FAFSA processed but no SAI or eligibility notification - when should we worry?

This is actually normal in the current processing cycle. After your FAFSA is 'processed,' there's typically a 7-10 day waiting period before you receive your Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation and official eligibility notification. The system first confirms your application is complete, then runs it through verification algorithms, and finally calculates your SAI. During high-volume periods like now, it can take up to 2 weeks. \n\nYour son's information will be sent directly to the schools he listed on the FAFSA, so even if you don't see an official notification immediately, the process is moving forward. I'd recommend waiting until the 2-week mark before getting concerned.

Thank you! That's reassuring. I didn't realize there was another waiting period after processing. Will the schools see his information before we do? He already got accepted to three schools but they're waiting on FAFSA info to finalize aid packages.

Same thing here!! My daughter's FAFSA says processed since last Tuesday but no emails or anything about eligibility. Super frustrating because her college keeps sending reminders about the priority deadline coming up. I keep checking spam too.

Glad it's not just us! Have you tried calling? I was thinking about it but wasn't sure if it was worth the hassle yet.

I tried calling twice but couldnt get thru after 45 mins on hold both times. Gave up and just hoping it comes soon :/

I work in a college financial aid office. Here's what's happening: Your FAFSA is processed, but they're currently running verification checks on the data before releasing the final SAI (Student Aid Index) score. This is where they compare your tax info against IRS records, citizenship status with DHS, etc.\n\nThis verification step is taking 10-14 days for most applicants in this cycle. The schools already have preliminary access to your application data, but they're waiting for the official SAI calculation before preparing aid packages.\n\nIf it's been more than 14 days or you need to meet a school's priority deadline, I'd recommend reaching out to Federal Student Aid directly.

This is really helpful information. Good to know the schools can see something already. Is there any way for us to check the verification status, or do we just have to wait for the final calculation to appear?

Unfortunately, there's no way for applicants to see the verification status in real-time. You'll just see the processed status until the full verification is complete. Some people are selected for additional verification after this step too, but that would generate a separate notification. Just a waiting game right now, but 14 days is when I'd start following up.

I had something similar happen with my son's application. After it said \

is that service free? seems sketchy to pay money just to talk to fafsa people when its our tax dollars paying for the system already smh

It's not free, but after spending hours trying to get through myself, it was worth it to me. I get your point about tax dollars though. I just needed answers before my son's school deadline and was desperate after getting disconnected multiple times.

lol yall need to chill out. the system sends everything to the schools first and the SAI emails come whenever they feel like it. my daughter got her aid package from her top school before we even got the official FAFSA email with the SAI number. system is weird af but it works eventually

That's good to know! Did you have to contact the schools or did they just send the package automatically once they had his FAFSA data?

nope they just sent it. every school does it different tho. some are on the ball, others take forever. depends on how organized their financial aid office is

This whole FAFSA system is broken! Wait until you actually get your SAI - it's a complete joke. Our family makes under $70K with three kids and they still expect us to pay $15K per year per kid!!!! FAFSA is designed to force families into massive Parent PLUS loan debt while the colleges raise tuition every year. The processed notification is just the beginning of the frustration...

I'm worried about that too. We're middle income but definitely can't afford the full price at most schools. Did you end up appealing your SAI calculation?

YES and it was another nightmare of paperwork and waiting. Got it reduced a little but not enough to make college affordable. The whole system is designed to extract maximum money from families regardless of what you can actually pay. Start looking into scholarships NOW because federal aid won't be enough!

have u checked the actual fafsa website directly? sometimes the notifications dont come thru email but if u login u can see the SAI score there. thats what happened with my application

Yes, I've been checking the studentaid.gov portal daily, but it just shows

Just to follow up on my earlier reply - one other thing to check is whether your son created his own studentaid.gov account or if you completed everything through your parent account. The SAI notification is sometimes only sent to the student's account/email, not the parent's, even if you did most of the application work as a parent. Might be worth having him check his account directly if he has one.

That's a really good point! He does have his own account but I've been managing most of the process. I'll have him log in separately to check. Thanks for thinking of that!

Update for everyone following this thread: The Department of Education just announced they're experiencing delays in the final verification steps for applications submitted in the last two weeks. They've added staff to address the backlog, but they're now saying to allow up to 3 weeks for SAI calculations to be completed for recently submitted applications. If your school has an urgent deadline, have your student contact their financial aid office directly - many are making accommodations for these delays.

Thank you so much for the update! That explains a lot. I'll have my son reach out to his top choice schools to let them know about the delay. Really appreciate the insider information.