FAFSA form shows 'processed successfully' but college says it was rejected - what's happening?

This actually happens more often than you'd think with FAFSA. The system doesn't always communicate updates to schools in real-time. What likely happened is that the school got notification of the initial rejection but hasn't yet received the updated submission with your signatures. I recommend calling your daughter's financial aid office directly to explain the situation and confirm they can see the most recent submission date on their end. They can actually check their FAFSA portal to see all versions of submissions, including the rejected and corrected ones.

omg the EXACT same thing happened with my son's fafsa!! the website said everything was fine but then his school emailed saying it was incomplete. turns out there was some glitch with the parent signature part. we had to call the school directly to sort it out.

This is a synchronization issue between the Central Processing System (CPS) that handles FAFSA and your school's financial aid management system. When you make corrections, a new ISIR (Institutional Student Information Record) is generated with a different transaction number. Your school might be looking at an older transaction. The fastest resolution is to call the financial aid office and ask them to specifically check for the most recent ISIR transaction number. They should be able to see all transactions associated with your daughter's FAFSA, including the corrected one that shows as successfully processed. If they confirm they only have the rejected version, you can ask them to manually look up the newer transaction in their system.

I had a similar situation last month with my FAFSA. After HOURS of trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid with no luck, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real FAFSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for 3+ hours. The agent was able to confirm that my corrected FAFSA had indeed been processed but explained that it can take up to 10 business days for schools to receive the updated information. They also sent some kind of notification to my school to look for the updated submission. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

This is whY FAFSA SUCKS!! Same garbage happened to me TWICE this year. Website says one thing, school says another. No one knows what's going on. How are we supposed to make college decisions when we can't even tell if our financial aid forms went through?? The whole system is broken. I ended up having to drive to my school's financial aid office and sit there while they called FAFSA with me. ONLY way to resolve it. Good luck!!

UPDATE: I just got an email from the financial aid office! They said they DID receive the original submission before our March corrections. They're telling us to just wait because they should receive the corrected submission soon. Apparently, there's a processing delay of 10-14 business days between when FAFSA shows "processed successfully" and when the school actually receives the information. The advisor said this happens all the time and not to worry. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

For future reference (for anyone reading this thread), here's how the FAFSA correction process actually works: 1. Original FAFSA submission generates Transaction 01 2. Each correction creates a new transaction number (02, 03, etc.) 3. Schools can see all transactions but may initially only process the first one they receive 4. The FAFSA website only shows your status, not what the school has received 5. There's typically a 1-2 week delay between FAFSA processing and school receipt If you ever have this issue again, always contact your school's financial aid office directly and ask them to check for the most recent transaction number. This can save weeks of confusion and stress!

This is such a common issue and it's so stressful when you're dealing with financial aid deadlines! I went through something similar with my daughter's FAFSA last year. The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA website and the school's systems operate on different timelines. When you made corrections in March, FAFSA processed them quickly but schools receive updates in batches, usually every few days to a week. The "rejected" notification your school received was likely from your original January submission before you fixed the signature issues. I'd definitely call the financial aid office directly rather than waiting for an email response - they can pull up your file right away and see all the transaction records. Most financial aid counselors are really helpful with this kind of technical mix-up once you get them on the phone. Don't panic about the timing - schools are used to these delays and can usually process your aid package once they confirm they have the corrected version.

I just wanted to add that if you're still having trouble getting through to your school's financial aid office by phone, try calling right when they open in the morning - that's usually when wait times are shortest. Also, many schools have online portals where you can submit questions or requests directly to financial aid counselors, which can be faster than email sometimes. In my experience, mentioning that you have a "FAFSA processing discrepancy" or "ISIR transaction issue" in your message helps them prioritize it since they know exactly what technical problem you're dealing with. The good news is this type of issue almost always gets resolved once the right person looks at your file - it's just a matter of getting their attention!

This is exactly the kind of situation that makes the FAFSA process so nerve-wracking for families! I'm actually dealing with something similar right now with my own FAFSA. What I've learned is that there's often a disconnect between the federal processing system and individual school systems - they don't always sync up immediately. From what others have shared here, it sounds like your March corrections created a new transaction that the school just hasn't received yet. I'd definitely recommend calling the financial aid office directly and asking them to check for your most recent ISIR transaction number. In my experience, once you get the right person on the phone who understands these technical issues, they can usually sort it out pretty quickly. The waiting and uncertainty is the worst part, but it sounds like this is a common technical glitch rather than a real problem with your application.