FAFSA shows 'processed' but college still saying 'make corrections' - what's the disconnect?

This happens more often than you'd think! The disconnect is usually because the school's system hasn't updated with the latest information from the Federal Student Aid system. Your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation might be complete in the federal system, but the school might be looking at a specific issue with your application data that's related to their institutional requirements.\n\nA few possibilities to consider:\n1. The school might need additional verification documents specific to their process\n2. There could be conflicting information between what you reported on FAFSA and what the school has on file\n3. The school's system might just be slow to update from the federal database\n\nYour best bet is to email the financial aid office with screenshots of both your FAFSA status and their portal, asking them to specify exactly what corrections they need. This creates a paper trail and often gets a more detailed response than phone calls.

Thank you! I didn't even think about email - I was just frantically calling. Do you think I should include my student ID number in the email? I'm nervous because the priority deadline for aid packaging is in 2 weeks and I don't want to end up with nothing.

same thing happened to me!!! school wanted \

OMG there is a documents tab! I just checked and there's something called \

It's the stupid verification process. I HATE it. Every year they randomly select students to \

yep its total BS. my friends who have more money somehow NEVER get selected for verification but im working 2 jobs tryin to pay for school and get picked EVERY YEAR

This is a common issue with what we call \

Thank you for explaining about the verification groups - that makes sense. I found the documents page and I'm in group V1. They need my parents' tax transcripts and some form about household size. Now I need to figure out how to get those tax transcripts quickly.

After dealing with this exact problem last semester, I almost lost my Pell Grant because of these verification delays! Calling Federal Student Aid directly was impossible - I spent 3+ hours over multiple days and never reached anyone. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a FAFSA agent who explained the exact verification code on my account and what my school was looking for. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent was able to send a notification to my school's financial aid office explaining that my information was correct in the federal system, which helped clear up the confusion.

does that actually work? ive never been able to get thru to anyone at fafsa

Yes! The service basically holds your place in line so you don't have to stay on hold forever. When I used it, I got a call back when an agent was available instead of waiting on hold for hours. The agent explained the specific C-code on my account that my school was having issues with.

my sister went thru this last year. turns out westfield specifically needs extra income verification even when fafsa doesnt. some schools are just pickier than others lol. just go to irs.gov and request the tax return transcript (not the account transcript) for your parents. it's free but takes like 10 days to come in the mail unless your parents can make an online account with the irs.

Oh no, 10 days might put me past the priority deadline! Do you think the financial aid office would accept a copy of my parents' actual tax return until the transcript comes? I'm panicking now.

yea they probably will accept it temporarily if you explain. also ur parents might be able to get it online right away if they can make an irs account

I want to add one important point - even though your FAFSA is showing as processed, make sure you've reviewed your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation. Sometimes schools need corrections because the FAFSA system accepted your application but calculated an SAI that doesn't match your actual financial situation.\n\nWhen you check your Student Aid Report (SAR), look for any comments or notes at the end that might indicate issues. These aren't always obvious! Schools often see these flags even when the main status shows as complete.\n\nFinally, if you've found the verification forms required, complete them ASAP and deliver them in person if possible. Most schools have a priority processing queue for students who follow up in person versus just uploading documents to the portal.

That's really helpful. I just checked my SAR and found a comment code about

The whole FAFSA system is a mess this year. My FAFSA got stuck in

so true! my parents never went to college so i have to figure everything out myself and the instructions are sooo confusing

UPDATE: I went to the financial aid office in person today and finally got answers! Turns out I was selected for verification (V1 group) and they need my parents' tax transcripts. The financial aid officer said they would accept copies of the filed tax returns for now, but we need to get the official transcripts within 30 days. She also showed me where to find the specific forms in my portal - they were hidden under a tab called

Great news! This is exactly why in-person visits can be so helpful. One small tip for future reference - keep a folder with all your financial aid documents including verification forms, tax transcripts, SAR, etc. This will make the process much smoother next year, as many of the same documents are often needed again. Glad you got it resolved before the priority deadline!