FAFSA stuck in 'Draft' status - Can't submit completed application

same thing happened 2 me. turned out i missed a required section but the stupid website didnt tell me which one. had to go thru every page again til i found it (was parent contribution section). check if theres a little red * anywhere on ur application

This is a common issue with the redesigned studentaid.gov site. Your FAFSA isn't actually stuck - it's likely that the system is waiting for you to complete a required element before it allows submission. Here's what you should check: 1. Look at the progress bar at the top of your application 2. Check for any sections marked as incomplete 3. Verify your signature status (both student and parent if dependent) 4. Make sure you've completed the 'Agreement of Terms' section Once all required elements are complete, you should see a 'Submit' button appear on the final review page. If you still don't see it, try using a different browser as there are some known compatibility issues.

BEEN THERE!! The 'draft' status drove me INSANE last semester!! Called FSA like 20 times and nobody picked up. Turns out I needed to complete the final review step AND both parents needed to sign (even though I'm 24???). The website is SO confusing and they don't make it clear at all what's missing. Check the signatures section!

I've helped many students with this exact problem. The studentaid.gov site is notoriously unclear about what's keeping an application in 'Draft' status. Here's a systematic approach to fix it: 1. Go to your FAFSA dashboard (not the Activity section) 2. Click 'Resume' on your application 3. On the left navigation panel, look for sections with warning icons 4. Pay special attention to the 'Student Information', 'Parent Information', and 'Sign & Submit' sections If you've tried all that and still can't find what's missing, you might need to speak directly with a Federal Student Aid agent. Unfortunately, their phone lines are often overwhelmed this time of year.

check if its ur signature. thats what got me. u have to create an FSA ID if u dont have 1 already & ur parents need 1 too. also website sucks on mobile, try computer

The most common reasons for a FAFSA remaining in draft status are: 1. Missing signatures (student and/or parent) 2. Incomplete sections (particularly the financial information) 3. Browser compatibility issues 4. SAI calculation errors that need correction The new FAFSA has been problematic since its redesign. To troubleshoot: - Use the 'Summary' feature to identify incomplete sections - Check for any validation errors (usually highlighted in red) - Ensure you've completed the final 'Review & Submit' page - Verify all contributors have completed their sections If your school's priority deadline is approaching, I recommend also emailing your school's financial aid office to alert them of the technical difficulties you're experiencing. Many schools are being flexible this year due to the widespread FAFSA issues.

This whole new FAFSA system is a complete disaster. My daughter's application was stuck in draft for WEEKS and we missed her school's priority deadline. The financial aid office told us they're seeing this constantly. The Department of Education should be embarrassed by this rollout.

Glad you got it sorted out! For anyone else dealing with this, another thing to check is if you accidentally marked yourself as having dependents when you don't (or vice versa). That question determines a lot of the workflow and can cause weird submission blocks. Also, if you're a transfer student, make sure you didn't accidentally list your old school in the school selection section - that tripped me up last year and kept my FAFSA in draft status for days. The new site really doesn't give clear error messages when something's wrong.