FAFSA deadline tomorrow but school hasn't processed my dependency override - will I still get aid?

Take a deep breath first! The important thing is that you've submitted your FAFSA before the deadline, not that your dependency override is processed by the deadline. As long as your initial FAFSA is submitted by the priority deadline, you're in the system. The school can process the dependency override after the deadline and update your FAFSA status. I recommend emailing your financial aid advisor immediately with a screenshot of your portal showing the dependent status is still there, and call their office first thing tomorrow morning. Make sure to reference the conversation where they told you everything was "good to go" and ask for specific timeline on when the override will be processed.

dude I went through the EXACT same thing last year!!! it all worked out fine eventually. the skool didn't finalize my dependency status til like 2 weeks after the deadline but I still got all my aid. just keep following up

This is actually a really common issue with dependency overrides. The financial aid offices are SWAMPED right before deadlines and dependency overrides require special processing. What matters is that you've submitted your FAFSA on time and that you have documentation the school approved your override - even if they haven't processed it yet. Do you have an email or anything in writing saying your override was approved? That's your safety net right there. The financial aid office can and will update your FAFSA information after the deadline as long as your initial application was submitted on time. This happens ALL THE TIME with special circumstances.

I had this EXACT problem with my Parent PLUS loan denial override last year. The financial aid office kept saying it was "being processed" but nothing was happening. I couldn't get through on the phone at all - kept getting disconnected or waiting on hold forever. I was about to lose my housing because the aid didn't come through in time. I finally got through to a Federal Student Aid agent using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have a service that holds your place in the FSA phone queue and calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of hold time! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent confirmed that dependency overrides can be processed after the deadline and told me exactly what my school needed to do. Having that official information from FSA directly got my school to finally take action.

This is why the FAFSA system is completely BROKEN. Schools sitting on paperwork until the last minute and then students panic. This happened to my daughter and we ended up having to pay out of pocket for her first semester because the override didn't get processed in time. The whole dependency override process is a JOKE and just designed to make it harder for students who don't have parental support. I'm still angry about it.

Here's what you need to know about FAFSA deadlines and dependency overrides (I work in a financial aid office at a community college): 1. The FAFSA federal deadline actually extends until June 30, 2026 for the 2025-2026 academic year. What's happening tomorrow is probably your school's PRIORITY deadline for their institutional aid. 2. Your dependency override request is an internal school process. The school will update your dependency status through a professional judgment adjustment AFTER processing your FAFSA. 3. As long as your initial FAFSA is submitted by your school's priority deadline, you're still eligible for aid. The school can make adjustments to your FAFSA throughout the year. 4. Get documentation of your approval - email the advisor who told you were "good to go" and ask for written confirmation of the approval status and timeline for processing. 5. If you don't get a response quickly, escalate to the Director of Financial Aid with a clear explanation of the situation. You won't lose your aid eligibility because of the school's processing delays.

my financial aid office told me that as long as the fafsa itself is submitted by deadline, they can still do adjustments after. i had a similar thing happen with my special circumstances form that had to be reviewed by a committee. they didnt finish review until way after deadline but i still got my aid adjusted. just make sure you documented everything!!

Thank you everyone for the advice! I've sent an email to my financial aid advisor summarizing our conversation and asking for written confirmation of the approval. I'm also planning to go to the office in person tomorrow afternoon. If I still can't get answers, I'll try calling the Federal Student Aid directly with that Claimyr service someone mentioned. I'll update when I know more!

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - I checked with our processing team, and dependency override requests are absolutely processed after FAFSA priority deadlines all the time. In fact, we're still processing some now for FAFSAs that were submitted months ago. The critical part is documenting that you submitted the request before the deadline and following up consistently. One more tip: In your email to the financial aid advisor, include your student ID number and FAFSA ID in the subject line (something like "Urgent: Dependency Override Status - Student ID: 123456"). This makes it much easier for them to look up your file quickly.

Hey Rajiv! I'm dealing with something similar right now - my school is also being super slow with processing my dependency override. What I've learned from going through this mess is that you absolutely need to create a paper trail ASAP. Since you don't have that verbal approval in writing, I'd suggest sending a follow-up email today that says something like "Hi [Advisor Name], I wanted to follow up on our meeting on [date] when you confirmed my dependency override was approved and told me everything was 'good to go.' I notice my student portal still shows dependent status - could you please provide an update on when this will be processed and confirm the approval in writing?" Also, if you can't get through by phone tomorrow, definitely go in person. Bring a folder with copies of ALL your dependency override documentation - every form, every piece of evidence you submitted. Sometimes they "lose" things or claim they never received stuff. Having your own copies shows you're organized and makes it harder for them to brush you off. You've got this! The squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices.

I went through this exact situation two years ago and it was absolutely terrifying! My dependency override took 6 weeks to process even though they told me it would be done in 2-3 weeks. The good news is that you WON'T lose your financial aid as long as your FAFSA was submitted by the deadline. Here's what saved me: I started documenting EVERYTHING. I kept a log of every phone call (date, time, who I spoke to, what they said), every email, every in-person visit. When I finally escalated to the financial aid director with this documentation, things moved very quickly. Also, if your school has a student ombudsman or student advocate office, contact them too! They can sometimes put pressure on departments that are being unresponsive. At my school, the ombudsman contacted financial aid on my behalf and suddenly my case became a "priority." Don't give up - dependency overrides are processed after deadlines ALL THE TIME. The system is set up to handle these situations, even though it's incredibly stressful when you're in the middle of it. Keep pushing and document everything!