FAFSA miscalculation disaster - colleges rescinded aid offers until SAI recalculation

same thing just happened to my niece!! the school financial aid office told her they have NO TIMELINE for when the corrected SAI scores will be available. ridiculous system

I'm going through this too. From what I understand, about 20% of all FAFSA applications were affected by the SAI miscalculations. The Department of Education discovered a coding error that affected how certain tax data was being calculated in the new formula. They're prioritizing fixing affected applications, but there's no official timeline. What I recommend: 1. Contact each financial aid office individually to explain your situation and deadline concerns 2. Ask if they can give a preliminary aid package with the caveat it may change 3. Check your studentaid.gov account daily for updates 4. Document all communications with schools in case you need to appeal later This is absolutely frustrating, but the schools are stuck waiting just like we are.

The good news is that colleges understand this situation isn't your fault. Many schools are extending their decision deadlines specifically because of these FAFSA issues. I work in college admissions (not financial aid directly), and I can tell you we're seeing this across the country. The Department of Education started processing the recalculations last week, and they're working through affected applications in batches. Your son should receive an email when his corrected SAI is available. One important note: the miscalculation doesn't necessarily mean your aid will decrease. Some families will actually see improved aid packages after the fix.

This whole FAFSA system is GARBAGE! First they launch months late, then the website crashes constantly, now they can't even CALCULATE THE NUMBERS RIGHT?? My daughter's top choice already told her they won't have updated packages until JUNE. JUNE!! How are families supposed to make decisions?? This is literally thousands of dollars and our kids' futures hanging in the balance while these incompetent bureaucrats fumble around.

I was affected by this same issue and wanted to share some hope. My daughter's corrected SAI was released yesterday (took about 8 days from when we got the notification of the error). What's interesting is her new SAI is actually LOWER than the original calculation, which means she'll qualify for MORE aid! From what I've gathered talking to our financial aid counselor, the error affected how certain tax deductions and retirement contributions were being calculated. For some families this means better aid packages, for others it might reduce aid. It really depends on your specific financial situation. Hang in there - I know the waiting is excruciating.

my brothers fafsa got caught in this too lol. the whole systems a joke if u ask me. they told him maybe june for new numbers which is AFTER most deposit deadlines?? make it make sense

I'm dealing with this too and finally got some answers yesterday. If anyone needs real information about their specific case, I highly recommend trying to actually speak with someone at Federal Student Aid rather than just waiting. I struggled for days trying to get through their phone system until a friend recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com). It basically holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an agent is available. I got connected to an FSA representative who could see exactly where my son's application was in the recalculation process and gave me an estimated completion date. The service has a demo video (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) that shows how it works. The agent told me that while they're not giving public timelines, they're processing about 15,000-20,000 recalculations per day, prioritizing current high school seniors first. At least now I have a rough idea of when to expect our updated SAI.

Quick update for those affected: The Department of Education just announced they expect to have ALL recalculations completed by May 8th. They're also mandating that colleges provide extensions to decision deadlines for affected students. I'd recommend getting this confirmation in writing from each school your son is considering, but this is a positive development that should help with your timing concerns.

my daughter got caught in this too an now were panickng becuz she already turned down her safety schools based on the original aid packages from her top choices!! now those could change and were terrified shell end up with nowhere to go???

what i dont get is how they messed up something so important? like dont they test these systems before launching them??

Just saw on the news that Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a formal apology for the FAFSA issues and promised complete transparency going forward. They've apparently added additional staff to process the recalculations faster. I'm still frustrated, but at least they're acknowledging the problem and trying to fix it.

I'm in the exact same boat and it's absolutely maddening! My daughter's FAFSA was also flagged for the SAI miscalculation and two of her top choice schools have put her aid packages on hold. What makes it worse is that we already submitted housing deposits based on the original numbers. Now we're stuck in limbo wondering if we'll even be able to afford those schools once the "corrected" calculations come through. The lack of communication and transparency from the Department of Education has been shocking. How do you launch a system affecting millions of families without proper testing? I've been checking studentaid.gov obsessively but there's never any real updates. Thanks for posting this - it helps to know we're not alone in this mess, even though I wouldn't wish this stress on anyone.