FAFSA delays by college - why are some schools not getting data until summer?

same here!! my son applied to 5 schools and 2 have his fafsa data alredy but 3 dont. no explanation from anyone. this whole new fafsa is a disaster!!

What's happening is called "batched processing" for the new FAFSA. The Department of Education is sending student information to schools in waves rather than all at once. Some schools were in the first batch, others are in later batches. Schools don't control which batch they're in. This is part of the implementation challenges with the new FAFSA Simplification Act changes this year. Your daughter can still request an extension from schools with May 1 decision deadlines. Many colleges are offering extensions specifically because of these FAFSA delays. Contact the admissions office (not financial aid) to request this.

my daughters college said they got like a small number of FASFA data already but are still waiting on most students. they told her it might be another 3-4 weeks before her info arrives. i dont understand how this is happening its april already!!!

I work at a university financial aid office (not going to say which one), and I can provide some insight. The Federal Student Aid office is releasing FAFSA data to colleges in batches approximately every 1-2 weeks. Each batch contains a certain number of student records, but schools have NO control over which batch includes their applicants. Some colleges received their first batch in March, while others are scheduled for April or even May batches. This is causing major headaches for everyone involved. Your best approach is to: 1. Contact both FSA and your daughter's college weekly for updates 2. Request a decision deadline extension from any May 1st schools 3. Ask colleges if they can provide an estimated package based on your financial information Many colleges are trying to accommodate students with these unusual circumstances this year.

I've been trying to call the Federal Student Aid hotline every day this week to figure out why my daughter's information hasn't been sent to two of her schools. It's impossible to get through - either busy signals or disconnected after waiting on hold for an hour+. Anyone found a way to actually speak to a human there?

i heard some private colleges are offering to create aid packages based on copies of tax returns if u send those directly to them since the FASFA is so delayed. might be worth asking ur daughters school if they can do something like that while waiting

Another thing to be aware of: this year's FAFSA processing issues might impact your daughter's SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) calculation. Even after schools receive your data, they may need to manually review the calculations because there have been widespread issues with income calculations being incorrect in the system. If your daughter's top choice school hasn't received her FAFSA data yet, I recommend three actions: 1. Send an email to both admissions and financial aid explaining the situation and requesting that they hold her spot until aid can be determined 2. Offer to provide tax information and other financial documents directly to them for preliminary aid estimates 3. Contact Federal Student Aid weekly for status updates on which batch your daughter's information will be in

last year my son went thru the normal fafsa process and everything was FINE. schools got the info in FEB and we had plenty of time to compare. why did they have to change everything THIS year when my daughter is applying?? why couldn't they have tested this new system better before rolling it out to EVERYONE??

Here's what we know about the FAFSA batching schedule based on Department of Education communications: - First batch: Late March (mostly completed) - Second batch: Early-mid April (in progress) - Third batch: Late April-early May - Fourth batch: Mid-May through June Schools have no control over which students appear in which batch. However, the Department of Education has instructed colleges to be flexible with decision deadlines this year given the circumstances. If your daughter is set on a particular school but can't make an informed decision without the financial aid package, she should: 1. Request an official deadline extension in writing 2. Ask for a preliminary aid estimate based on direct submission of financial documents 3. Consider paying a small enrollment deposit to hold her spot (many are refundable if requested by June 1) while waiting for final numbers

I went thru this with my son last week!!! His first choice school said they wouldn't get his FAFSA until May but needed decision by May 1! What finally worked was having him email the admissions director (not just the general office) explaining the situation and they gave him until June 15 to decide. Try going straight to the top!