FAFSA signature page still broken for dependent students - anyone able to make corrections yet?
My son has been trying to sign his FAFSA since FEBRUARY 15!! It's now been over two months and every single time he logs in, the signature page is still broken. He can't finalize any corrections or updates we've made. I'm beyond frustrated at this point - we're approaching May and he still doesn't have his financial aid package because of this technical issue. The colleges are asking for his completed FAFSA and we're stuck in this endless loop of system errors. Has ANYONE been able to successfully make and sign FAFSA corrections recently? Or are we all just stuck in digital purgatory while deadlines pass us by?
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Jabari-Jo
We're in the exact same boat with my daughter's application. The signature page has been broken since the rollout. For what it's worth, our financial aid officer said MANY families are experiencing this same issue, and most colleges are aware of the widespread FAFSA technical problems. Have you tried using a completely different browser? That worked for some people I know - specifically switching to Firefox from Chrome fixed it for my nephew.
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Seraphina Delan
•We've tried Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Nothing works! The signature page just refreshes to a blank screen every time. It's infuriating because we can see all the information is IN there, he just can't sign and submit it. Did your nephew have that exact problem or something different?
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Kristin Frank
same here!!!!! my son cant sign either and when we called the number they just put us on hold for 2 HOURS and then hung up on us. this whole new fafsa system is a joke
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Seraphina Delan
•The phone system is the worst part! We've been hung up on 4 times after waiting over an hour each time. I don't understand how they can roll out a system this broken and then provide zero support.
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Micah Trail
I was finally able to get past the signature issue last week. Here's what worked for us: 1. Clear ALL browser cache and cookies first 2. Try logging in during non-peak hours (I had success at 5:30am) 3. Do NOT use any autofill features for the information 4. Create a brand new FSA ID for your student if you've been trying with the same one for months 5. Use a computer, not a phone or tablet The system is definitely still having issues, but these steps helped us finally break through after months of frustration. Hope this helps someone!
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Seraphina Delan
•Thank you for these specific steps! We'll try the early morning approach - we haven't thought of that. Did you have to reenter all your information or was it saved from previous attempts?
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Micah Trail
•Most of it was saved, but we did have to reenter some tax information. Make sure you have all your documents handy just in case. The signature page went through almost instantly at that early hour when the servers weren't overloaded.
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Nia Watson
lol welcome to government websites. they'll probably fix it right after all the deadlines pass 😂 my daughter just gave up and is taking a gap year now
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Alberto Souchard
•While I understand the frustration, I would strongly advise against giving up on financial aid entirely. There are workarounds and many schools have extended their financial aid deadlines specifically because of these FAFSA issues. Your daughter should reach out directly to the financial aid offices at her chosen schools to explain the situation.
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Katherine Shultz
Has anyone tried using Claimyr to get through to a real person at Federal Student Aid? I was dealing with the same signature page issue for weeks and couldn't get through on the phone. Found this service at claimyr.com that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes who was able to help fix the signature issue on their end. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It was the only thing that worked after trying everything else for literally months. The agent was able to see that there was a system flag on our application that was preventing the signature page from processing correctly.
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Seraphina Delan
•I've never heard of this service before. Did they actually fix the signature issue completely? Did you have to provide any personal information to the service? At this point I'm desperate enough to try anything.
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Katherine Shultz
•Yes, they fixed it completely! The service just connects you to an actual FSA agent (skipping the hold time). You don't give Claimyr any personal info about your FAFSA - they just get you through to a real person at FSA, and then you talk directly with the agent about your specific issues. The agent was able to override something in the system that was blocking our signature page.
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Alberto Souchard
Financial aid advisor here. The signature verification issues with the 2024-2025 FAFSA have been widespread and extremely frustrating for families. Here's what you need to know: 1. The Department of Education has acknowledged these technical issues and is working on fixes 2. Most institutions are being flexible with financial aid deadlines due to these known system problems 3. If you cannot get the signature page to work after multiple attempts, document each attempt (screenshots) and contact your school's financial aid office directly 4. Many schools are now accepting provisional financial aid packages based on incomplete FAFSAs while these issues are being resolved 5. The FSA has deployed some fixes in the past week that are gradually rolling out, so keep attempting every few days The most important thing is communication with your intended schools. Don't assume they'll reject your student due to these widely-known technical issues with the new FAFSA system.
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Seraphina Delan
•Thank you for this professional insight! We've been communicating with the financial aid offices, but they keep telling us they need the completed FAFSA before they can generate an aid package. I'll ask specifically about provisional packages based on our incomplete submission. That might be our best option at this point.
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Alberto Souchard
•Yes, specifically ask about provisional awards. Many schools weren't offering this initially but have started implementing this approach as the FAFSA issues have persisted longer than expected. Also, request that they document in your file all your attempts to complete the FAFSA, as this may become important if any appeal becomes necessary later.
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Marcus Marsh
Anyone tried filing a complaint with the Department of Education or contacting their congress person? After 3 months of this garbage with my twins' FAFSAs, I filed formal complaints everywhere and suddenly their applications started working. Coincidence? I think not.
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Seraphina Delan
•I hadn't thought about contacting our representative! That's a great idea. Where exactly did you file the formal complaints? Was there a specific website or form you used?
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Marcus Marsh
•I filed complaints through the Federal Student Aid Feedback Center (studentaid.gov/feedback-center/) and also emailed our congressional representative's office with specific details about the ongoing issues. The congressional office actually assigned a caseworker who followed up with me! Worth trying both approaches.
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Kristin Frank
update: we just tried the early morning thing that someone mentioned and IT WORKED!!!!! logged in at 5:15am and everything went through fine. after 2 months of nothing working. what a stupid system but at least its done now
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Seraphina Delan
•That's amazing news! Congratulations! I'm setting my alarm for 5am tomorrow to try it. It's ridiculous that we have to use these workarounds, but I'm just desperate to get this finished at this point.
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