FAFSA college addition delay - 10+ days and school hasn't received data

this hapened to us too!! added 3 schools in march and 2 got the info right away but the 3rd one took like 3.5 weeks to get it. the fin aid office kept saying they didnt have anything. super annoying

The normal processing time for FAFSA data to reach a newly added school is typically 3-5 business days, but there are several factors that could cause delays: 1. The StudentAid.gov system has been experiencing significant processing backlogs this year due to the FAFSA Simplification Act changes 2. The school's financial aid office might only import FAFSA data batches on certain days of the week 3. There could be a data mismatch between how your son's information is listed in the FAFSA system versus the school's records (name spelling, DOB, SSN, etc.) I'd recommend: - Verifying with the school that they're looking up your son's record correctly - Checking your son's StudentAid.gov account to confirm the school is listed as "processed" not just "submitted" - Asking the financial aid office if they can manually look up your son's SAI score with his FSA ID information

Call the university again and ask to speak with a financial aid counselor (not just the front desk person). Sometimes they can see pending FAFSA data that hasn't been fully imported into their system yet. Also ask if they need any additional verification documents from you - sometimes they won't even start processing until they have everything.

I work in college admissions and can tell you this is absolutely happening a lot this year. The new FAFSA rollout has caused all kinds of delays. Here's what I recommend: 1. Contact the Federal Student Aid office directly to confirm the school was actually added successfully. Sometimes what looks "processed" to you isn't actually completed in their system. 2. Ask the university's financial aid office if they can manually check for your son by his SSN rather than waiting for the automatic import. 3. If housing decisions are urgent, explain the situation to housing services - many schools have processes for students waiting on financial aid. Consistency is key - be politely persistent with both the school and FSA.

I've been trying to call the Federal Student Aid helpline for WEEKS about a similar issue (school wasn't receiving our correction) and literally cannot get through. Either get a busy signal or it disconnects me after being on hold for an hour. The whole system is broken this year with all the changes. I'm so frustrated i could scream!!

When I was having trouble getting through to FSA about a similar issue, I used this service called Claimyr that basically holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I ended up finding out there was a data mismatch that was preventing the school from seeing my daughter's FAFSA info - her last name was hyphenated in one system but not the other. Once we got that fixed, the school could access her info within 2 days.

also check if the college uses the CSS profile too, some schools need both FAFSA and CSS and wont start putting together aid packages til they have both

One more thing to check - log into the StudentAid.gov portal and go to the "My FAFSA" section. Look at the actual confirmation page and make sure it says "Processed Successfully" with a green checkmark, not just "Correction Submitted." Also, verify the school code is correct. Sometimes people accidentally select similar-named institutions (like University of Michigan-Ann Arbor vs. University of Michigan-Dearborn).

Not helpful to your current situation, but for future reference - when adding schools, I always recommend doing it during regular business hours then immediately calling both FSA and the financial aid office to confirm receipt. This year's FAFSA rollout has been a complete disaster compared to previous years.