FAFSA citizenship verification issue at top choice school - urgent help needed!
Just got devastating news from my son's dream school. Completed FAFSA on 3/24, it was processed by 3/23, but today (3/25) received an email saying they can't verify his citizenship status with Social Security Administration! He was born here and has a valid SSN we entered correctly. Has anyone dealt with this citizenship verification issue? The email says we need to submit additional documentation but doesn't specify what exactly. His enrollment deadline is coming up fast and I'm freaking out this will affect his financial aid package. What should we submit to prove citizenship and how long does this usually take to resolve?
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Hugo Kass
omg this happened to my daughter too!! so annoying. we had to send in her birth certificate and it took like 2 weeks to get fixed
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Simon White
•2 weeks?! That's going to cut it close with the May 1 decision deadline. Did you send the original birth certificate or just a copy? And did you send it directly to the school or to Federal Student Aid?
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Nasira Ibanez
This is actually a fairly common issue with the new FAFSA system. The Social Security Administration and FAFSA databases sometimes have trouble communicating properly, especially with the rollout of the 2025-2026 FAFSA. Don't panic - this is fixable! You'll need to submit one of the following to verify citizenship: - Original or certified copy of birth certificate - U.S. passport (unexpired) - Certificate of Naturalization - Certificate of Citizenship I recommend contacting the school's financial aid office directly before sending anything. Some schools have specific submission requirements or an online portal where you can upload the documents securely.
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Simon White
•Thank you so much for the detailed information! I'll call the financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning. Should I also contact the Federal Student Aid office directly or just work with the school?
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Khalil Urso
The EXACT SAME THING happened with my son's FAFSA!!! These government systems are completely BROKEN. We submitted his passport copy THREE SEPARATE TIMES and they still kept sending emails saying they couldn't verify citizenship. Finally had to drive to the financial aid office in person to get it resolved. The whole system is designed to deny aid to eligible students!!
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Myles Regis
•While I understand your frustration, I don't think the system is deliberately designed to deny aid. These verification issues are unfortunately common but are usually just technical glitches between different federal databases. In my experience working with students, having a face-to-face meeting with financial aid officers often resolves these issues quickly, as you discovered.
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Brian Downey
This happened to me too! I almost lost my financial aid package because of this stupid citizenship verification thing. I called the Federal Student Aid number for three days straight and couldn't get through to anyone. The hold times were ridiculous, like 2+ hours, and then I'd get disconnected. So frustrating!
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Jacinda Yu
•I had the same issue trying to reach someone at FSA for my citizenship verification. After wasting hours on hold, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. Saved me hours of waiting and I finally got my issue resolved. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I actually spoke with an agent, they explained it was just a data matching issue and they fixed it on their end in about 10 minutes.
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Landon Flounder
check ur sons social security card and make sure the name exactly matches whats on the fafsa. my cousin had this problem bcuz his middle name was on the SScard but not on fafsa. also check birthdate is right. small stuff can cause the system to reject.
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Simon White
•That's a good point! His SSN card has his full middle name but I think we might have just used his middle initial on the FAFSA. I'll double-check that right away.
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Myles Regis
Financial aid advisor here. When you contact your son's school, specifically ask them to initiate a "CPS correction" to the citizenship field. This is a backend correction that the school can submit on your behalf that often resolves these verification issues faster than resubmitting documents. Also request that they place a note in your son's file that this issue is being resolved so they don't distribute his aid package to someone else while you're waiting for verification. In the meantime, gather his passport or birth certificate. Most schools will accept clear, legible copies rather than originals, but be prepared to provide either.
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Simon White
•Thank you so much for this insider advice! I hadn't heard about the "CPS correction" option before. I'll specifically request that when I call tomorrow and make sure they note his file. Really appreciate the expert guidance!
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Hugo Kass
do ur best to stay calm, we were so stressed bout this but it all worked out fine. just stay on top of followin up with the school every few days
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Simon White
•Thanks for the encouragement. It's so stressful when it's your kid's future on the line! I'll definitely be following up regularly.
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Brian Downey
Wait did anyone else have to provide their parent's birth certificates too?? My school asked for BOTH my proof of citizenship AND my parents' proof even though I'm the only one applying for aid. Seemed excessive.
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Nasira Ibanez
•That's unusual. Parent citizenship documentation is typically only required if the parents themselves are also applying for federal aid (like Parent PLUS loans) and have citizenship verification issues. If you're the only one applying and you're dependent, they should only need your documentation. Might be worth clarifying why they need your parents' information as well.
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