FAFSA Student Asset Screen Glitch - Stuck in Loop After Family Verification

This is a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. There's a bug in the student asset verification screen that affects about 25% of applicants. What worked for me was entering $0 in all the fields first, saving, then going back and entering the actual values. Make sure your daughter is also filling out the "notes" field explaining any unusual asset situations - even if it's just "standard checking account" - sometimes the system needs something in that field to progress.

omg same thing happened 2 me last week!! so annoying. i kept trying different numbers thinking i was doing something wrong lol. eventually i just called fsa and they fixed it on their end after like 45 min on hold

The student asset screen loop is one of three common FAFSA submission issues this year. Here's what's actually happening: 1) The system is not properly validating your daughter's asset inputs against the contributor verification that you and your husband completed. 2) This is specifically happening because the recent FAFSA Simplification Act changed how student assets are calculated in the SAI formula. To fix this: 1. Log out completely from studentaid.gov 2. Clear browser cache and cookies 3. Log back in with your daughter's FSA ID (not yours) 4. Go directly to the correction section 5. When you reach the asset page, enter amounts WITHOUT any cents or decimals 6. In the notes field, write "Assets verified by parent contributors" 7. Submit and it should process correctly If this still doesn't work, there may be a mismatch between the tax information imported and what was entered manually. In that case, you'll need to call FSA directly.

have you tried using a different device? sometimes the fafsa website gets weird on phones but works on laptops or vice versa

I encountered this exact issue! The solution: Enter the assets, but make sure you're entering whole dollar amounts (no cents). The new FAFSA system has a bug where if you enter cents in the student asset fields, it creates a validation error but doesn't tell you what's wrong. Just enter round numbers, even if you have to round up or down slightly.

Glad to hear you got it resolved! For anyone else reading this with similar issues, here's what's actually happening behind the scenes: The 2025-2026 FAFSA is using a new calculation system (SAI instead of EFC), and while student assets are still collected, they're weighted differently in the formula. The system is particularly sensitive to validation errors in this section because they directly impact your aid eligibility. Always remember to: 1. Use whole dollar amounts 2. Complete all verification steps for every contributor 3. Make sure the student and parent sections have consistent information This new FAFSA is definitely more streamlined once you get it submitted, but the transition has been rough for many families.

The current processing time for SAI calculations after a completed FAFSA submission is 7-10 business days, despite what the email states. This is due to the higher volume of corrections being processed this year. Your daughter's SAI will be sent automatically to the schools she listed on her FAFSA. I recommend having her check her student portal for each school about 2 weeks after submission to ensure they received her information. If any school doesn't show receipt by then, contact their financial aid office directly. Also, since you mentioned being past a priority deadline, have her email the financial aid offices at those schools to let them know she had technical difficulties with FAFSA submission but has now successfully completed it. Most schools are being flexible with deadlines this year due to the widely reported FAFSA technical issues.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my own kid, I want to add that if you're still having issues even after the whole dollar amount fix, there's one more thing to check: make sure ALL family members (student, parents, spouse if applicable) have fully completed their individual verification steps in the system. Even if it says "complete," sometimes there are hidden verification flags that only show up when you dig deeper into each person's profile. The asset screen loop can actually be triggered by incomplete verification from ANY contributor, not just the student. Also, screenshot everything as you go - if you have to call FSA, having visual proof of the error loop saves tons of time explaining the issue!

This thread is so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar asset screen loop issue right now with my daughter's FAFSA. We've been stuck on this for days and I was starting to panic about missing deadlines. Going to try the whole dollar amounts fix first, and if that doesn't work, I'll definitely call FSA directly. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread technical issue and not something we're doing wrong. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions and experiences - this community is a lifesaver during such a stressful process!

This is such a comprehensive thread on the FAFSA asset screen loop issue! As someone new to this community but currently dealing with college financial aid applications, I'm amazed at how helpful everyone has been in sharing solutions. My younger brother is a high school senior and we haven't started his FAFSA yet, but reading through all these experiences has given me a great roadmap for avoiding these pitfalls. The whole dollar amounts tip seems to be the most consistent fix based on multiple success stories here. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and will make sure to screenshot everything when we do start the process. It's incredible how a simple technical glitch can cause so much stress for families, but it's equally incredible how this community comes together to help each other navigate these challenges. Thank you all for being so generous with your time and knowledge!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a college junior helping my younger sister with her FAFSA and we've been dealing with this exact same asset screen loop for the past two days. Reading through everyone's solutions has been incredibly helpful. We're going to try the whole dollar amounts approach first thing tomorrow morning. It's frustrating that such a simple formatting issue can create such a major roadblock, but at least now we know it's not just us! Thank you especially to those who shared the tips about clearing cache/cookies and making sure all family members have completed verification - I hadn't thought to check those details. This community is amazing for supporting each other through these stressful financial aid processes. Fingers crossed the whole dollar fix works for us too!

I'm new to this community and currently going through the FAFSA process with my daughter. This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! We haven't hit the asset screen loop issue yet, but after reading everyone's experiences, I feel much more prepared to handle it if we do. The whole dollar amounts solution seems to be the most reliable fix based on multiple success stories here. I'm also taking notes on all the other tips - clearing cache/cookies, checking verification status for all family members, and keeping screenshots of any errors. It's amazing how something as simple as entering cents vs whole dollars can cause such a major technical malfunction. Thank you to everyone who has shared their solutions and experiences. This community support makes navigating these stressful financial aid processes so much more manageable!

I'm new to this community but currently dealing with this exact same asset screen loop issue! My son and I have been trying to complete his FAFSA for the past week and we keep getting stuck at the student asset screen. We've tried different browsers, clearing cache, and even different devices, but nothing has worked so far. Reading through all these solutions has been incredibly helpful - especially seeing that so many other families are experiencing the same problem. We're going to try the whole dollar amounts approach first since that seems to have the highest success rate based on everyone's experiences here. It's such a relief to know this is a widespread technical bug and not something we're doing wrong! Thank you to everyone who has shared their solutions and troubleshooting tips. This community support makes such a stressful process much more manageable. Fingers crossed the whole dollar fix works for us too!

I'm new to this community but currently experiencing this same frustrating asset screen loop issue! My daughter and I have been stuck on this exact problem for the past four days. We keep filling out the student asset screen correctly, clicking next, and then it just loops us right back to the beginning of that same screen. We've tried multiple browsers and devices with no luck. After reading through all these helpful solutions, we're definitely going to try the whole dollar amounts approach first thing tomorrow since that seems to have worked for so many families here. It's such a relief to discover this is a known technical bug and not something we're doing wrong! The advice about clearing cache/cookies and checking that all family members have completed verification is also really valuable. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and solutions - this community support makes navigating these technical difficulties so much less stressful. I'll report back on whether the whole dollar fix works for us too!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! My family is getting ready to start the FAFSA process next month with my daughter who's a high school senior, and reading through all these experiences has been both eye-opening and reassuring. It's amazing how a simple technical glitch like the decimal/cents issue can cause such major headaches, but it's equally amazing to see how this community has figured out practical solutions. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and will remember the key tips: use whole dollar amounts only, clear cache/cookies before starting, ensure all family members are fully verified, and keep screenshots of any errors. The advice about contacting schools directly if deadline issues arise is also really valuable. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their struggles and solutions - it's going to make our FAFSA journey much smoother knowing what to watch out for!

I'm new to this community and just encountered this exact same asset screen loop issue with my son's FAFSA! We've been stuck for two days trying everything we could think of. Reading through this thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea this was a widespread technical bug. We're going to try the whole dollar amounts solution first thing in the morning since it seems to have worked for so many families here. It's incredibly frustrating that such a simple formatting issue can create such a major roadblock in something as important as financial aid applications. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and solutions. This community support makes all the difference when you're dealing with these stressful technical problems. I'll definitely update everyone on whether the whole dollar fix works for us too!

I'm new to this community but currently dealing with this exact asset screen loop problem! My daughter and I have been stuck on this for three days now and it's been so frustrating. We kept thinking we were making some kind of mistake, but after reading through all these experiences, it's such a relief to know this is a widespread technical bug. The whole dollar amounts solution seems to be the most consistently successful fix based on everyone's stories here. We're going to try that approach tomorrow morning - just enter $750 instead of $750.23 for her checking account. I'm also going to make sure we clear our browser cache completely and verify that all our family verification steps are actually complete like others suggested. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their solutions and experiences - this community support makes navigating these technical nightmares so much more manageable. I'll definitely report back on whether the whole dollar fix works for us too!