FAFSA signature request appeared months after submission - missed Cal Grant deadline?

This happened to me last year! The FAFSA system sometimes has these weird signature glitches where it looks complete but actually isn't. The good news is that for Cal Grant purposes, they often look at your original submission date (when you first submitted the form), not when you completed the final signature. I would recommend: 1. Sign it immediately if you haven't already 2. Contact your college financial aid office ASAP with proof of your original submission date 3. Reach out to California Student Aid Commission directly about your Cal Grant eligibility Don't panic yet - I got my Cal Grant even with a similar issue!

The same thing LITERALLY happened to my daughter!! We submitted everything in Feb and then in June randomly got an email saying something needed signatures. The system is so broken this year!!

ugh the FAFSA system is literal GARBAGE this year. they completely redid everything for 2025-2026 and nothign works right. my brother lost his grant money bc of glitches too. the dept of education doesnt care about students at all!!!!!

You need to contact the California Student Aid Commission directly about your Cal Grant status. The phone number is 888-224-7268, but be prepared to wait a LONG time - their hold times are often 2+ hours. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that can help you get through to agencies like this much faster. They have a system that waits on hold for you and calls when an agent picks up. Saved me hours when I had a similar FAFSA signature issue. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ But regardless of how you contact them, what matters is getting documentation of your original March submission. The Cal Grant folks sometimes make exceptions if you can prove you made good-faith effort to submit before the deadline.

Financial aid advisor here. This issue has been surprisingly common during the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle. The new FAFSA system has multiple stages, and many students completed the application portion but missed the final signature page (which oddly doesn't always appear immediately). Regarding Cal Grants specifically: The California Student Aid Commission does have an appeals process for exactly this situation. You'll need to demonstrate that you attempted to complete the FAFSA before the May 2nd deadline. Look for any email confirmations from studentaid.gov from March, check your browser history for visits to the FAFSA site, and screenshot your FAFSA dashboard showing the March activity. During the appeal, emphasize that you believed the application was complete based on the confirmations you received. About 70% of these appeals are successful if you can provide any documentation showing good-faith completion attempts before the deadline.

My cousins roomate had this exact problem and lost all her financial aid and had to take a semester off. The system is totally rigged against students. Good luck but don't get your hopes up.

just wondering did you get any emails at all from fafsa between march and now??? usually they send something if its not complete

Update for everyone following this thread: The Department of Education recently acknowledged the signature notification issues with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. They've directed state agencies (including California Student Aid Commission) to accept appeals with documentation showing application attempts prior to deadlines. Specifically for Cal Grants, they're reviewing applications that were started before May 2nd even if the signature wasn't completed until later. OP should definitely proceed with the appeal process, as there's now official guidance to accommodate these system-related issues.

I'm so glad you found that March 15th email - that's going to be crucial for your appeal! As someone who went through a similar situation last year, I'd also recommend checking your college's financial aid portal to see if there's any record of them receiving your FAFSA data in March. Sometimes schools get the information even when the federal system shows incomplete status. Also, when you meet with your financial aid office tomorrow, ask them to check if your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) was calculated back in March - if it was, that's another piece of evidence that your FAFSA was substantially complete before the deadline. Many schools are being very understanding about these technical glitches this year, especially since the Department of Education has acknowledged the problems. Keep us posted on how your appeal goes - your story could really help other students dealing with the same issue!