FAFSA processed but college claims they didn't receive it - what's happening?

This happened to my daughter last year! Don't panic - there's often a lag between when FAFSA processes your application and when individual schools actually download and process the information on their end. Here's what we did: 1. Take screenshots of your FAFSA dashboard showing it's processed and that the school is listed 2. Email these screenshots directly to the financial aid office (not just admissions) 3. Call the financial aid office directly and explain the situation In our case, it turned out the school had the FAFSA but it was sitting in their system waiting for manual review. They expedited it once we called. Give them a call tomorrow morning!

LOL colledges always doing this!! they probly have it but the right hand dont know what the left hand is doing!! My kid got THE SAME EMAIL then 2 days later they sent the actual aid package. dont stress.

This is a very common issue this year especially. The FAFSA modernization has created significant delays and confusion in how data is transmitted to schools. From my experience working in financial aid: 1. There's approximately a 10-14 day lag between FAFSA processing and schools receiving the data, even when properly listed 2. Some schools have had technical difficulties integrating the new FAFSA data format into their systems 3. The financial aid office and admissions office often have separate systems that don't communicate efficiently I recommend having your son contact his admission counselor directly with screenshots showing the processed FAFSA and SAI score. The counselor can often flag the account internally for priority processing.

Have u tried calling the Federal student aid number? Sometimes they can see if theres a technical problem on their end. I waited on hold for like 2 hours tho lol.

UGH I HATE THE FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM SO MUCH!!!! This is EXACTLY why so many students fall through the cracks! Schools be sending out admissions letters all proud of themselves but then the financial aid office has NO IDEA what's going on. And then they have the NERVE to blame families for "not submitting" when we literally DID EVERYTHING RIGHT. I bet if you called 5 different people at that school you'd get 5 different answers about your FAFSA status. The whole system is BROKEN.

UPDATE: My son called his admission counselor this morning and sent her screenshots of our FAFSA account showing the processed status and SAI calculation. She was super helpful and promised to follow up with the financial aid office directly. Will keep you all posted on what happens!

FINAL UPDATE: Good news! The admission counselor got back to us today and confirmed the university actually DOES have our FAFSA! Apparently the financial aid office and admissions don't communicate well (shocking, I know). She said we should receive the financial aid package within the next few days. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

So glad this worked out for you! This is exactly why I always tell families to contact the admission counselor directly when there are FAFSA issues - they have way more pull with different departments than we do as parents calling around. Your experience is going to be super helpful for other families dealing with this same confusion. Congrats on getting it sorted out, and I hope the aid package is everything you're hoping for!

As someone who just went through this exact nightmare last month, I can't stress enough how common this is! The key thing that saved us was keeping detailed records. I actually created a simple spreadsheet tracking: 1) Date FAFSA was submitted, 2) Date it showed as processed, 3) Which schools were listed, and 4) Date each school confirmed receipt. This became invaluable when we had to escalate issues. Also, don't be afraid to ask the financial aid office for their "FAFSA receipt confirmation number" - it's a specific code that proves they have your data in their system. If they can't provide it, that's a red flag that something went wrong on their end. So happy to see your situation worked out @FireflyDreams!

This thread is such a perfect example of why this community is so valuable! As a newcomer to the FAFSA world (my oldest is a junior), I'm already taking notes from all the advice shared here. The spreadsheet tracking idea from @Paloma Clark is genius, and I love how @FireflyDreams kept everyone updated throughout the process. It's so reassuring to see that what seems like a major crisis often has a simple solution - just need to know who to contact and how to advocate effectively. I'm definitely saving this whole conversation as my "FAFSA troubleshooting guide" for when we go through this next year. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your experiences and tips!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! Reading through @FireflyDreams' journey from panic to resolution really highlights how these FAFSA/school communication issues are more common than we think. The practical advice everyone shared - especially @Natasha Kuznetsova's step-by-step approach with screenshots and @Emma Anderson's insight about the modernization delays - is exactly what families need when facing these stressful situations. I'm bookmarking this thread as essential reading for anyone dealing with similar FAFSA processing discrepancies. It's amazing how a problem that seemed so urgent and unique turned out to have such a straightforward solution once the right person (the admission counselor) got involved. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment where we can learn from each other's experiences!