FAFSA missing info emails from school but can't see what's missing in portal?

ya this happened 2 me last yr. turns out the school wanted extra verification stuff that wasnt actually missing from fafsa. check ur daughters student portal for the school not the fafsa site

The issue might not be with your FAFSA itself, but with the information transfer between FSA and your daughter's school. This is extremely common during peak processing periods. I recommend: 1. Check your daughter's student portal at the university (as mentioned) 2. Look specifically for a "Verification" section or task list 3. Contact the financial aid office directly - don't rely solely on the FAFSA portal Many schools require additional verification documents even when FAFSA shows complete. This often includes tax transcript requests, household verification forms, or identity verification.

I had this exact problem with my son's application. The FAFSA showed completed but college kept sending "missing info" emails. Called the school and waited on hold for TWO HOURS only to be told they needed my W-2 form which was never specified anywhere. The disconnect between what FAFSA says and what schools want is ridiculous.

Here's what's happening: schools operate on different timelines than FAFSA. When you submitted, your FAFSA was technically complete for federal purposes, but your daughter's school has additional verification requirements. About 30% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification each year. You need to: 1. Log into her SCHOOL portal (not FAFSA) 2. Look for "Financial Aid Requirements" or "To-Do List" 3. You'll likely find specific document requests there Common verification requests include: - IRS Tax Return Transcript (even if you used IRS Data Retrieval) - Verification of household size form - Statement of educational purpose - Identity verification The school cannot finalize her aid package until these are submitted, which is why they're sending the emails.

I work at a university financial aid office, and this happens ALL THE TIME. The confusing part is that schools use language like "missing FAFSA information" when what they really mean is "additional verification documentation required by our school." The Department of Education randomly selects applications for verification, and schools have to collect additional documents to confirm the information reported on FAFSA. Your application is likely complete on the federal side but requires verification at the school level. Check for a task list in your daughter's student portal. You'll likely need to submit: - Verification worksheet (school-specific form) - Tax return transcript or signed 1040 - W-2 forms If you don't see these requirements in her portal, call the financial aid office directly. Some schools don't update their portals immediately.

Listen, I dealt with this EXACT issue last year and wasted WEEKS trying to figure it out. The problem wasn't my FAFSA - it was that I couldn't get through to anyone at the financial aid office to explain what they actually needed! After getting nowhere with emails, I used Claimyr to reach someone at Federal Student Aid who explained that my application was actually flagged for verification (which is why the school was asking for more info). They helped me understand exactly what documents were needed. Check out their video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Saved me HOURS of frustration and hold music! Their website is claimyr.com if you're struggling to reach anyone by phone.

DONT PANIC!!!! The financial aid system is DESIGNED to be confusing and frustrating!!!!! This happens EVERY YEAR to thousands of students. The schools send these scary emails making it sound urgent but then make it IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what they actually want!!!! Call your daughter's financial aid office DIRECTLY. Don't waste time with the FAFSA site when the issue is almost certainly verification documents the SCHOOL wants.

For future reference, here's a timeline tip: After submitting FAFSA, always check your student's school portal weekly, especially during January-March when most verification selections happen. Schools typically process FAFSA data in batches, so verification requests might not appear immediately after FAFSA submission. Also, make sure your email settings don't filter financial aid notifications to spam/promotions folders - this is incredibly common and causes many missed deadlines.

btw another thing that happened to me - school was emailing my STUDENT not me (parent) even tho i did all the fafsa stuff. check ur daughters email too maybe theres more info there

I'm dealing with something similar right now! My son's school keeps saying there's missing info but won't specify what. Reading through all these comments has been super helpful - sounds like I need to stop obsessing over the FAFSA portal and actually check his student account at the university. It's so confusing that they call it "missing FAFSA information" when it's really verification documents that the school specifically wants. Why can't they just be clear about what they need instead of sending these vague panic-inducing emails? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This is such a common frustration! I went through the exact same thing with my daughter's FAFSA last year. The disconnect between what the FAFSA portal shows and what schools actually need is incredibly confusing. What worked for me was calling the financial aid office directly and asking them to walk me through their specific verification requirements over the phone. Don't just rely on their portal or emails - sometimes the requirements aren't updated in real-time. When I called, they were able to tell me exactly which forms they needed and email me direct links to download them. Also, keep copies of everything you submit! Schools sometimes "lose" documents during busy processing periods, and having your own records makes resubmission much easier. The whole system really needs to be more user-friendly, but at least once you know what they want, it's usually pretty straightforward to submit.

This exact situation happened to me with my daughter's application too! The FAFSA site showing "complete" while the school keeps emailing about missing info is SO confusing. What I learned is that "verification" is basically a separate process that happens AFTER your FAFSA is submitted - the Department of Education randomly selects about 30% of applications for additional document verification, and each school handles it differently. The frustrating part is they use misleading language like "missing FAFSA info" when they really mean "we need extra paperwork for verification." Definitely check her UCR student portal for a verification checklist or to-do list - that's where you'll find exactly what they want. Don't stress too much, you're not behind on anything critical, just need to submit whatever verification docs they're requesting!