FAFSA shows processed but schools claim they didn't receive it - DOB correction issue?
I'm so confused and getting really anxious! My daughter submitted her FAFSA back in January (got processed Feb 3 according to studentaid.gov). However, there was an issue with her date of birth being wrong initially. Someone at her high school helped her correct the DOB after submission. Now we're getting bombarded with emails from ALL the colleges she applied to saying they haven't received her FAFSA! Last night her guidance counselor even sent out a mass email to students who "haven't submitted" - including her! But when we log into studentaid.gov it clearly shows "FAFSA Form Processed" with the date and everything. Could the DOB correction be causing this disconnect? Are the schools just being slow to receive it? Is there something else we need to do? The status tracker shows everything completed (started Nov 26, submitted Jan 31, processed Feb 3). I'm worried this will mess up her financial aid packages since deadlines are approaching!
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Connor Richards
The DOB change probably caused it. When u change personal info like that after submission it can trigger a reprocessing that delays transmission to schools. Check if ur daughters SAI score is visible on studentaid.gov - if u can see that, it means its fully processed. Schools might just be slow to update their systems
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Zoe Wang
•Thanks for responding! I just checked and yes, we can see her SAI score. That's a relief to hear it might just be a delay. How long do you think we should wait before contacting the schools directly? I'm nervous about missing any financial aid deadlines.
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Grace Durand
This is a common issue with FAFSA corrections. When demographic information like DOB is changed after submission, there's a secondary review process that can delay the information being sent to schools. Here's what you should do: 1. Verify that all the schools are correctly listed in the FAFSA (check the "View Schools" section) 2. Make sure the SAI calculation is complete and visible 3. Print or screenshot the processed confirmation page as proof of completion 4. Email the financial aid offices at each school with this documentation Most schools understand these FAFSA transmission delays and will work with you as long as you've communicated proactively.
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Zoe Wang
•Thank you so much for these specific steps! I just checked and all the schools are definitely listed correctly. We'll email each financial aid office with screenshots today. I'm feeling much better knowing this is a common issue.
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Steven Adams
THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!!! The whole system is so broken!! I had to call FSA like 8 times before someone actually fixed it and even then it took 2 more weeks to show up at my schools. Keep calling until you get someone who actually knows what they're doing!
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Alice Fleming
•While I understand your frustration, calling repeatedly might not be the most efficient approach. The FSA helpline is notoriously backed up this time of year. Instead, I'd recommend using the chat function on studentaid.gov during non-peak hours (early morning) for quicker assistance. Also, once you verify the processing is complete, you can ask each school's financial aid office to manually look up the student's FAFSA using their SSN rather than waiting for the automatic transmission.
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Hassan Khoury
Actually just dealt with this exact problem with my son. The schools can manually retrieve the FAFSA if you ask them to. They just need to search using the student's name + SSN in their system. We had 3 out of 5 schools do this for us and it worked. The other 2 eventually got it through the normal electronic process but it took about 3 weeks after the correction.
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Zoe Wang
•Oh that's great to know! I'll definitely ask the schools if they can do that manual lookup. Did you just call the financial aid offices directly? Did they give you any pushback about doing it?
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Victoria Stark
have u tried looking at the actual ISIR data? sometimes schools get the ISIR transmission but dont update their portal right away. also make sure u didnt accidentally use nickname vs legal name or something cuz the systems get confused when names dont match exactly
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Zoe Wang
•I'm not sure what ISIR data is... is that something we can access on the studentaid.gov site? And we definitely used her legal name on everything - but that's a good point to double check!
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Benjamin Kim
I had so much trouble reaching anyone at FSA when we had a similar issue with my son's FAFSA. After being on hold for hours and getting disconnected multiple times, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their website is claimyr.com. Saved me so much frustration! The agent was able to see exactly what was happening with the transmission to schools and fixed it on the spot.
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Zoe Wang
•Thank you for this recommendation! If we can't get it resolved by contacting the schools directly, I'll definitely try this service. The thought of spending hours on hold is so stressful with everything else going on right now.
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Steven Adams
•does this actually work?? i spent 5 HOURS on hold last week and then got disconnected!!!
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Alice Fleming
This is a known issue with the 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout. When demographic data is corrected (especially DOB, name, or SSN), it triggers what's called a "reprocessing event" that can delay transmission to schools by 3-4 weeks. However, the colleges can manually retrieve the processed FAFSA data if you provide: 1. Student's full legal name 2. Student's SSN 3. Confirmation number from the processed FAFSA Many financial aid offices are aware of these delays and have adjusted their internal deadlines accordingly. I recommend emailing each school's financial aid office with screenshots showing the processed status and explicitly requesting they manually retrieve the FAFSA data.
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Zoe Wang
•Thank you for explaining this so clearly! It helps so much to understand the technical reason behind the delay. We'll definitely reach out to the schools with all this information. Do you know if schools typically respond quickly to these requests for manual retrieval?
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Samantha Howard
lol this is why im taking a gap year the fafsa is such a mess this time around. good luck!!!
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Zoe Wang
•Haha, sometimes I wish she had considered a gap year too! But hopefully we can get this sorted out soon.
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Grace Durand
Just to follow up on your question about timing - most schools understand the FAFSA transmission issues this year and are being flexible with their internal financial aid deadlines. However, it's still best to be proactive. Contact each school's financial aid office this week, provide the verification that your FAFSA is processed (screenshots), and ask them to manually retrieve the data. Also, double-check that your daughter's FSA ID is properly linked to her Social Security Number. Sometimes the DOB correction can cause authentication issues if there's any mismatch with SSA records.
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Zoe Wang
•We just contacted two schools already and you're right - they were very understanding! One school said they're dealing with this issue for dozens of students. They're going to try retrieving her information manually tomorrow. I'll make sure to check the FSA ID/SSN connection too. Thank you again for all this helpful information!
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