FAFSA form disappeared after site maintenance - 2025-26 application gone!
I'm literally shaking right now. My daughter's 2025-26 FAFSA application that we've been carefully updating just VANISHED from the studentaid.gov site! We were checking it regularly (every couple days) and it was perfectly fine last night. I can still access my own account (I have previous student loans) but there's no 2025-26 form showing for her anymore! I know they did system maintenance yesterday, but her entire application is gone - not just temporarily unavailable. All that work... all her tax info... everything we submitted. Did anyone else experience this after the maintenance? Is there any way to recover it or do we have to start completely over? Her priority deadline for state grants is in 3 weeks!
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Natasha Romanova
chill out lol. site glitches happen all the time w/ govt sites. prob just server issues from the maintenance. give it 24hrs before panicking
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Oliver Weber
•24 hours?? Her deadline is coming up fast and we spent WEEKS getting all the tax documents and contributor info together. I can't just "chill" when thousands in financial aid is on the line!
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NebulaNinja
This happened to me two days ago after the maintenance. Don't panic yet! What worked for me was clearing my browser cache and cookies, then signing out completely and signing back in after about 30 minutes. When I logged back in, my daughter's application reappeared. They're likely having database synchronization issues after the maintenance window.
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Oliver Weber
•Thank you so much for the suggestion. I just tried clearing cache/cookies and logging out/in but it's still not showing up. Should I try a different browser? Or wait the full 30 minutes like you suggested?
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NebulaNinja
•Yes, definitely wait the full 30 minutes before trying again. Also try using a completely different browser or device. If that doesn't work, there's a specific URL format you can try: studentaid.gov/fafsa/[student's FSA ID]/2025-26/resume (substitute her actual FSA ID). Sometimes the application is still there but not showing on the dashboard.
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Javier Gomez
THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!!!! I nearly had a heart attack for real. I called FSA like 15 times and couldn't get through to anyone. FINALLY got someone this morning who said there was a database sync issue affecting about 8% of applications. She could see my son's app on their end and said it wasn't lost. Try calling 1-800-433-3243 but BE WARNED the wait times are INSANE right now because so many people are calling about this!!!
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Oliver Weber
•Oh thank goodness I'm not alone. Did they tell you when it would be fixed? I've tried calling that number twice already but got disconnected both times after waiting for over 40 minutes.
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Emma Wilson
Financial aid counselor here. This is actually a known issue following yesterday's maintenance. The applications aren't lost - they're just not displaying correctly in some user accounts. FSA is working on a fix, but in the meantime, you can try these steps: 1. Clear browser cache and cookies 2. Try logging in with an incognito/private browser window 3. Wait 2-3 hours and try again (the database is still syncing) 4. Try the direct resume URL: studentaid.gov/fafsa/[FSA ID]/2025-26/resume If none of these work, the application is still in their system - you just can't see it temporarily. Don't start a new application as this will cause issues when the original reappears.
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Oliver Weber
•Thank you so much for the detailed advice. I've tried steps 1-2 already without success. I'll try the direct URL approach and wait a bit longer before trying again. Is there any way to confirm they still have her data without getting through on the phone?
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Emma Wilson
•You're welcome! Unfortunately, phone confirmation is the only way to verify they still have the data on their end. If you submitted the application (even partially) and received a confirmation number at any point, that's a good indication the data is still in the system.
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Malik Thomas
Same experience here!!! The site is a total disaster after every maintenance. I wasted 2 HOURS yesterday trying to get someone on the phone. Try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a FAFSA agent. I used it yesterday and got connected in about 10 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent confirmed my daughter's application was still in their system and would reappear once they fixed the database issue.
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Oliver Weber
•Thank you for the suggestion! I've never heard of Claimyr before. Did you find it easy to use? I'm desperate to talk to someone at this point.
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Malik Thomas
•Yes, super easy! You just put in the government agency number you're trying to reach and your phone number, and it waits on hold for you. When it gets a live person, it calls you to connect. Saved me hours of frustration yesterday when I was in the same panic mode you're in now.
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Isabella Oliveira
this happens after literally EVERY update they do lol. fafsa system is garbage. dont waste ur time calling, just wait a day or 2. forms always come back. they just have the worst IT department in government (which is saying something
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Ravi Kapoor
•Agreed! I work in IT (not for the govt thankfully lol) and the FAFSA site infrastructure is notoriously outdated. Their database replication after maintenance is especially bad. The data is fine, just the display layer is broken. Classic govt tech.
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NebulaNinja
UPDATE: Just checked my daughter's account and her 2025-26 FAFSA is visible again after about 26 hours. They seem to be slowly fixing the issue. Hope yours comes back soon too!
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Oliver Weber
•That's such a relief to hear! I'll keep checking throughout the day. Thank you for updating me - this has been so stressful.
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Oliver Weber
UPDATE: IT'S BACK! Everything reappeared about 32 hours after it disappeared. All our information is intact. Thanks everyone for your help and for keeping me from completely losing my mind!
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Emma Wilson
•Excellent news! Glad to hear it's resolved. This is a good reminder for everyone to always save PDF copies of your completed FAFSA sections as you go through the application process. That way if there are display issues in the future, you at least have records of what you submitted.
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Javier Gomez
•YAY!!!! So happy for you! Now we can all lower our blood pressure a bit 😅
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CosmicCommander
As a newcomer here, this thread is both terrifying and reassuring at the same time! I'm just starting my FAFSA journey for my son's 2025-26 application and reading about forms disappearing after maintenance is giving me anxiety. But seeing how helpful everyone was in troubleshooting and that the applications actually came back is really comforting. Definitely taking Emma's advice to save PDF copies as I go - that's such a smart tip! Thank you all for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful for those of us just getting started with this process.
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CosmicCadet
•Welcome to the community! I totally understand that anxiety - this thread would have scared me too when I was starting out. But you're absolutely right that seeing how supportive everyone is here makes it less daunting. The PDF saving tip from Emma is gold - I wish I had known that earlier! Also, don't let stories like this discourage you from starting. These technical glitches are frustrating but temporary, and the community here is amazing at helping each other through the rough patches. Good luck with your son's application!
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Aurora Lacasse
As someone who just went through this exact nightmare last month with my daughter's application, I feel your pain! The panic is so real when you see all that work just vanish. I'm glad to see from the updates that your form came back - that's exactly what happened to us too after about 30 hours of pure stress. For anyone else reading this who might face the same issue in the future, I'd add one more tip: screenshot your confirmation pages and save copies of any emails you get from studentaid.gov. Having those reference numbers can be really helpful when you're on the phone with FSA trying to prove your application existed. This community has been such a lifesaver for navigating all these FAFSA headaches!
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Noah huntAce420
•That's such valuable advice about screenshotting confirmation pages! I wish I had thought of that during my panic mode. The reference numbers are definitely crucial - I learned that the hard way when trying to explain to the FSA agent what had happened. It's amazing how this community comes together to help each other through these stressful situations. Your tip about saving emails is spot on too - I almost deleted some of those automated emails thinking they were just spam. Thanks for adding to the collective wisdom here!
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Zara Shah
As a newcomer to this community, reading this thread has been both educational and nerve-wracking! I'm currently helping my niece with her 2025-26 FAFSA application and seeing how applications can just disappear after maintenance is honestly my worst nightmare. But I'm so relieved to see how this community rallied around you with practical solutions and moral support. The troubleshooting steps everyone shared are incredibly valuable - I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference. Emma's advice about saving PDFs as you go is brilliant, and Aurora's tip about screenshotting confirmation pages is something I never would have thought of. It's clear that while the FAFSA system has its issues, this community is an amazing resource for navigating them. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - it makes this whole process feel less overwhelming!
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Carmen Reyes
•Welcome to the community, Zara! I'm also relatively new here and had the exact same reaction reading through this thread - equal parts terrified and grateful for all the wisdom shared. It's incredible how everyone jumped in with such practical help during what was clearly a very stressful situation for Oliver. I'm definitely following all the advice about saving PDFs and screenshots as I work through my own FAFSA journey. This community really does make the whole process feel more manageable when you know there are knowledgeable people ready to help when things go wrong (and apparently they do go wrong fairly regularly with government systems!). Best of luck with your niece's application!
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