FAFSA confusion - submitted student portion online but had to mail parent section as paper application
I'm so frustrated with the FAFSA website right now! My daughter completed her portion of the FAFSA application online two weeks ago, but I've been completely unable to add my parent information. The website kept freezing every time I tried to log in with my FSA ID. After trying different browsers, clearing cookies, and even using my neighbor's computer, I finally gave up and mailed in the paper application for my portion last Friday. Has anyone else done this mixed submission (online student + paper parent forms)? Will this delay her aid? The college financial aid deadline is coming up fast and I'm starting to panic.
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Jade O'Malley
I had to do something similar for my son's FAFSA. The online system kept saying my FSA ID wasn't matching my SSN (which was incorrect). Student aid office told me it could add 3-4 weeks for processing when you submit paper forms. They have to manually match your paper submission with your daughter's online portion. I'd call the financial aid office at her school and let them know about the situation ASAP.
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Caleb Stark
•3-4 WEEKS?! That's going to miss the priority deadline! Did they eventually match everything correctly for your son? I'm calling the financial aid office first thing tomorrow.
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Hunter Edmunds
This is actually more common than you'd think. The processing time for paper applications is typically 4-6 weeks, while online applications take about 3-7 days. Make sure you kept a copy of what you mailed in and get delivery confirmation if possible. You should also contact your daughter's school's financial aid office to let them know about the situation - most schools have procedures in place for these mixed-submission scenarios and can often extend deadlines when there are FAFSA system issues.
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Caleb Stark
•Thank you for this info! I did keep copies of everything and sent it certified mail. I'll definitely call her school tomorrow. Does it matter that I submitted the parent portion after she already submitted her student section, or will FSA know how to match them up?
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Hunter Edmunds
•They'll match them using her name, DOB, and Social Security Number. Make sure all that information was identical on both submissions. When you call her school, ask if they need you to submit a copy of the paper forms directly to them as well - some schools will accept that as a placeholder until the official processing is complete.
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Ella Lewis
omg the same exact thing happened to me last month!! the website kept saying "error processing request" whenever i tried to add my tax info. so annoying! i mailed my part in too. still waiting to hear anything back 😩
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Caleb Stark
•How long ago did you mail yours? Have you been able to check the status at all? I'm worried we'll be waiting forever with no updates.
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Ella Lewis
•sent mine about 3 weeks ago. no updates yet. my daughter keeps checking studentaid.gov but it still just shows her part as submitted and waiting for parent info
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Andrew Pinnock
I went through this nightmare last year. The mixed submission totally messed up my son's financial aid package because his application wasn't complete by the priority deadline. We ended up missing out on some school-specific grants. If I were you, I'd be calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center every day for updates.
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Caleb Stark
•That's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did you ever get through to anyone? I've been trying to call FSA but keep getting disconnected after being on hold forever.
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Andrew Pinnock
•It took me 8 attempts across 3 days to finally speak with someone. Each time I was on hold for at least 45 minutes. When I finally got through, they were able to expedite the matching process, but it was still too late for some aid programs.
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Brianna Schmidt
After helping dozens of families with FAFSA issues this year, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to a Federal Student Aid agent quickly. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is available. I've had families save hours of hold time using it. Check out their site at claimyr.com - they even have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Caleb Stark
•I've never heard of that service before! Thank you, I'll check it out right now. At this point, I'd try anything to get this resolved quickly.
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Alexis Renard
•Be careful with services like that! They might ask for personal info. I just kept calling early in the morning (right when they open) and got through in about 20 minutes.
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Camila Jordan
The systems this year are ABSOLUTE GARBAGE!!!! How do they expect parents to complete these forms when NOTHING WORKS RIGHT??!! I had a similar issue and had to mail in the parent form. MY ADVICE: CALL YOUR KID'S FINANCIAL AID OFFICE DIRECTLY! They have special workarounds for these situations and can often flag the application for manual review. DON'T waste time with the general FSA helpline!!!
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Caleb Stark
•I definitely plan to call tomorrow! Did your financial aid office actually help resolve it when you called them?
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Camila Jordan
•Yes!!! The financial aid counselor at my daughter's school was AMAZING. She put a note in the system and told us exactly what to write on the paper form to help processing. Still took 3 weeks but at least they didn't deny her aid!
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Alexis Renard
my cousin works in a financial aid office and she told me they see this all the time with the new fafsa system. most schools know about the issues and will work with u if u explain. just make sure u call and talk to a real person not just email.
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Caleb Stark
•That's reassuring to hear it's a known issue. I was feeling like I must be doing something wrong. Did your cousin mention how long these mixed applications usually take to process?
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Tyler Lefleur
Has your daughter received her Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation yet from her online portion? If she has, you're actually in a better position than you think. Schools can often work with the student portion while waiting for the parent verification to come through. Make sure to bring a copy of your paper submission when you meet with financial aid officers.
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Caleb Stark
•She hasn't received anything yet - the status just shows "Submitted - Waiting for Parent Information". I didn't realize some processing happens separately. That gives me a little hope!
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Camila Jordan
Here's an UPDATE on my similar situation: Paper form took 5 weeks to process (ugh!) but we finally got the SAI calculation yesterday. It's definitely slower than doing it all online, but it DOES eventually work. Make sure you follow up regularly though - nothing happens quickly without persistence!
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Caleb Stark
•5 weeks is so long! Did you do anything special to follow up that seemed to help speed things along?
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Camila Jordan
•I called the school weekly and also had my daughter check her FAFSA portal daily for status changes. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with these bureaucracies! Also check your mail daily - they sent important notices through regular mail rather than email for some reason.
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