FAFSA processed after 55 days - financial aid package finally showed up!
Y'all I'm legit crying right now!!! After months of checking my son's college portal every day with NOTHING, his financial aid package FINALLY showed up this morning. Timeline: submitted FAFSA on January 18th, didn't get processed until March 15th (57 days later!!!), and then the award appeared today, April 3rd. The waiting was literally killing me - I was having panic attacks thinking we wouldn't qualify for anything or that something was wrong with our application. His SAI score was higher than I expected (ugh), but he still qualified for some grants and work-study. The Parent Plus loan options are there too, though I'm trying to avoid those if possible. Anyone else on this ridiculous waiting roller coaster? Is this just how long it takes now with the "simplified" FAFSA? 🙄
19 comments
Join the conversation
Hugh Intensity
Congratulations! This is actually becoming the normal timeline for 2025-2026 FAFSA processing. The Department of Education has been overwhelmed with the new system rollout. Your 57-day processing time is actually slightly better than average right now - I've seen many applications taking 65+ days to process. The good news is once the FAFSA is processed, most colleges are prioritizing getting award packages out quickly because they know students are making decisions soon. Did your son receive his SAI score directly from studentaid.gov or just through the college portal?
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Thank you!! We got the SAI through the studentaid.gov email first, then the college calculated the actual awards. His score was 9,800 which seems high to me?? We're not wealthy by any means, but I guess having two working parents hurts us. The package includes some institutional grants though so I'm grateful for that at least.
0 coins
Effie Alexander
still waiting on mine... submitted Jan 30 and nothing yet. this whole system is BS
0 coins
Hugh Intensity
•If you submitted on January 30th and still don't have processing completed, you might want to call Federal Student Aid directly. At this point, there could be a specific issue with your application that needs addressing. Sometimes applications get stuck in verification queues without proper notification.
0 coins
Melissa Lin
I'm a financial aid counselor, and I can confirm this year's FAFSA rollout has been exceptionally challenging. The Department of Education's "simplified" FAFSA has ironically complicated the entire process. Your 57-day timeline is unfortunately common. A few important notes for those still waiting: 1. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) replaces the old EFC and works similarly but with some calculation changes 2. Many schools are extending decision deadlines due to these delays 3. If your FAFSA has been processing for more than 45 days, there may be a verification issue that wasn't properly communicated 4. Parent Plus loans should be considered carefully - they lack many protections of direct student loans For the parent who asked about the 9,800 SAI - that's in the middle range. You won't qualify for full Pell Grants (which require an SAI under 3,000 typically), but many institutions will still provide significant need-based aid with that score.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Thank you for this info! I was so confused because I kept reading about Pell Grants but didn't see them in his package. Makes sense now with our SAI being 9,800. Do you know if we can appeal the SAI score if we think it doesn't accurately reflect our situation? My husband's income for 2023 was unusually high due to a one-time bonus, but that's not our normal situation.
0 coins
Lydia Santiago
We've been waiting 72 days and STILL don't have our daughter's FAFSA processed!!! I've called FSA 14 TIMES and keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. This is RIDICULOUS! How are families supposed to make college decisions when financial aid packages are coming THIS LATE?? The May 1 decision deadline is coming up fast, and many of us still don't know what we can afford! The whole system is BROKEN.
0 coins
Romeo Quest
•Have you tried reaching them early in the morning? I find if I call right when they open I can sometimes get through.
0 coins
Val Rossi
•I was in the exact same situation last month - couldn't get through no matter what time I called. I actually found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me skip the FAFSA phone queues and got me connected to an agent in about 10 minutes. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It worked great for me - they got me through to someone who could actually see there was a hold on our application because they needed additional income verification that they never notified us about! Without that call we would've been waiting forever.
0 coins
Eve Freeman
Mine took 62 days to process, and then another 3 weeks for the college to generate the financial aid package. The whole system is fundamentally broken. The "simplified" FAFSA is anything but simplified. I've been through this process for 3 kids now, and this year is BY FAR the worst implementation I've ever seen. But congrats on finally getting your package! That must be such a relief after all the waiting and uncertainty.
0 coins
Sunny Wang
•Thank you! It is a HUGE relief. I've been losing sleep over this for months. I feel terrible for everyone still waiting though. Did your kids' aid packages end up being comparable to previous years or did the new formula change things significantly?
0 coins
Clarissa Flair
wait is the SAI the same thing as EFC?? i'm so confused by all these changes lol
0 coins
Melissa Lin
•Yes and no. The Student Aid Index (SAI) replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), but they're calculated somewhat differently. Both are used to determine financial need, but the SAI calculation has different treatment of certain assets and income. The SAI can actually go as low as -1500 (negative) for students with the highest need, while EFC could only go as low as 0. But functionally, they serve the same purpose - determining your eligibility for need-based financial aid.
0 coins
Hugh Intensity
For those still waiting, please know that many colleges are being flexible with commitment deadlines this year due to the FAFSA delays. Don't be afraid to contact admissions offices directly and explain your situation. Most schools are well aware of the issues and have contingency plans. Some have pushed their traditional May 1st deposit deadlines to May 15th or even June 1st. Also, don't forget that you can submit financial aid appeals if your circumstances have changed since your 2023 tax information or if you have unusual expenses. Many schools have increased their appeal budgets this year specifically because they know the FAFSA delays have caused hardships.
0 coins
Effie Alexander
•yeah right colleges dont care about us they just want our $$$ no matter what... already had to put down non-refundable deposits at 2 schools even tho we have no idea what aid we'll get
0 coins
Sunny Wang
Update: Just got off the phone with the financial aid office at my son's college. They were actually super helpful (which surprised me after all the FAFSA frustration). They explained that we can submit an appeal for our SAI score because of my husband's one-time bonus situation. They're sending us the forms today. The counselor also mentioned that LOTS of families are appealing this year because of the FAFSA delays and calculation changes. So if anyone else thinks their SAI doesn't accurately reflect their situation, definitely reach out to your schools!
0 coins
Eve Freeman
•That's great news! Yes, appeals are definitely worth trying this year. We successfully appealed our daughter's package at two schools. One increased her grant by $4,500 and the other by $3,200. Just make sure you document everything thoroughly - they want specific numbers and proof, not just explanations.
0 coins
Romeo Quest
my daughters fafsa was submitted same week as yours and we just got her award yesterday too!! such a relief but now im panicking about the may 1 deadline since we have to compare offers from 3 schools lol why do they make this process so stressful every single year??
0 coins
Melissa Lin
•Don't panic about the May 1st deadline! As I mentioned above, many schools are extending their deadlines this year due to the FAFSA delays. Call each school's admissions office and ask about their policy. Also, when comparing financial aid packages, make sure you're looking at the net cost after all grants and scholarships, not just the total aid offered. Some packages look larger but contain more loans rather than grants.
0 coins