FAFSA status stuck on 'In Process' vs 'In Review' for 3 weeks - what's the difference?

There is definitely a difference between those statuses. 'In Process' means the FAFSA system has received your application but hasn't started actively reviewing it yet - it's basically in the queue waiting for an FSA agent to get to it. 'In Review' means someone is actually looking at your information and verifying it against IRS records and other databases. Your friend's application might have been flagged for faster processing based on financial need indicators or school choices. The current processing time for FAFSA is longer than usual - anywhere from 3-6 weeks to move from 'In Process' to 'In Review' and then another 1-2 weeks to get your SAI calculation.

omg same boat!! mine says in process too for like almost a month. super annoying cuz my sister submitted like AFTER me and hers is already done???

The FAFSA system is a joke this year. My application went from "In Process" to "In Review" to "Additional Information Needed" to "In Process" AGAIN. I spent THREE HOURS trying to get through on their helpline and kept getting disconnected. When I finally reached someone, they couldn't even explain why my application status changed. Apparently the "In Process" status can mean multiple things at different stages. The whole system is just designed to confuse students and make the process as painful as possible.

I work in a financial aid office, and I can clarify the difference between these statuses. "In Process" means your FAFSA has been received but is waiting for the initial data review. "In Review" means your application data is being compared with IRS records through the data retrieval tool and cross-checked with other verification systems. For the 2025-2026 application cycle, these processes are taking longer because of the new FAFSA Simplification Act changes. One important note: if your expected family contribution (now called the Student Aid Index or SAI) is potentially very low or you've checked certain special circumstance boxes, your application might be prioritized for review, which explains why your friend might be moving through the system faster. I'd recommend waiting one more week before taking action.

After dealing with waiting FOREVER on my FAFSA status last year, I discovered this service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to a live FAFSA agent. They basically wait on hold for you and call you when an agent is available to talk. Saved me hours of hold time and frustration. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. I was able to find out exactly what was causing my application delay and got it resolved in one call instead of waiting weeks more. Definitely worth it if you're on a tight deadline for your school.

Here's a breakdown of the FAFSA status progression and approximate timeframes for the 2025-2026 cycle: 1. Submitted: Initial confirmation (immediate) 2. In Process: Application received and queued (1-4 weeks) 3. In Review: Active verification against federal databases (1-2 weeks) 4. Additional Information Needed: Only if there are discrepancies 5. Processing Complete: SAI calculation finalized (1 week) 6. Sent to Schools: Your chosen institutions receive your data The Department of Education has acknowledged processing delays this year. If you submitted on October 15th and it's been 3 weeks in "In Process" status, that's still within normal range. I'd suggest waiting until the 4-week mark before taking action. At that point, you can contact Federal Student Aid at 1-800-433-3243, but be prepared for long wait times. Also, check if your selected schools have extended their priority deadlines to accommodate these FAFSA delays - many institutions have done so this year.

lol my FAFSA went from in review back to processing then to needs more info then back to in review again. waiting for over 6 weeks now 🙄 good luck

btw did anyone else get the weird email about "verification"?? i got one saying my fafsa is selected for verification but idk if its legit or a scam...it asks for my parents tax info

UPDATE: I called my school's financial aid office today, and they suggested I should go ahead and contact FSA directly since I'm approaching the 4-week mark. They said delays are common this year but it's worth checking if there's a specific issue with my application. I'll try calling tomorrow and update with what I find out. Thanks everyone for your help!

Second UPDATE: After trying to call FSA for two days (kept getting disconnected), I finally used the Claimyr service that someone mentioned above. Got connected to an agent in about 40 minutes. They said my application had a small discrepancy with my Social Security Number - I had accidentally transposed two digits! The agent was able to fix it immediately, and my status should change to "In Review" within 3-5 business days. So relieved to have this resolved! Definitely recommend calling if you're stuck in "In Process" for more than 3 weeks.

Thanks for sharing your experience Collins! Your updates are really helpful for those of us dealing with similar issues. I'm a new member here and currently going through the same frustrating FAFSA process. My application has been stuck on "In Process" for about 2 weeks now, and reading through this thread has given me some peace of mind that this seems to be pretty normal this year. I'm definitely going to wait another week or two before trying to contact FSA, but it's good to know that services like Claimyr exist if I need them. It's also reassuring to hear from Misterclamation Skyblue who works in financial aid - having that professional perspective really helps understand what's happening behind the scenes. Hope everyone gets their applications processed soon!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and advice! I'm currently dealing with my first FAFSA application and it's been really stressful not knowing what's normal. Reading through Collins' journey from being stuck in "In Process" to getting it resolved has been incredibly helpful. I submitted my FAFSA about 10 days ago and it's still showing "In Process" status, but now I know that's totally normal and I shouldn't panic yet. The professional insights from Misterclamation Skyblue about prioritization and the detailed timeline from Vince Eh are exactly what I needed to understand the process better. It's also good to know about resources like Claimyr if I do need to contact FSA eventually. This community seems really supportive and I'm grateful to have found it during this confusing time!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to share that I'm in a very similar situation. My FAFSA has been stuck on "In Process" for about 18 days now, and I was starting to really worry that something was wrong. Reading through Collins' entire experience and all the helpful advice from everyone here has been such a relief! It's reassuring to know that 3-4 weeks is still considered normal, especially with all the delays this year. The breakdown from Vince Eh about the different status stages is super helpful, and knowing that there are resources like Claimyr if needed gives me a backup plan. I'm planning to wait until I hit the 3-week mark before taking any action. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive environment for those of us navigating this stressful process for the first time!

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been. I submitted my FAFSA about 12 days ago and have been anxiously checking the status daily - it's been stuck on "In Process" and I was starting to spiral thinking I did something wrong. Reading Collins' complete journey from confusion to resolution, along with all the expert advice from Misterclamation Skyblue and the detailed timeline breakdown from Vince Eh, has completely changed my perspective. It's amazing to see how this community supports each other through such a stressful process! I feel so much more confident now knowing that 12 days is actually quite normal and that there are clear steps to take if I need to escalate later. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming and informative space - I'm looking forward to being part of this community and hopefully helping others once I get through my own FAFSA journey!

Hi everyone! I'm completely new to this community and just discovered this incredibly helpful thread. I submitted my FAFSA about a week ago and it's showing "In Process" status - I was already starting to worry that something might be wrong, but reading through Collins' detailed experience and all the expert advice here has been such a game-changer! The professional insights from Misterclamation Skyblue about how the system actually works behind the scenes, combined with Vince Eh's clear timeline breakdown, has given me so much peace of mind. It's amazing to see how supportive this community is - from Collins sharing their entire journey including the resolution, to everyone welcoming newcomers and sharing their own experiences. I feel so much more confident now knowing that a week is still very early in the process and that there are clear action steps if needed later on. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming and informative space for those of us navigating this stressful process!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been for someone going through their first FAFSA application. I submitted mine about two weeks ago and it's been stuck on "In Process" - I was getting really anxious thinking I might have made an error or missed something important. Reading through Collins' complete journey from initial worry to successful resolution has been so reassuring! The professional insights from Misterclamation Skyblue about the different processing stages and prioritization factors, combined with Vince Eh's detailed timeline breakdown, really helped me understand that this is totally normal. It's amazing to see how supportive this community is - everyone sharing their experiences and helping newcomers navigate what can be such a confusing and stressful process. I feel much more confident now knowing that two weeks is still well within the normal timeframe, and it's great to know about resources like Claimyr if I need to contact FSA later on. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming space!