FAFSA signed but 'greyed out' while son already registered for community college - will this affect his financial aid?

Don't panic yet! The \

Thank you! I haven't checked the deadline yet - I should probably do that right away. Do you know how long the processing usually takes? It's been about two weeks since we both signed.

As someone who works with financial aid applications, I can clarify a few things: \n\n1. The \

Thank you so much for the detailed information! We'll check his StudentAid.gov account tonight. I did notice there was something about verification, but I wasn't sure what that meant. Is that the same as corrections?

I HaD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM last year with my daughter!!!! The grey-out thing drove me CRAZY for weeks! Turns out there was a mismatch between her social security number on one form and her tax info. The system doesn't tell you what's wrong half the time! We kept checking the studentaid site but nothing changed. We finally had to CALL them directly after waiting 2+ hours on hold multiple times and getting disconnected. So frustrating! They finally told us exactly what to fix.

I experienced the same frustration trying to call FSA last year - the hold times are ridiculous. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to hold my place in line and they called me back when an agent was available. Saved me from having to stay on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Definitely worth it when you need to speak to someone about specific FAFSA issues like the greyed out status.

The grey status isn't actually that bad. It just means it's processing. My kid's FAFSA was like that for almost 3 weeks back in January and then suddenly it was fine. As long as you submitted before the priority deadline (which varies by school but is usually in March for fall term), you're probably fine. Community colleges tend to have later deadlines anyway. Has he received his SAI score yet? That's what really matters.

No, we haven't received any SAI score yet. Is that something that comes after the greyed out status changes? Sorry for all the questions - I really am completely new to all this!

i worked in financial aid office at a community college last year as work study. here's what u need to know: 1) grey status = processing is normal 2) community colleges have rolling financial aid deadlines so ur not too late 3) summer session sometimes needs separate application from fall so check with financial aid office about that!!! 4) registering for classes has nothing to do with fafsa status 5) if he's under 24 and lives at home he's probably a dependent student which means your income affects his aid amount

Thank you! Yes, he's 18 and definitely a dependent. I didn't realize summer might need a separate application - I'll have him check on that right away.

I'm in almost the identical situation with my daughter. Her FAFSA has been

That's a huge relief to hear! I'll have my son check with his financial aid office too. June 30 should give us plenty of time to get any corrections made.

Nobody has asked the most important question yet - did your son list the community college on his FAFSA? If he didn't include the school code for the community college where he's taking summer/fall classes, they won't receive his FAFSA information at all, regardless of whether it's processed or not. You can always log back in and add more schools though.

Oh! I'm not sure if he included the community college code. He was focused on the CSUs when we were filling it out. I'll check this tonight and add it if needed. Thank you for pointing this out!

To follow up on the verification question you asked earlier - verification is different from corrections. Verification means your FAFSA was randomly selected for additional documentation review. About 30% of all FAFSAs get selected for verification. If you're in verification, the school's financial aid office will contact you about specific documents they need (usually tax transcripts, household size verification, etc.).\n\nAs for the community college code - that's crucial information that was pointed out. Without the school code, they won't receive your FAFSA data. You can add schools at any time by logging back into StudentAid.gov and editing your FAFSA.

We definitely need to check both of these things tonight. If we are selected for verification, how much will that delay his financial aid? Should we be concerned about getting everything processed before summer classes start?

verification can take 2-4 weeks depending on how busy the financial aid office is. summer classes start soon so u might need to pay upfront and get reimbursed later. but fall should be fine! just get everything in asap

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll make sure we're prepared to cover summer costs if needed. Thankfully community college is much more affordable than the CSUs he was considering.

Just want to add my perspective as someone who went through this exact situation two years ago with my twin sons! The "greyed out" status can be nerve-wracking, but it's completely normal during processing. Here are a few additional tips that helped us: 1. Create a checklist of action items from all the great advice here - check school codes, verify deadlines, look for verification requests 2. Screenshot your FAFSA confirmation page if you haven't already - you'll need that reference number for phone calls 3. Community colleges are usually very helpful with financial aid questions, so don't hesitate to call their office directly 4. Keep checking your email AND your spam folder - sometimes FAFSA notifications end up there Your son is making a smart financial decision starting at community college. Even if there are delays with aid processing, the lower tuition costs give you more flexibility. Hang in there - this process is stressful for every parent the first time around!