FAFSA Parent Plus loan confirmation missing - no email or portal updates?

ya the same thing happened to me last month!! super annoying right? i waited like 10 days and still nothing showed up in the portal. ended up having to call the school and turns out they had all the info but it just doesnt show online for some reason?? idk why they make this so complicated

Parent Plus loans don't actually get processed through the FAFSA portal directly. When you select that option on the FAFSA, it just indicates your interest. The actual Parent Plus loan application has to be completed separately at studentaid.gov under the "Apply for Aid" section, where you'll see "Apply for a Parent PLUS Loan." You need to complete a credit check and sign the master promissory note there. That's probably why you're not seeing any confirmation - the FAFSA submission is just step one of the process.

I've been through this process 3 times with my kids. Here's what usually happens: 1. The FAFSA just indicates interest in Parent Plus 2. Your daughter's school needs to process her aid package and include the Parent Plus option 3. YOU need to complete the actual Parent Plus application on studentaid.gov 4. You'll need to pass a credit check (they look for adverse credit history, not a specific score) 5. Sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN) The school is definitely your next step. Each school has slightly different timelines and procedures for how they handle Parent Plus loans. One of my kids' schools required us to accept the loan in their portal first, while another originated it automatically after FAFSA submission. Don't worry though - you haven't missed a deadline or anything. This confusion is totally normal!

Ugh the whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose I swear. I spent WEEKS trying to figure out my Parent Plus situation last year and ended up with late fees because of the delays. The schools know what they're doing but don't bother explaining it to anyone. Good luck!!

I had the exact same issue trying to reach someone at FSA about my Parent Plus loan application. After waiting on hold for over an hour three different times and getting disconnected, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual person at Federal Student Aid. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It saved me hours of frustration, and the agent was able to confirm that my application was received but was waiting for school certification. Definitely worth it when you need to speak to an actual human being instead of dealing with automated systems.

Financial aid advisor here! This is what you need to know about Parent Plus loans: 1) The FAFSA itself doesn't complete a Parent Plus loan application - it only indicates interest 2) Each school has their own process for how they handle Parent Plus loan requests 3) The studentaid.gov Parent Plus application cannot be completed until AFTER the school has originated the loan in their system 4) Once originated, the parent must complete both the application (credit check) and Master Promissory Note Your next step should definitely be contacting your daughter's financial aid office. They'll be able to tell you exactly where things stand in their process. Some schools automatically originate Parent Plus loans based on FAFSA selection, while others require additional steps through their own financial aid portal first. This is a very common source of confusion, so don't worry! You haven't missed anything critical yet.

I ran into this exact situation last fall. The confusing part is that each school handles Parent Plus loans differently. For my son's university, I had to first accept the loan amount in their financial aid portal, THEN they originated the loan, and ONLY THEN could I complete the application on studentaid.gov. Call your daughter's financial aid office tomorrow. They'll probably tell you to log into their portal and formally accept the loan offer first. The whole Parent Plus process isn't really explained well anywhere.

and make sure u check ur email spam folder too!! my school kept sending important financial aid stuff there for some reason and i almost missed deadlines bcuz of it

One more thing to be aware of - Parent Plus loans for 2024-2025 are now using the SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation instead of the old EFC system. This means the amount you qualify for might be different than what you expected based on previous years. When you call the school, ask them to explain your daughter's SAI and how it impacts the amount of Parent Plus eligibility.

Update: I called my daughter's financial aid office this morning and got everything sorted out. Turns out I needed to accept the Parent Plus loan amount in their financial aid portal first, and then they'll originate the loan. After that, I'll need to complete the application and credit check on studentaid.gov. Thanks everyone for your help! The financial aid advisor also mentioned that we're the third parent today with this exact same question, so apparently it's a very common point of confusion.

So glad you got it figured out! Thanks for posting the update - I'm sure this will help other parents who run into the same confusion. It's actually kind of reassuring to know that you were the third parent today with this exact question. Makes me feel less alone in finding the whole Parent Plus process confusing. The fact that it's such a common issue really shows they need to make the instructions clearer from the start!

This entire thread is SO helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same situation right now and was starting to panic that something went wrong with our FAFSA submission. The fact that so many parents are confused about this process really highlights how poorly explained it is in the original FAFSA instructions. They should definitely add a clear note that selecting Parent Plus is just step one and explain what happens next. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - definitely calling my daughter's school tomorrow to get the ball rolling on their end!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a first-time parent going through this process and was completely lost when I didn't get any confirmation after selecting the Parent Plus option on my son's FAFSA. Reading everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - especially knowing that financial aid offices are getting multiple calls about this same issue every day. It really shows how much clearer the initial FAFSA instructions could be about what happens next. I'm definitely going to call his school's financial aid office tomorrow to get started on their specific process. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice!

This thread is a perfect example of how confusing the Parent Plus loan process can be for families! I'm a college counselor and I see this exact scenario play out with parents all the time. The key issue is that the FAFSA form doesn't clearly explain that selecting Parent Plus is just indicating interest - not actually applying for the loan. For anyone reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, here's a quick checklist: 1. Check your daughter's school financial aid portal for any action items 2. Call the financial aid office to confirm their specific Parent Plus process 3. Be prepared to formally accept the loan amount in their system first 4. Only then can you complete the actual application on studentaid.gov The good news is that this confusion doesn't impact your eligibility or deadlines - it's just a process issue that gets resolved once you connect with the school. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - it's so helpful for other families navigating this!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently in the exact same boat with my daughter's Parent Plus loan - selected it on the FAFSA and then got radio silence. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief because I was starting to think I'd done something wrong or missed a step. The breakdown from @StarSeeker about the different entities involved (Federal Student Aid, schools, loan servicers) really helps explain why this process feels so disjointed. And @NebulaNomad, thanks for posting that update about calling your daughter's school - knowing that you were the third parent that day with this exact question makes me feel so much better about being confused! I'm definitely calling my daughter's financial aid office first thing tomorrow. This thread has given me the confidence to know exactly what questions to ask and what to expect. It's honestly shocking how many parents are dealing with this same confusion - they really need to improve the FAFSA instructions to explain what happens after you select Parent Plus!