FAFSA 'in review' since February but 'last updated' date changed to March - what's happening?
I submitted our FAFSA application on February 12th and it's been sitting 'in review' ever since. Today I logged in to check the status (it's been over 6 weeks!) and noticed something weird - the 'last updated' date now shows March 20th, but we haven't touched or modified ANYTHING since submitting in February. Has this happened to anyone else? Does this mean they're actually reviewing it now or is there some glitch? I'm getting really worried about missing financial aid deadlines for my daughter's first year of college. The school needs her SAI score by April 15th!
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Zara Khan
This is actually pretty normal and a good sign! When the 'last updated' date changes without you doing anything, it usually means someone at FSA is actively reviewing your application. They might be verifying information or comparing it against tax records. The processing times are much longer this year with the new FAFSA rollout, but the date change suggests your application is moving through the queue.
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Sean Fitzgerald
AuthorOh thank goodness! I was worried it meant something was wrong. Do you know roughly how long it takes from this point to get the SAI score? Her college orientation is in June and we really need to figure out the financial situation before then.
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MoonlightSonata
lol same thing happened to me. waited 7 weeks then suddenly the date changed. got my sai 4 days later. hang in there
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Sean Fitzgerald
AuthorThat's reassuring! I hope we get a similar timeline. 4 days would be amazing right now.
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Mateo Gonzalez
THE FAFSA SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY BROKEN THIS YEAR!!! My daughter's application has been "in review" for NINE WEEKS with changing dates every few days. Called FSA six times and got SIX DIFFERENT ANSWERS!!! One agent said it was fine, another said there was a "verification flag" but couldn't tell me what documents they needed. How are families supposed to make college decisions like this?!?! It's CRIMINAL how they've handled this rollout.
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Nia Williams
I understand your frustration. The new FAFSA implementation has been rocky. Have you tried requesting a specific review of your case? Sometimes getting to a senior agent can help clarify verification flags. When you call, ask directly: "Can you tell me if there are any specific verification flags on my application and exactly what documents are needed?
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Luca Ricci
Yo for what its worth my fafsa was 'in review' for nearly 3 months this year and the date kept changing like every 2 weeks. ended up getting approved last week with a decent SAI score. the system is just super backed up this year.
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Mateo Gonzalez
3 MONTHS??? That's insane! How are students supposed to make decisions about which college to attend when they don't know their financial aid???
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Aisha Mohammed
I had the same issue and finally got through to a Federal Student Aid agent who explained that the date changes when their system runs automated verification checks or when an agent reviews your application. They actually recommended using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to someone faster - I was skeptical but it worked. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my application and when I could expect the SAI score.
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Sean Fitzgerald
AuthorThanks for the tip! I've been trying to call them all week but keep getting the 'high call volume' message. I'll check out that service if I don't see any movement by Friday. Did they give you any specific timeframe for how long the review usually takes once that date changes?
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MoonlightSonata
that claimyr thing works? might try it. been on hold for 90 mins yesterday and then got disconnected lol
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Zara Khan
Another thing to keep in mind - many schools are being flexible with financial aid deadlines this year because of the FAFSA delays. I would definitely contact your daughter's college financial aid office directly and explain the situation. They might be able to give you a deadline extension or work with provisional information until your SAI comes through.
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Sean Fitzgerald
AuthorThat's a great suggestion! I'll email her financial aid office tomorrow morning. I didn't even think about that option because I was so focused on the FAFSA side. Maybe they've been dealing with this all year and have some workarounds.
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Nia Williams
Financial aid advisor here - the changing date without you making changes is actually part of the normal review process. The FSA system updates the date when: 1. Their automated verification system checks your application 2. They pull IRS tax information to verify against your submission 3. A human reviewer looks at your application 4. System flags are added or resolved Given your timeline (Feb submission with March 20 update), I'd expect you to receive your SAI calculation within 1-3 weeks. The system is processing February applications now. Also, contact your college's financial aid office - most institutions have extended their internal deadlines this year due to the FAFSA delays.
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Sean Fitzgerald
AuthorThank you so much for this detailed explanation! It really helps to understand what's happening behind the scenes. I'm going to contact the financial aid office tomorrow as suggested. One quick question - is there anything I should be watching for in my studentaid.gov account that might indicate problems, or will they contact me directly if they need anything else?
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Luca Ricci
yo is this timeline accurate for everyone? submitted march 5th so does that mean i'm looking at late april?
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Ethan Campbell
This happened to my son's application too! Date kept changing every few weeks. Turns out they were running income verification against our tax records. We finally got his SAI score after about 8 weeks total. When we finally got through to someone on the phone, they said something about "processing batches" and that our application was in an active review batch. Not very helpful but at least we knew something was happening!
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Sean Fitzgerald
Author8 weeks is such a long time! Did you end up having any issues with meeting college deadlines because of the wait?
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Mateo Gonzalez
This is EXACTLY what happened to us too! They keep saying "it's in a batch" but won't tell us WHICH batch or WHEN it will be processed! The whole system needs to be investigated!!
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Sean Fitzgerald
UPDATE: I took everyone's advice and 1) contacted the school's financial aid office, who said they're being flexible with deadlines this year, and 2) finally got through to FSA by calling right when they opened. The agent confirmed my application is in active review, no issues flagged, and said I should see the SAI calculation within 7-10 business days! Thank you all for the help and reassurance.
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Zara Khan
That's great news! So glad you were able to get some clarity. The 7-10 business day timeline sounds about right based on what I've been seeing with other applications. Make sure to check both your email and the studentaid.gov portal regularly.
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Luca Ricci
nice! crossing fingers for a good sai number for your kid!
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Nathan Dell
As a newcomer here, I just want to say how helpful this thread has been! I'm in a similar situation - submitted my FAFSA in early February and it's been "in review" with changing dates. Reading all your experiences makes me feel so much better about what's happening. The explanation from the financial aid advisor was especially helpful. I'm going to follow Sean's lead and contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow. It's reassuring to know that schools are being flexible with deadlines this year because of all the FAFSA processing delays. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!
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