FAFSA still stuck on 'pending' after 3 months - anyone actually get approved for 2025-2026?

I submitted mine in early October and finally got my SAI calculation last week, so about 4 months total. This new simplified FAFSA system is anything but simplified. They're dealing with a massive backlog because of all the technical issues they had during the rollout. Try checking if your application is actually complete - mine was sitting in pending because they needed additional tax verification that I didn't know about until I finally got through to an agent.

mine still says pending 2 lol applied in december... starting 2 think nobodys gettin approved this year

My daughter's has been pending since November too! So frustrating!! Our older son never had these problems with his FAFSA three years ago. This is ridiculous!!

After weeks of calling and getting nowhere, I finally got through to a Federal Student Aid agent using Claimyr (claimyr.com). The wait was about 15 minutes instead of the hours I was spending before. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Turns out my application was flagged for income verification but the notification email went to my spam folder. The agent was able to tell me exactly what was missing and how to upload the documents. My status changed from 'pending' to 'processing' within 48 hours after I uploaded what they needed.

To clarify what's happening with the 2025-2026 FAFSA processing: 1. The Department of Education is processing applications in batches based on submission date 2. Applications requiring verification or with data inconsistencies are being moved to later batches 3. Many applicants have "silent holds" due to the system not properly notifying about verification requirements 4. The new SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is taking longer than the old EFC system 5. Most colleges have extended their priority financial aid deadlines due to these systemic issues If you're concerned about missing deadlines, I recommend: - Contact your school's financial aid office directly to explain the FAFSA delay - Check your spam/junk folders for any FSA communications - Log into studentaid.gov and check the "To Do" section for any requirements - Make sure your email address is current in both your FSA ID profile and your FAFSA application This is a nationwide issue affecting millions of students, so most institutions are being flexible with deadlines this year.

They're prioritizing low-income applications first! It's not just about when you submitted. My EFC last year was 0 and my FAFSA was completed within 6 weeks even though I submitted in December. My boyfriend's family makes more $$$ and he submitted in October and still waiting. It's not just the date you submitted - they're processing based on need too.

I work in a university financial aid office, and I can confirm we're seeing massive delays across all student demographics. Here's what's really happening with the new FAFSA system: - The "Better FAFSA" rollout had significant technical issues in October/November - Many applications have data transfer problems with IRS information - The new contributor system (replacing the old parent information) requires additional verification - Many schools haven't received ANY completed FAFSA data yet, not just for certain students - The Department is still resolving bugs in how SAI is calculated My advice to everyone waiting: document EVERYTHING. Save screenshots of your submission confirmation, keep a log of all your call attempts, and email your school's financial aid office to create a paper trail showing you've been proactive. Almost every college is extending deadlines, but having documentation will help if you need to appeal any missed opportunities.

mine was pending for like 2 months then suddenly switched to "action required" but never sent me any email notification! had to upload some extra tax forms for my parents and now back to pending again... check if yours needs additional info maybe?

I'm in the exact same boat - submitted in early November and still stuck on pending! This is so stressful. Reading through these comments is actually really helpful though. I had no idea about checking spam folders for verification emails or that there might be "silent holds" not showing up in the portal. Going to try that Claimyr service that @Alejandro Castro mentioned since regular FSA phone lines have been useless. Also going to email my school's financial aid office tomorrow to let them know about the delay. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - at least I know I'm not alone in this mess!

I'm in the same situation - submitted my FAFSA in late November and it's been stuck on "pending" ever since! This thread has been incredibly helpful though. I had no idea about checking spam folders or that there could be verification requirements not showing up in the portal. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service that @Alejandro Castro mentioned since I've had zero luck with regular FSA phone lines. Also planning to reach out to my college's financial aid office tomorrow to document the delay. It's both reassuring and terrifying to see how widespread this problem is. Has anyone heard any recent updates about when the next batch of applications might be processed? I'm getting really anxious about missing scholarship deadlines even though I know it's not our fault.

I'm a new member here but dealing with the exact same issue! Submitted my FAFSA in early December and it's been on "pending" status for almost 3 months now. This thread has been so helpful - I had no idea about checking spam folders or the possibility of "silent holds" that don't show up in the portal. I'm definitely going to try reaching out through that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned since I've been getting nowhere with the regular FSA phone lines. It's both comforting and frustrating to see how widespread this problem is. I'm also going to contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow to document the delay like @Maggie Martinez suggested. Has anyone gotten any recent updates from their colleges about extended deadlines? I'm worried about missing out on need-based aid opportunities even though this clearly isn't our fault. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we're not suffering through this mess alone!

Just joined this community because I'm dealing with the exact same FAFSA nightmare! Submitted mine in mid-November and it's been stuck on "pending" for over 3 months now. Reading through all these comments has been both helpful and terrifying - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned since I've wasted countless hours on hold with FSA. Also going to check my spam folder and contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow to document everything like @Maggie Martinez suggested. It's somewhat comforting to know we're all in this together, but also really concerning that the system is this broken. Has anyone heard any recent timeline updates from the Department of Education? I'm getting anxious about scholarship deadlines even though I know this isn't our fault. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice!

I'm a new member here and just joined because I'm going through this exact same FAFSA nightmare! Submitted mine in early December and it's been stuck on "pending" for almost 3 months now. This whole thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea this was affecting so many people or that there could be verification issues not showing up in the portal. I've been calling FSA practically every day with zero success, so I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned. Also planning to check my spam folder thoroughly and reach out to my school's financial aid office first thing tomorrow to document the delay like @Maggie Martinez suggested. It's both comforting and terrifying to see how widespread this problem is. My parents are starting to panic about Parent Plus loan applications and I'm worried about missing scholarship opportunities, but reading these comments gives me hope that most schools are being understanding about the delays. Has anyone gotten any updates from the Department of Education about when December submissions might actually be processed? Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess!

New member here dealing with the exact same issue! Submitted my FAFSA in late November and it's been stuck on pending for over 3 months now. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about checking spam folders for verification emails or that there could be "silent holds" not showing in the portal. I've been calling FSA almost daily with zero luck, so I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service @Alejandro Castro mentioned. Also planning to contact my school's financial aid office tomorrow to document the delay like @Maggie Martinez suggested. It's both reassuring and scary to see how many of us are dealing with this nightmare. My parents are getting really anxious about planning for Parent Plus loans and I'm worried about scholarship deadlines, but reading everyone's experiences here gives me hope that schools are being flexible. Has anyone heard any recent updates from the Department of Education about timeline for November/December submissions? Thanks for sharing all your advice and experiences - at least we know we're not suffering through this alone!