FAFSA application stuck in 'processing' status - when will schools receive it?

The new FAFSA system has been experiencing significant delays this year. When your application moves from 'in review' to 'processing,' it typically means they're calculating your SAI (Student Aid Index) which is the new version of the EFC. This generally takes 3-7 business days, but with the system backlog, many students are seeing 2-3 weeks of processing time. Schools won't receive your information until processing is complete. I'd recommend waiting one more week before contacting your schools. They're well aware of the delays and most have adjusted their internal deadlines accordingly.

same thing happend to me it took like 3 weeks for my fasfa to process this year its so annoying!!!! schools didnt get it for almost a month but i still got all my aid. the system is total garbage now

I'm currently in the same boat with my daughter's FAFSA. Submitted April 5th and still showing processing. I called our top choice school yesterday and they confirmed they haven't received anything yet but assured me they're being flexible with aid deadlines because of all the system issues. They suggested checking studentaid.gov daily for status updates.

Financial aid counselor here. The current processing times for the 2025-2026 FAFSA are unusually long. Here's what you need to know: 1. The 'processing' status means your application is being reviewed and your SAI is being calculated. This is taking 2-4 weeks for many students. 2. Once processed, it typically takes 3-5 additional days for schools to receive your data. 3. Schools have real-time visibility into which applications are in the system pipeline, even before they receive the full data. 4. Most schools have modified their priority deadlines and scholarship timelines to accommodate these delays. I recommend: - Check your studentaid.gov account every few days for status updates - Email (don't call) your schools' financial aid offices with your FAFSA confirmation number to alert them you've applied - Watch for a notification email when your SAI is calculated The most important thing is that you've submitted before your schools' deadlines, which gives you a timestamp in the system.

After dealing with these same delays for weeks, I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid who confirmed my application was complete and explained why it was taking so long. I used Claimyr to get past the phone wait times (claimyr.com). They have a system that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available - saved me hours of waiting. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent told me that schools are receiving batch data transfers now, not immediate individual submissions like previous years. That's why the processing status lasts longer.

Listen, this new FAFSA system is a COMPLETE DISASTER. My daughter submitted in February and it took SIX WEEKS for schools to get her info!!! The Department of Education keeps claiming they're fixing things but it's still broken. I ended up having to send screenshots of her SAI calculation directly to the financial aid offices as proof. Don't trust the system to work properly - be proactive and document EVERYTHING. I'm so angry we have to deal with this garbage when college costs are already stressful enough.

Quick update: The Department of Education announced yesterday they're adding additional processing capacity to address the backlog. They're now saying most applications should complete processing within 10 business days. You can also now see a more detailed status on studentaid.gov that shows which specific processing step your application is in.

Have you considered checking with your schools to see if they offer any provisional financial aid packages? Some schools will provide estimated aid based on your confirmation that you've submitted the FAFSA, then adjust once they receive the official data. This helped me secure housing at my university even while my FAFSA was stuck in processing. Each school handles this differently though - worth asking about!

I'm in the exact same situation - submitted my FAFSA on April 8th and it's been stuck in processing for over a week now. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time! It sounds like the 2-4 week processing time is becoming the new normal, which is crazy compared to previous years. I'm definitely going to take the advice about emailing schools with my confirmation number and asking about provisional aid packages. Has anyone had luck with the new detailed status tracking that was mentioned? I'm hoping to see that "SAI Calculation in Progress" update soon. This whole situation is so stressful when you're trying to make college decisions!

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Submitted my FAFSA on April 9th and it's been sitting in "processing" status for 10 days. What's really frustrating is that I have scholarship deadlines coming up at two of my schools that require completed FAFSA data, and I'm watching those dates approach with no control over the situation. I've been checking studentaid.gov obsessively and finally saw it change to "SAI Calculation in Progress" yesterday, so hopefully that means movement soon. The advice about emailing schools with confirmation numbers is gold - I had no idea they could see applications in the pipeline before receiving full data. I'm definitely doing that this week along with asking about provisional aid packages. It's wild that we have to become experts in navigating a broken system just to access financial aid. Crossing my fingers that the Department of Education's promise about faster processing actually materializes!