FAFSA submission stuck on review page with no continue button - deadline May 2nd!
I've been working on my 2025-2026 FAFSA for the past week and I'm stuck at the very last step! I completed both the student and parent sections, got all the signatures, and now I'm at the "take a moment to review" page. The instructions clearly say "select continue once you're ready to proceed with the submission process" but THERE IS NO CONTINUE BUTTON ANYWHERE! I've tried everything - logging out and back in, using different browsers, re-signing all the signatures, removing and re-adding my school selections. Nothing works! My application just stays stuck with an "in progress" status. Has anyone else run into this glitch? I'm freaking out because my university's priority deadline is May 2nd (just 4 days away) and without submitting I could lose thousands in potential aid. Any help would be so appreciated!!!
16 comments
Join the conversation
Giovanni Colombo
This exact thing happened to me last week. Try scrolling ALL the way to the bottom of the review page. The continue button was literally hidden below all my info and I almost missed the deadline. Also make sure JavaScript is enabled in your browser settings - the button won't appear without it.
0 coins
Amara Okafor
•I've scrolled up and down that page like 20 times! There's definitely no button at the bottom - it just ends with my school list and then nothing. I'll check my JavaScript settings though, that's something I hadn't thought of!
0 coins
Fatima Al-Qasimi
omg the fafsa website is the WORST!!! i had so many problems too. try using firefox instead of chrome, worked for me
0 coins
Amara Okafor
•I'll download Firefox right now and try that! Chrome has been giving me issues with other websites too.
0 coins
StarStrider
Your problem is most likely related to one of these three issues: 1. You haven't actually completed all required sections, even though it appears you have. Double-check the navigation bar on the left side and look for any sections with yellow warning symbols. 2. There's a browser compatibility issue (try Edge or Firefox instead of Chrome) 3. The system is detecting a mismatch between information you provided. For example, if your parents' marital status doesn't match tax filing status, or if there's a discrepancy in the SSNs. If none of those solutions work, you need to call Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243. They can manually review your application status and tell you exactly what's blocking your submission.
0 coins
Amara Okafor
•Thanks for these suggestions! I've checked for all warning symbols and there aren't any. I'll try checking for data mismatches - maybe something is inconsistent between the parent and student sections? I tried calling FSA yesterday but was on hold for almost 2 hours before I had to hang up for work. I'll try again today.
0 coins
Dylan Campbell
this happened to my daughter too! turns out she hadn't acutally linked her tax info properly even tho it SAID she did. go back to the IRS data retrieval tool section and re-do it. thats what fixed it for us
0 coins
Amara Okafor
•That's interesting - I did use the IRS data retrieval tool and it seemed to work fine, but maybe something didn't transfer correctly. I'll go back and check that section again!
0 coins
Sofia Torres
FSA's system has been extremely buggy this cycle with the new FAFSA rollout. Two technical solutions that have worked for my students: 1. Try clearing your browser cache completely, then log out and log back in. 2. The "continue" button sometimes renders incorrectly based on screen resolution. Try zooming out (Ctrl -) in your browser to 75% or 50% - this often reveals buttons that appear to be missing. If those don't work, you may have a data validation issue that's not being clearly communicated. In that case, you'll need to speak with an FSA representative, but as you've discovered, the phone lines are absolutely swamped right now.
0 coins
Dmitry Sokolov
•When I had this problem, I used Claimyr.com to get through to a FAFSA agent in about 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They called FSA and when they got through, they connected me with the agent. Saved me a ton of time and the agent fixed my issue right away. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ if you want to see how it works. Worth it when you're up against a deadline.
0 coins
Ava Martinez
Ugh FAFSA is GARBAGE this year!! I had the same problem and tried EVERYTHING - even called them 3 times and got 3 different answers. What finally worked was the stupidest thing: I completely deleted my school list, saved it with NO schools, then went back and added them again. For whatever reason this reset something in the system and my continue button finally appeared. No idea why this works but it did for me and two friends. This new FAFSA is a complete disaster!!
0 coins
Amara Okafor
•That's such a weird solution but I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point! I'll remove all my schools and then add them back. Fingers crossed this works!
0 coins
Amara Okafor
UPDATE: IT WORKED!!! After trying literally everything suggested here, what finally worked was doing these three things together: 1. Removed all schools and re-added them (thanks @profile5!) 2. Cleared cache and cookies 3. Zoomed out to 75% on Firefox The continue button magically appeared! My application is now showing "Processed" instead of "In Progress" and I got my confirmation email with my SAI score. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your help - you saved me from losing out on thousands in financial aid!
0 coins
Ava Martinez
•So glad it worked for you!! The whole system is just broken. They should extend all the deadlines since their website is such a disaster.
0 coins
Sofia Torres
•Excellent! Make sure you log back in in about 3-5 days to check if there are any additional information requests or verification requirements. Many schools start their verification process immediately after receiving FAFSA data.
0 coins
Andre Laurent
•This is such a relief to read! I've been lurking here because I'm dealing with similar FAFSA nightmares and was starting to panic about my own deadlines. Your step-by-step solution is going to help so many people - I'm bookmarking this thread. The fact that it took combining THREE different fixes just shows how broken this system really is. Congrats on getting it submitted in time!
0 coins