FAFSA processing time for first-time applicants - normal to wait weeks?

its norml to wait these days. my son submited his in januray and we didnt get the SAI score for like 5 weeks. the system is super backed up this year with all the new FAFSA changes.

The processing time for FAFSA applications has definitely been longer this year. The Department of Education has been dealing with significant delays due to the FAFSA Simplification Act implementation. For the 2025-2026 cycle, many applicants are experiencing 3-6 week processing times, sometimes longer. You might want to verify a few things while waiting: 1. Check that your confirmation page showed successfully when you submitted 2. Make sure all signatures (yours and your student's) were properly completed 3. Verify no errors or flags are showing in your studentaid.gov account If everything looks correct, unfortunately patience is your best option right now. Most schools are aware of the delays and have adjusted their financial aid timelines accordingly.

we submitted in February and got our SAI back in about a month. hang in there!

I've been trying to call Federal Student Aid for weeks about our FAFSA processing delay and kept getting disconnected or facing hour-long waits. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and actually got through to a real person in about 10 minutes. They were able to check our application status and confirm there weren't any issues causing the delay - just the normal backlog. Saved me a ton of stress wondering if something was wrong with our submission. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that explains how it works. Definitely worth it if you're getting anxious about the wait.

FAFSA processing timeframes depend on several factors: - Whether your application had any errors/inconsistencies that require manual review - The volume of applications being processed at the time you submitted - If verification was triggered (which happens randomly to about 30% of applicants) For the 2025-2026 application cycle, 3-6 weeks is unfortunately normal due to the implementation challenges with the new system. The good news is that most colleges have adjusted their internal deadlines to account for these delays. If you're concerned about scholarship deadlines, I recommend: 1. Email the financial aid offices at each school your daughter applied to 2. Explain that your FAFSA is still processing 3. Ask if they can notate her file so scholarship consideration isn't impacted Most schools will be accommodating given the widespread delays this year.

My daughter's FAFSA took FOREVER to process too and then when we finally got the SAI it was completely wrong because they somehow included my ex-husband's income even though I have full custody and he provides zero support. Now we're stuck in appeals hell trying to get it fixed. The whole system is a disaster this year!!!

My son and I went through this last year. We applied the day the FAFSA opened up and it STILL took almost a month to get the SAI. What I learned is there's a big difference between the FAFSA processing (federal side) and then what happens at each individual school. After your FAFSA is processed, each school still needs to put together their own aid package, which can take weeks more. So it's really a two-stage waiting game. Btw when we were waiting last year I found that checking the status obsessively didn't make it go any faster lol... just made me more anxious!

One more thing to be aware of - after your FAFSA is processed, there's still a chance you could be selected for verification. This happens to roughly 30% of applicants and requires submitting additional documentation to confirm the information on your FAFSA is accurate. If selected, you'll be notified either through your studentaid.gov account or by the individual schools. Just something to be prepared for as you navigate this process for the first time.

did you use the data retrieval tool to pull your tax info directly from the IRS? i heard that can speed things up and reduce chance of getting verification

Just to reassure you - the processing delays are affecting everyone this year, not just first-time applicants. The Department of Education has publicly acknowledged the issues with the new system rollout. While frustrating, this waiting period isn't a reflection on your application or anything you did wrong. The good news is that once processed, the new FAFSA formula is generally more generous for many families compared to previous years.

I'm going through the exact same thing with my son's FAFSA! We submitted in early March and still waiting for the SAI. It's really stressful not knowing if everything is okay or if there's some issue we're not aware of. This thread has been so helpful - I had no idea the delays were this widespread this year. I'm definitely going to reach out to his schools proactively like others suggested to make sure scholarship deadlines aren't affected. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!