FAFSA login loop nightmare - son can't access account but I can

same thing happened to my daughter last month. super frustrating. we finally fixed it by having her try logging in from a totally different device (she used my laptop instead of her phone) and it magically worked. no idea why.

This is a pretty common issue with the new FAFSA system. There are a few technical solutions you can try: 1. Clear browser cache and cookies completely 2. Try using Microsoft Edge specifically (some users report this works better with the current system) 3. Make sure he's going directly to studentaid.gov, not through any links 4. If he has any password manager or autofill turned on, disable those 5. Try the incognito/private browsing mode If none of those work, he might need to request an FSA ID reset, but that's a last resort since it takes time to process.

I know this sounds weird but I had the EXACT same problem with my account. The thing that fixed it was checking if my browser zoom was at exactly 100%. For some reason, if it's zoomed in or out AT ALL, the FAFSA site has authentication issues but doesn't show any error! Also, make sure your son's email is verified in the system - sometimes they silently block logins if the email verification is expired.

This exact problem happened to me!!! The FAFSA website is GARBAGE since they "upgraded" it. I spent 6 hours trying everything under the sun before it randomly started working. No explanation, no changes, just suddenly worked. The FAFSA people are useless - they just read from scripts and have no actual tech knowledge.

Have you tried reaching out to the Federal Student Aid technical support team rather than the general FAFSA helpline? I had a similar issue and I was able to get it resolved by using Claimyr to get through to a technical specialist rather than the regular frontline support. It's a service that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available: claimyr.com - saved me hours of holding time. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The technical specialist was able to see that my account had been flagged for suspicious activity (even though I hadn't done anything unusual) and they fixed it on their end immediately.

I work in financial aid at a university, and we've been seeing this exact issue with multiple students this cycle. What's likely happening is that your son's account has a "soft lock" - it doesn't show as locked in the system, but the authentication is failing silently. Try this specific sequence: 1. Have your son log out of all Google/Microsoft accounts on the browser 2. Clear ALL cookies and cache (not just for studentaid.gov) 3. Close and reopen the browser 4. Go to studentaid.gov directly (don't use bookmarks) 5. Click "Log In" NOT "Create Account" 6. Enter credentials manually (no autofill) 7. If that fails, wait exactly 24 hours before trying again If none of this works, despite what the helpline said, he may need to use the account recovery process and reset his FSA ID completely. While they discourage this, sometimes it's the only solution for persistent login issues.

my cousin had this problem and it turned out his account got flagged for fraud for some dumb reason. they never told him, he only found out when he finally got to an actual supervisor after like 2 hours on the phone. maybe ask specifically if the account is flagged??

UPDATE: We figured it out!!!! Turns out my son had logged in once using a VPN for something completely unrelated, and his account got silently flagged for "suspicious activity"! We finally got through to a technical specialist (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned - worked great) and they found the flag on his account immediately. They removed it and he was able to log in right away. We're finally making progress on his FAFSA form now. Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!!

Wow, this is such valuable information! I'm dealing with a similar login issue with my daughter's account right now and had no idea about the VPN flagging. We use a VPN for work stuff all the time, so she probably got flagged too. Definitely going to try that Claimyr service to get through to technical support - seems like the regular helpline people really don't have access to see these hidden flags. Thanks for sharing the solution, this could save so many people weeks of frustration!

Just wanted to add another tip that helped us - if anyone is still having login issues, try logging in during off-peak hours (like early morning or late evening). We noticed the FAFSA system seems to have fewer glitches when there's less traffic. Also, make sure your son's name in his FSA ID matches EXACTLY what's on his Social Security card - even middle initials or hyphens can cause silent authentication failures. The system is incredibly finicky about these details but rarely gives helpful error messages. So frustrating but glad you got it sorted out!

This whole thread is a goldmine of information! I'm just starting my FAFSA journey as a first-time college applicant and honestly had no clue about any of these technical issues. The VPN flagging thing is especially surprising - who would think using basic privacy tools could mess up your financial aid application? I'm definitely bookmarking this discussion and sharing it with other families in my area who are going through this process. It's crazy that the official FAFSA support doesn't seem to know about or mention these common issues. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - this could literally save people thousands of dollars in missed aid opportunities due to technical glitches!

As someone just starting the FAFSA process, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea there were so many technical landmines that could completely derail an application. The VPN issue is particularly shocking - it seems so counterintuitive that using basic internet security tools could trigger fraud flags. I'm definitely going to share this with my college counselor and other families at our high school. It's really concerning that the official FAFSA support doesn't seem equipped to help with these common technical issues that clearly affect a lot of students. Thank you all for documenting your experiences and solutions - this kind of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is literally saving people's college funding opportunities!