FAFSA system glitches affecting Michigan applicants - counselor workaround?

Yes, this is definitely happening across Michigan! My son's high school sent out an email last week confirming statewide system issues with the FAFSA, particularly when submitting the contributor sections. The counselors at our school have been trained on some workarounds for the common glitches. I'd recommend reaching out to your daughter's counselor ASAP - they can often complete the application with you using their internal access that seems to bypass some of the public-facing issues. They helped us resolve our problem in about 40 minutes when we'd been stuck for days.

happening to me 2!!! on day 5 of trying and the stupid thing keeps crashing when i get to the assets page. SO ANNOYING!!!!

Michigan Department of Education confirmed there are widespread system integration issues affecting FAFSA processing in our state. The issue stems from data transfer protocols between the state verification system and the federal SAI calculation engine. It's not your fault! As a financial aid advisor, here's what I recommend: 1. Clear your browser cache completely before attempting again 2. Use a computer rather than mobile device if possible 3. Save your progress after completing EACH section (don't wait) 4. If you encounter the "contributor loop" error, log out completely, wait 30 minutes, then retry 5. For persistent issues, school counselors have access to a direct support line and alternative submission methods The good news is that most Michigan colleges are aware of these issues and will not penalize students for delayed FAFSA submission due to these technical problems. Just document your attempts with screenshots if possible.

back in my day we filled these things out on PAPER and mailed them in lol. maybe they should bring that back since they clearly cant get the website working right

I work at a community college in Michigan and we're seeing this issue with TONS of students. The state-specific data integration is definitely causing problems. Our financial aid office is actually offering special FAFSA completion workshops where they're using a separate portal to help students bypass the glitches. Call your daughter's school counselor, but also check if any local colleges are offering FAFSA help sessions. Many community colleges and universities have set up emergency assistance specifically because of these statewide issues. They often have direct lines to FSA technical support that regular applicants don't have access to. Don't panic about deadlines - most Michigan schools are extending their priority filing dates because of these issues. Just make sure you document your attempts.

I was stuck in FAFSA limbo for almost two weeks trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FAFSA agent in about 15 minutes who helped me troubleshoot the Michigan-specific issues. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows exactly how it works. The agent was able to manually verify my identity and push my application through the system despite the glitches. Might save you some frustration if the school counselor route doesn't pan out quickly.

My neighbor is having the same issue and she said the Michigan FAFSA system is having problems talking to the federal system properly. Something about the state grant eligibility not communicating right. Her son's application kept freezing at 80% completion too. Very annoying!!!

So like is this gonna affect our SAI calculations? my daughter needs to get all her scholarships or we are screwed for paying for college. the mich state grant is a big part of our plan.

UPDATE: Success! Our counselor was able to help us complete the application using their school portal access. Apparently, they can submit directly through a different system that bypasses some of the glitches. She mentioned they've helped about 35 families with the same issue just this week! For anyone else stuck in Michigan FAFSA limbo - definitely contact your school counselor. They were super helpful and knew exactly which workarounds to use. Our application is finally processing, and she said we should see our SAI calculation within 3-5 business days. Such a relief!