FAFSA form vanished from dashboard 2 days before deadline - can't access or create new one
In full panic mode right now. My daughter and I have been working on her FAFSA for the 2025-2026 school year, and we were planning to submit it this weekend (deadline is Monday). But when we logged in today, the form has completely disappeared from both our dashboards! It's not showing as submitted, rejected, or even in progress - it's just GONE. When we try to start a new application, the system says we can't because there's already one in process - but we can't see or access it anywhere! Has anyone else experienced this? I'm freaking out since we're so close to the deadline. Will call FSA tomorrow morning but wondering if there are any quick fixes we should try tonight?
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Sean Flanagan
This happened to me last month! Don't panic yet. Try these three things before you call tomorrow: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies completely, then restart your browser 2. Try logging in using a different browser entirely (if you're using Chrome, try Firefox) 3. Check if you can access it through the mobile app instead of the website For me, option #2 worked - I could suddenly see my application when I switched from Chrome to Edge. Apparently there's some weird caching issue with their site right now.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thank you SO MUCH! I just tried logging in with Firefox instead of Safari and IT WORKED! The application is there with all our info saved. What a relief! Any idea why this happens?
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Zara Mirza
omg the same thing just happend to my son too!!! freaking out. tried to log in after dinner and BOOM everything gone. the whole dashboard looks different too. government websites are THE WORST
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Sean Flanagan
•Try logging in with a different browser - it worked for the original poster. The FAFSA dashboard got updated last week so that might be why it looks different to you now.
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NebulaNinja
This is actually a known issue with the new studentaid.gov platform. When they deployed the latest update (about 10 days ago), they changed how the dashboard displays in-progress applications. Some browsers aren't properly refreshing the cache when viewing the updated dashboard. If switching browsers doesn't work, you can also try accessing your application directly through this URL: https://studentaid.gov/fafsa/application/resume Your application isn't gone - it's just not displaying properly in the dashboard view. The data is still in their system.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•That direct link worked too! Bookmarking it now. So relieved this didn't affect our actual data. We have so many special circumstances documented in this application that I was having heart palpitations thinking about starting over from scratch.
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Luca Russo
lol welcome to FAFSA my friend! Get used to random stuff disappearing, glitches, and crashes... especially near deadlines when everyone is trying to submit! Always save screenshots of everything you enter... learned that the hard way...
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Nia Wilson
If neither the browser switch nor the direct link work, and you need to reach FSA tomorrow, don't waste time with the regular phone line. I spent 3 hours on hold last month trying to fix a similar issue. Use Claimyr instead - it's a service that waits on hold with FSA for you and calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me so much stress! Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Worth it when you're up against a deadline and can't afford to waste hours on hold.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thanks for the suggestion! Thankfully the browser switch worked, but I'm keeping this in my back pocket for next time. The hold times are ridiculous, especially this time of year.
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Zara Mirza
•holy crap this is genius! wish i knew about this last year when i spent FOUR HOURS on hold
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Mateo Sanchez
The FAFSA system is GARBAGE this year with all their supposed "improvements." This is like the fifth different glitch I've heard about in the past month. My sister lost all her parent contribution info randomly and had to reenter everything. Friend of mine had her SAI calculation completely disappear. Another had verification documents vanish into thin air. And the deadline extension notifications don't even work half the time. I'm so done with this whole process.
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Aisha Mahmood
•Yep, same here. Tried to update my W-2 information last week and somehow that made my entire parent section disappear. Called FSA and they said they could see it on their end but couldn't explain why I couldn't see it. Eventually fixed itself after 3 days? Makes no sense.
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Sean Flanagan
@OP - did the browser switch fix the issue for you? Just checking back to see if you got it resolved since the deadline is so close.
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Yes! We got it working and managed to submit yesterday afternoon. Such a relief! Thanks again for your help - that browser switch tip saved us from a very stressful Monday morning. We'll definitely be starting the process much earlier next year!
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Luca Russo
Glad you got it working! Remember for everyone else - next year start the process AT LEAST a month before the deadline. Every year I see the same panic posts the week before deadlines. The FAFSA system is just not reliable enough for last-minute submissions.
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Zara Mirza
•easier said than done when your trying to get tax info from an ex who wont cooperate until the last minute 🙄
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Luca Russo
•True, family complications make it harder. In that case, you can actually submit with estimated tax info and update it later! Better to get something in by the deadline than miss it completely.
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