FAFSA delay might push my son's college start to January 2025 - Anyone else being told to defer enrollment?

OMG this is my nightmare! My daughter's school hasn't mentioned January enrollment yet but they did say they're weeks behind on processing. Did they give you ANY timeline of when they might know for sure?? These poor kids can't catch a break!

I work in a financial aid office (not your son's school) and while January enrollment is definitely a worst-case scenario, most institutions are working hard to prevent this. What's more likely is they'll conditionally enroll students and adjust aid packages later when FAFSA data finally processes. The issue is the new FAFSA implementation had major technical problems that weren't anticipated. The new SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is actually better than the old EFC system, but the rollout has been catastrophic. Here's what you should do: 1. Contact financial aid specifically (not just admissions) and ask about provisional aid packages based on your income documentation 2. Check your FAFSA status directly at studentaid.gov - make sure it's marked "processed" not just "submitted" 3. Ask about emergency institutional funds that might be available while federal aid is processing 4. If your son qualifies for Pell Grants, mention this specifically as many schools prioritize these students The good news is the Department of Education has acknowledged these problems and is working on expediting applications.

I was told by my kid's college they're just gonna use last years tax info and estimated aid for all freshmen, then adjust later when FAFSA finally gets it together. Maybe ask if your sons school can do that? Seems better than making them wait til January!!!

After spending HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid about my daughter's stuck application, I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual human at FSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. The agent was able to check why our application was stuck and manually pushed it forward in the system. They have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Might be worth trying if you need to speak directly with FSA about expediting your son's application. Our SAI score showed up about 3 days after that call.

THIS FAFSA DISASTER IS A DISGRACE!! My daughter and thousands of other students are in the same boat. The Dept of Education had THREE YEARS to prepare for this rollout and they still completely botched it. Now our kids are paying the price for their incompetence. I've written to my congressman, senator, and the Department of Education. I suggest everyone affected do the same. The more noise we make, the more pressure they'll feel to fix this mess. And January enrollment?? That's completely unacceptable. Schools need to figure out alternative solutions that don't punish students for the government's failures.

Have you asked the school about their CSS Profile? Many private colleges use that as a backup for financial aid decisions when FAFSA is delayed. It's through College Board and costs $25, but it might help secure his fall enrollment while FAFSA sorts itself out. My son's application was stuck for weeks until we realized there was a mismatch between the name format on the FSA ID account vs. his Social Security card. Once we fixed that tiny detail, it processed within days. Might be worth double-checking all your information for minor discrepancies.

my cousins at state university and they told her the same thing about maybe starting in january and she legit had a breakdown. this fafsa stuff is messing up so many kids mental health rn. its the worst for first gen students who dont have parents who can figure this out for them

wait did your son get the confirmation email after you submitted? my daughters application didnt actually go through even though the website said it did. we had to resubmit the whole thing last week. check your email history!

Just to provide a bit more insight - while this FAFSA rollout has been problematic, there are some benefits to the new system. The SAI calculation is more fair than the old EFC system for many families, especially those with multiple children in college. Many schools are developing contingency plans now. Some options I've seen: 1. Provisional enrollment with estimated aid packages based on prior year data 2. Extended payment deadlines with no late fees 3. Emergency institutional grants to bridge the gap 4. Tuition deferment plans requiring minimal upfront payment Don't give up hope for fall enrollment yet. Contact financial aid weekly to stay on their radar and check your FAFSA status daily. The situation is fluid and improving gradually as processors work through the backlog.

my nephew who works in IT says the whole FAFSA system was built on legacy code from like the 90s and they tried to update it all at once instead of in phases thats why its so broken. not helpful info but explains why its such a mess lol