FAFSA stuck 'In Review' - can't compare financial packages between UC and private college before deadlines

You're in a tough spot but not an uncommon one this year. The FAFSA delays are wreaking havoc on everyone's decision timelines. Here's what you can do:\n\n1. Call both financial aid offices immediately. Explain your situation. The private college might grant you an extension given the FAFSA issues.\n\n2. For the UC, ask if they can provide a preliminary aid estimate based on your CSS Profile data (if you completed one for them) or your prior year's tax info. \n\n3. Yes, you're correct that UCs typically offer less merit aid than private colleges. Their institutional aid is primarily need-based.\n\n4. Once your SAI is calculated, UCs usually take 1-3 weeks to generate a financial aid package - which puts you right up against that May 15th deadline.\n\nMight be worth putting down a deposit at both schools if you can manage it. Many families do this when caught in financial aid delays, even though technically you're only supposed to commit to one school.

Thank you for the detailed response! I never thought about asking the private college for an extension - I'll definitely call them tomorrow. We didn't do a CSS Profile for the UC (didn't think they required it), so I'm not sure if they could give us an estimate without the SAI.\n\nDo you think putting down deposits at both schools could cause problems later? I heard some schools share deposit information, but with the FAFSA mess this year, maybe they're being more understanding?

My daughter is in the same boat!!! Got into 3 schools but FAFSA still says

It's so unfair to families! This new FAFSA system was supposed to make things easier, not harder. How are you handling the waiting game? Have you contacted any of the schools yet?

I work in college admissions (not at a UC though), and I can tell you that schools are very aware of the FAFSA delays this year. A few suggestions:\n\n1. For the UC, call their financial aid office ASAP and request an estimate. Explain your May 1st deadline for the other school. While UCs primarily offer need-based aid, they can often give you a rough idea based on your family income.\n\n2. For the private college, request a deadline extension until you have both offers. Most schools I know are being flexible this year due to the unprecedented FAFSA delays.\n\n3. Regarding timing: Once FAFSA processes your application and calculates your SAI, it typically takes UC schools 1-2 weeks to generate an official aid package. But current backlogs might extend this.\n\n4. You're correct that UCs generally offer limited merit aid compared to private colleges. Their institutional grants are primarily need-based through the UC Grant program.\n\nOne final note: If the UC is significantly less expensive in tuition than the private college (before accounting for the merit scholarship), make sure to factor that into your calculations.

question - can u request an estimate from a UC if you dont have an SAI yet? doesn't the SAI basically determine everything now?

Just putting this out there - I was stuck in FAFSA limbo for almost 5 weeks with the \

Thank you for the suggestion! At this point I'm willing to try anything. Did you have to explain the specific error to the agent or did they just look up your application and fix it? I'm wondering if we have the same issue.

The agent looked up my application and immediately saw the problem (something about income verification that got stuck). I didn't have to explain much beyond saying I had the \

OMG the financial aid system is BROKEN. My son got into 4 schools and we're STILL waiting on 2 of the aid packages! It's May already!!! No one at the Dept of Ed seems to care that families can't make decisions without this info. And schools refuse to extend deadlines in many cases. I'm so angry I could scream.

same. been waiting 7 weeks now. ridiculous.

While you're waiting, you could try running the net price calculators on both schools' websites. They won't be as accurate as an official offer, but might give you a ballpark estimate of what to expect from the UC. That at least gives you something to work with while waiting for the official FAFSA-based package. \n\nAnd definitely don't be afraid to ask the private college for an extension - many schools understand the FAFSA delays are beyond your control. Have your son send the request directly (schools usually respond better to student communication than parent communication).

Good idea about the net price calculator! I'll have my son try that tonight for the UC. And you're right, he should be the one to contact the private college about an extension. I tend to take over because I'm handling the financial side, but the schools probably want to hear from him directly.

dont the UC schools give u a separate estimated aid notification before u get the official one? my sister got into UCLA last year and they sent her a preliminary aid offer before the official one

This is correct - UCs often provide estimated financial aid offers before the official package. However, these preliminary estimates still typically require a processed FAFSA with an SAI number. Without the SAI, even preliminary estimates are difficult for a UC to produce since they rely heavily on that number for their need-based aid calculations.

Here's some important context about UCs specifically:\n\n1. UC financial aid is primarily need-based through the UC Grant program. Merit scholarships are limited and usually handled by individual departments rather than the central financial aid office.\n\n2. If your family income is below $80,000, your son would qualify for the UC Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which covers full tuition and fees.\n\n3. For middle-income families (roughly $80K-$120K), UCs typically cover a portion of tuition through grants.\n\n4. For higher-income families, aid is more limited but still possible depending on your specific financial situation and the calculated SAI.\n\nCompared to private colleges, UCs are already significantly less expensive in base tuition. So even with a large merit scholarship from the private school, the total costs might be closer than they initially appear once you factor in the lower UC base price.

This breakdown is incredibly helpful, thank you! Our family income is around $110K, so it sounds like we might get partial tuition coverage at the UC. The private college offered a $22K/year merit scholarship, which brings their cost down significantly, but perhaps not to UC levels. \n\nI just wish we could see the actual numbers side by side! I'll definitely have my son call both financial aid offices tomorrow.

Apply for an extension and start calling daily. the squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices. they can make exceptions to deadlines but you gotta ask.

Update: We called both schools today. The private college was really understanding and granted us a 2-week extension on our deposit deadline! The UC financial aid office said they can't generate an estimate without the SAI, but suggested we keep checking the portal daily for updates.\n\nI'm also going to try that Claimyr service someone mentioned to see if we can get our FAFSA unstuck. Will update again when we have news - thanks everyone for the advice!

Great news on the extension! That takes some pressure off. Keep us posted on how things develop with the FAFSA and if Claimyr helps get your application moving.

That extension is huge! Smart move calling both schools. I bet if your FAFSA SAI doesn't come through soon enough, the UC might also grant an extension on their deposit deadline. They want students to have all the information they need to make informed decisions.