FAFSA signature page delays - why can't schools offer electronic signing options?

Actually, the signature page isn't processed by the schools - it goes directly to Federal Student Aid. The schools don't have access to create or collect FAFSA signatures. That's why it has to be done through studentaid.gov with your FSA ID, which acts as your legal electronic signature. If you submitted the FAFSA online and both you and your daughter used your FSA IDs to sign, you shouldn't need a separate signature page at all. If you filled out a paper FAFSA or didn't complete the electronic signatures, you need to log back into studentaid.gov, go to your daughter's FAFSA, and complete the signature process there. The school can't bypass this federal requirement.

I work in a financial aid office and see this issue constantly. Your FAFSA is likely in a "Submitted but not processed" status because it's missing the signatures. Here's what you need to do: 1. Go to studentaid.gov and log in with your FSA ID 2. Go to the "My FAFSA" section 3. Find the 2025-2026 application and click on it 4. Look for an option that says "Provide Signatures" or sometimes "Add Signatures" 5. Both you and your daughter will need to sign with your separate FSA IDs If you don't see this option, your application might be in a different status. Call FSA directly at 1-800-433-3243 to have them check the exact status and tell you how to proceed.

we had the same problem last yr my sons fafsa got stuck for WEEKS becuz of signature thing... the whole systm is designed to make u give up i swear

I had the EXACT same problem last month. Spent hours trying to get someone on the phone at FSA to fix it. Kept getting disconnected or stuck on hold forever. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get connected to an actual person at Federal Student Aid in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed my FAFSA was missing both parent and student signatures even though the site showed it as submitted. They helped me complete the signature process while on the phone. My son's SAI was calculated 2 days later! Such a relief after weeks of stress.

To answer the original question about why schools can't just post a signature page - it's because the FAFSA signature isn't just a formality. The signature is a legal certification that all the information is correct under penalty of perjury, and specifically authorizes the Department of Education to verify your tax information with the IRS. Schools legally can't create their own workaround for this federal requirement. The signature process was actually improved for the 2024-2025 FAFSA and got even better for 2025-2026 with the FAFSA Simplification Act changes, but there are still kinks in the system. The electronic FSA ID signature is supposed to eliminate the need for paper signatures entirely, but the system transitions have created some bugs.

lol welcome to the wonderful world of FAFSA 🙃 where nothing works right and everyone blames someone else. signature pages, verification docs, SAI calculations that make no sense... the whole system is a mess

my daughters school financial aid office actually helped us fix this over the phone!!! try calling them they might be able to tell u exactly whats wrong and how to fix it

Update: We got it fixed! Followed the advice about checking the "My FAFSA" section and found the missing signatures option. Both my daughter and I signed with our FSA IDs last night, and this morning I got an email saying our FAFSA has been processed and sent to her schools! The SAI score is now showing in our account. Thanks everyone for the help. The system really should make it more obvious when signatures are missing instead of showing as "submitted" which made me think it was complete.