FAFSA resubmission after seeing SAI 46786 - now back 'in review' status?
So I was helping my daughter with her FAFSA application last night and saw it was marked as 'processed' with an SAI of 46786. But then I clicked something (no idea what exactly) and it forced me to resubmit the whole form! I didn't change ANY information at all, just clicked through the pages and hit submit again. Now it says 'in review' instead of 'processed' and the SAI number disappeared. Did I completely mess up her application? Will they think we're trying to change information? We're already behind on college decisions and I'm freaking out that I just reset the whole process!
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Wesley Hallow
This happened to me too! Don't panic tho, it usually goes back to processed pretty quick. The system is super glitchy this year lol
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Kennedy Morrison
•How long did it take to go back to processed for you? It's been almost 24 hours and I'm getting anxious about it.
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Justin Chang
This is actually pretty common with the new FAFSA system. When you navigate to certain sections after initial processing, the system sometimes interprets it as a correction submission even if you don't change anything. A few things to know: 1. Your daughter's initial SAI (46786) should be preserved in the system 2. The 'in review' status typically takes 3-5 business days to return to 'processed' 3. Colleges that already received the first processed result won't lose access to it I recommend taking a screenshot of your current status page. If it hasn't updated in a week, then contact Federal Student Aid directly for assistance.
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Kennedy Morrison
•Thank you so much for explaining! I took your advice and took screenshots of everything. I'm still worried but feeling a bit better now.
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Grace Thomas
omg the new fafsa sucks so bad!! i had to submit mine 3 TIMES because it kept saying "processing error" and then when it finally worked my sai was way higher than it should be!! good luck with ur daughters application
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Hunter Brighton
•Did you try calling the helpline? I spent like 40 minutes on hold before I gave up.
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Dylan Baskin
Don't worry too much - you didn't mess anything up! The system is just verifying that nothing changed. A few technical points about what's happening: - When resubmitting with no changes, FAFSA has to run verification algorithms to confirm nothing changed - The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation will come back identical since no data changed - Schools can still see the original submission while verification happens - If the status doesn't return to "processed" within 5-7 business days, that's when you should contact Federal Student Aid Also, if your daughter's colleges have already downloaded her FAFSA data, this resubmission won't typically delay their aid decisions.
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Kennedy Morrison
•Thank you for the detailed explanation! I was so worried I messed up her chances with the schools she's waiting to hear from. I'll give it a week before panicking again.
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Lauren Wood
I had to call FSA about this exact problem last month when I was helping my son with his application. I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid - their phone system is the absolute worst! When I finally got through, they told me it was normal and to just wait it out. So frustrating that they don't explain this better on their website.
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Ellie Lopez
•If you need to contact FSA again, I used this service called Claimyr that helped me skip the wait times. I found it at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Saved me so much frustration when I was dealing with verification issues on my daughter's FAFSA. Just thought I'd mention it since the hold times are ridiculous right now.
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Hunter Brighton
Wait, I'm confused - what is SAI? Is that the same as EFC? I'm filling out my first FAFSA and all the terminology is so confusing...
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Dylan Baskin
•SAI stands for Student Aid Index. It replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) in the 2024-2025 FAFSA redesign. It serves basically the same purpose - it's a number that colleges use to determine how much financial aid you're eligible for. The lower your SAI, the more need-based aid you might receive.
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Justin Chang
Just checking back - has your daughter's application status changed back to "processed" yet? It typically takes 3-5 business days, but with the system issues this year, some are taking longer.
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Kennedy Morrison
•Yes! It finally changed back to "processed" yesterday, with the exact same SAI as before (46786). Thank goodness! Now I can stop checking the website every 2 hours 😅
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Mei Liu
That's such a relief to hear it went back to processed with the same SAI! I'm dealing with something similar right now - accidentally triggered a resubmission on my son's FAFSA two days ago and have been stressed about it ever since. Your experience gives me hope that it will sort itself out. The new FAFSA system really needs better warnings about what actions will cause a resubmission!
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