FAFSA says corrections needed but schools already received it - how is this possible?
So I'm totally confused about my son's FAFSA status right now. When we log into studentaid.gov, it clearly shows his application as 'processed' but then says there are some corrections needed!? The weird part is that I just got confirmation emails from THREE of the schools he applied to saying they've already received his FAFSA data. How can schools be receiving his info if corrections are still needed? Is his SAI calculation wrong? Will the schools have to recalculate everything once we make these corrections? This is our first time dealing with all this and the website isn't explaining anything. Anyone else see this happen with their kid's FAFSA?
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Oliver Alexander
This happened with my daughter's application too! It's super confusing but it's actually normal. The FAFSA gets processed and sent to schools even with the 'corrections needed' status. What's happening is they've calculated a provisional SAI based on the info you provided, but flagged some items that might need fixing. The schools can still start working with what they have.
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Kaylee Cook
•Oh thank goodness! So does that mean he might still get financial aid offers from these schools before we even make the corrections? I'm worried they're looking at incomplete information.
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Lara Woods
The FAFSA system sends the data to schools in stages. Your application was processed enough to create an initial SAI score, which is what schools are receiving. The corrections flag means there are issues that could change the final SAI calculation. Check the 'Action Required' section on studentaid.gov to see exactly what needs correcting. Common issues include mismatched tax info, citizenship verification, or missing signatures.
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Kaylee Cook
•Thanks for the explanation! I checked and it says there's a discrepancy between what we entered for his dad's AGI and what the IRS data shows. So frustrating because we used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool!
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Lara Woods
•That's a known glitch with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool this year. Even when you use it, sometimes the system still flags discrepancies. Go ahead and make the correction - the updated SAI will be sent automatically to all the schools on your list once processed.
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Adrian Hughes
ur son's app is fine! schools get the first version and then they get updates if u fix stuff. my daughter had like 5 corrections and still got aid offers while we were fixing them lol. just make the changes when u can and dont stress
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Molly Chambers
I work in financial aid and can explain. There are two different processes happening: (1) FAFSA processing which creates your initial Student Aid Index (SAI) and sends data to schools and (2) Verification/correction workflows which might adjust that SAI later. Schools receive your initial processed data so they can start building financial aid packages. The corrections are flagged items that need attention but don't prevent initial processing. Make the corrections ASAP though - if your SAI changes significantly after corrections, aid offers might be adjusted.
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Kaylee Cook
•That makes so much more sense! One more question - do we need to notify the schools that we're making corrections, or will they automatically get the updated information?
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Molly Chambers
•The schools will automatically receive the updated information once your corrections are processed. No need to contact them separately unless the correction is still showing as pending after 5-7 business days. Each school will have their own policy about how they handle mid-process corrections - some will wait for final numbers before making offers, others will make preliminary offers that might be adjusted later.
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Ian Armstrong
This whole FAFSA rollout this year is a DISASTER!!!! My daughter has been waiting since JANUARY with a "processed with corrections needed" status and we've made ALL the corrections they asked for THREE TIMES!!! Schools keep saying they have "partial information" but cant make any offers yet. FSA phone line disconnects me EVERY SINGLE TIME. The whole system is broken!!!
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Eli Butler
•I had the same issue with getting disconnected! I finally used this service called Claimyr that got me through to a FAFSA agent in about 15 minutes. The agent explained exactly which correction was still pending and fixed it while I was on the phone. Saved me weeks of waiting. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or their website claimyr.com - totally worth it for getting an actual human on the phone!
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Marcus Patterson
it really depends on what type of correction is needed. minor stuff (like address typos) won't affect your SAI, but income-related corrections definitely will. my advice is to make the corrections asap and then check back in 3-5 days to see if it's fully processed. if schools are already contacting your son, that's actually a GOOD sign - they're being proactive!
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Kaylee Cook
Update: We made the corrections yesterday and just got notification that his FAFSA is now fully processed! The SAI only changed by about $300, so hopefully that won't impact his aid offers too much. Thanks everyone for the help and explaining how this works!
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Molly Chambers
•Great news! A $300 SAI change is minimal and likely won't significantly impact aid packages. Schools will automatically receive the update, and with such a small adjustment, many won't even need to revise preliminary offers. Glad it worked out!
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Adrian Hughes
•see! told ya it would be fine 😊
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Oliver Alexander
My daughter's situation was exactly like this last month! Her SAI changed by about $1200 after corrections and only one school adjusted their offer (and it was only by about $400). Most schools build in a little buffer for these kinds of changes. The most important thing is that you got it fixed before final aid packages go out!
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Ravi Gupta
Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact same thing with my son two weeks ago! The "corrections needed" status is definitely confusing but it's totally normal. What helped me understand it was thinking of it like a draft vs. final version - schools get the draft (which is still useful for them to start planning) while you work on the final version. The key thing is to make those corrections as soon as possible because some schools have earlier deadlines for finalizing aid packages. Also, don't panic if you see multiple correction requests over time - sometimes fixing one issue reveals another that needs attention. The system is definitely not perfect but it does work eventually!
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Omar Fawzi
•Thanks for sharing your experience! The "draft vs final" analogy is really helpful - that makes so much more sense than how the website explains it. I'm curious, when you say some schools have earlier deadlines for finalizing aid packages, do you know if there's a way to find out what those deadlines are for each school? I want to make sure we don't miss anything important while waiting for the corrections to process.
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