow and specifically ask for a counselor (not front desk), 2) Have your son's student ID and MPN completion date ready, 3) Ask about their batch processing schedule so you know realistic timelines, and 4) Request a temporary payment hold while the PLUS loan processes. Most importantly - breathe! I was convinced I'd ruined my daughters' college plans, but the financial aid staff told me they handle this situation constantly and have procedures in place. The "approved" status really is misleading since it's just the credit check phase. From MPN completion, I saw funds at the school in about 8 business days. You're definitely not alone in this - Parent PLUS processing anxiety seems to be a rite of passage! Keep us posted on how the call goes tomorrow.

As someone new to this community but unfortunately not new to Parent PLUS loan stress, I just want to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm actually going through something similar right now with my daughter's loan - got credit approval 8 days ago and just realized I never completed the MPN (classic mistake apparently!). Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring. The breakdown from Omar about 7-10 business days from MPN completion and the fact that schools have procedures for this exact situation really helped calm my nerves. StarStrider, it sounds like you're in great hands with all this advice - especially the tip about asking for a counselor specifically and having your son's student ID ready. I'm going to follow the same game plan when I call my daughter's school tomorrow. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and making this process feel less scary for those of us navigating it for the first time!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm currently going through the exact same situation with my son's Parent PLUS loan - got credit approval almost 3 weeks ago and have been in complete panic mode about the payment deadline. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring, especially learning that the "approved" status is just the credit check phase. I had no idea about the MPN requirement until I saw Sean's breakdown of the 5 steps - just completed mine this morning after realizing that was the missing piece! Omar, your perspective as a financial aid counselor is invaluable - knowing that 80% of parents miss the MPN step makes me feel less foolish. The timeline of 7-10 business days from MPN completion gives me realistic expectations instead of the misleading "24 hours" from the confirmation page. I'm calling the school tomorrow morning armed with all the advice from this thread. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and turning what felt like an impossible situation into a manageable one with clear next steps!