FAFSA processed weeks ago but no aid packages from schools yet - normal wait time?

its different for every school tbh. my sister got her packages within 2 weeks after fafsa processed but i had to wait almost 2 MONTHS for mine last year. some schools are just super slow with it

Financial aid packages typically take 4-8 weeks to be prepared after your FAFSA is processed, but this year there have been significant delays across the board. Have you checked your school portals directly? Sometimes they post aid packages there before sending official notifications. Also make sure your SAI calculation was completed - processing the FAFSA and calculating the SAI are two different steps.

COLLEGES ARE DELIBERATELY SLOW WITH AID PACKAGES!!!! They do this every year to pressure students into committing without knowing the full cost. I waited until APRIL last year before getting packages. The whole system is designed to put families at a disadvantage. They want you desperate enough to accept whatever they offer!!!

Have you been selected for verification? That's a common reason for delays. Log into your studentaid.gov account and check if there's a verification flag on your FAFSA. If so, you'll need to submit additional documentation to each school, which can add several weeks to processing time. Also, have you checked your email spam folders? Sometimes aid notifications get filtered out.

When I was in the same situation last year, I spent HOURS trying to reach the financial aid offices at my schools. Always busy signals or being disconnected after waiting forever. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to actual humans at the aid offices. They have this service that gets you connected directly to financial aid agents without the ridiculous wait. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Definitely call the financial aid offices directly! Don't just wait around passively. My daughter was in the same situation last spring and it turned out there was a minor discrepancy in her Social Security number that was holding everything up. One 15-minute phone call fixed the problem, and she had her packages a week later. Be polite but persistent - the squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices!

my roomate got her pell grant info right away but the school specific scholarships took like 6 more weeks... maybe thats whats happening to you?

Also worth noting that some schools intentionally release all financial aid packages at the same time, regardless of when individual FAFSAs were processed. This is designed to ensure all applicants can make fair comparisons before the May 1 decision deadline. I would suggest sending a polite email to each financial aid office asking for their typical timeline for releasing aid packages. If you're getting close to making a decision, let them know that - sometimes they can expedite the process.

LOL at ppl saying "just call them"!!! i tried calling my fin aid office 37 TIMES in one week last year!!! always busy or disconnected! system is BROKEN!

One more thing to check - make sure your SAI was actually transmitted to all your schools. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your processed FAFSA, and verify all schools are listed in your "My FAFSA" section. Sometimes students think schools received their information, but there was an error in the school codes or transmission. If any schools are missing, you'll need to add them manually through the "Make FAFSA Corrections" option.

update us when u start getting packages! curious if calling actually helps speed things up

Hey just wanted to update - I called my financial aid offices after seeing your post because I was having the same issue. One of them told me they have a huge backlog this year because of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. They said April is now their target for sending out most packages, which is way later than normal. Might be worth asking your schools if they have specific timeline estimates this year.