FAFSA Professional Judgment delays frustrating my SAI appeal - when can colleges actually process these?

Financial aid administrator here! Yes, this is absolutely true. The Department of Education only activated the professional judgment functionality in the new FAFSA system about 2.5 weeks ago. Many schools are still figuring out the new process since the entire system changed this year. Each institution is working through a backlog of professional judgment/special conditions appeals. Most schools prioritize based on deposit deadline, so make sure your financial aid office knows your May 1st deadline. They should be able to at least give you a preliminary decision based on your documentation while they wait to officially process it in the system.

my daughter had the same issue!! her dad lost his job after we did taxes but before she got her aid package. her school told us they couldnt do anything until "the system lets them" whatever that means. so frustrating!!!! the financial aid office keeps giving us the runaround and we cant get clear answers

I work in a financial aid office, and I can confirm what the previous administrator said. Professional judgment functionality was only enabled recently in the new FAFSA system. There are three important things you need to know: 1) Your school CAN give you an estimated revised financial aid package even if they can't officially process it in the system yet. 2) Many schools are prioritizing May 1 decision students first. Make sure they know your deadline. 3) The documentation requirements for professional judgment haven't changed - you still need to prove the change in circumstances with official documentation (job loss letters, updated income statements, etc). If you're having trouble reaching your financial aid office by phone, I'd recommend sending a concise email with "URGENT: May 1 Decision Deadline - Professional Judgment Appeal" in the subject line.

anyone else think its RIDICULOUS that they rolled out a completely new fafsa system and didnt even have basic functionality ready?!! like how do u launch without the ability to process appeals???! my niece is going thru the same thing and the school keeps saying "we're waiting on the department of education" but like... its APRIL already!!!

Have you tried using Claimyr to reach FSA directly? When I was having issues with my professional judgment request, I couldn't get through to anybody at FSA for days. My cousin recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com) and I actually got through to a real person at FSA in about 15 minutes. They connected me with someone who explained the exact timeline for when schools would be able to process professional judgments and what I should ask my financial aid office to do in the meantime. Saved me so much stress! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

just fyi my daughters school finally processed her appeal yesterday!!! they said the functionality is working now but they have a huge backlog. maybe try calling your school again??

Update on professional judgment processing: Schools have different implementation timelines. While the functionality is technically available now, many schools are still training staff on the new system. Here's what I recommend: 1) Ask specifically for a "preliminary professional judgment decision letter" that you can use to make your enrollment decision 2) Request to speak with a senior financial aid counselor or director who has authority to issue these letters 3) If they say they can't process it yet in the system, acknowledge that but explain you need the preliminary decision to make an informed choice by May 1 Most institutions understand the May 1 deadline pressure and have workarounds in place for exactly this situation.

One thing I want to clarify since there's confusion on this thread: Professional Judgment (PJ) and the ability to adjust a student's SAI are two different (but related) functionalities in the new FAFSA system. Schools have been able to make SAI adjustments for several weeks now, but the official PJ flags and documentation workflow in the system were only activated recently. This is why some schools have been able to process appeals while others say they're waiting. I'd recommend asking your financial aid office specifically what aspect of the process they're waiting on.

This whole situation is so stressful! I'm dealing with something similar - my family's income changed significantly after we filed our taxes, and I've been waiting weeks for my school to process my appeal. Reading through all these responses is really helpful though. I had no idea about the distinction between SAI adjustments and the official Professional Judgment workflow in the new system. I'm going to try calling my financial aid office tomorrow and specifically ask for a "preliminary professional judgment decision letter" like Diego suggested. It's such a relief to know that other people are going through this too and that there are actually people getting their appeals processed now. Fingers crossed we can all get this sorted out before the May 1st deadline!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm that the professional judgment functionality is finally working! My school processed my appeal two weeks ago after months of delays. Here's what helped me get it resolved: I scheduled an in-person appointment with my financial aid counselor (instead of just calling) and brought printed copies of all my documentation. Being able to sit down face-to-face made a huge difference - they were able to walk me through exactly what they needed and give me a realistic timeline. I also made sure to emphasize my enrollment deadline multiple times during the meeting. The whole new FAFSA system has been a nightmare, but don't lose hope! If your school still says they can't process it, ask them specifically what functionality they're waiting for, because the system capabilities have been rolling out in phases and they might not realize everything is available now.