FAFSA website keeps crashing with 'unknown error' after information confirmation - tried multiple devices

same here!! been trying since tuesday and keep getting kicked out at the exact same spot. so frustrating!!

This is a known issue with the latest FAFSA update. The system is having trouble processing the transition between the personal information section and the financial information section, especially during high-traffic hours. Try these troubleshooting steps: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies completely 2. Use Chrome or Edge (Firefox has been particularly problematic) 3. Try very early morning (4-6am) or late night (11pm-1am) when server load is lighter 4. If you have any special characters in your name fields (hyphens, apostrophes), try removing them temporarily The Department of Education is aware of this issue and working on a fix, but they haven't provided a timeline yet.

I had the exact same problem last week! I was literally ready to throw my laptop out the window after the 5th attempt. What finally worked for me was using private/incognito mode AND switching to my phone's hotspot instead of my home wifi. For some reason that combination worked. Give it a try and let us know!

is it showing a specific error code? sometimes there's numbers after the error message that can help figure out whats wrong. also make sure your popups aren't blocked, my fafsa was giving errors because some popup was being blocked and i didn't realize it

I work at a university financial aid office, and we've been hearing about this issue from many students this week. The problem seems to be affecting about 15% of applicants, particularly those using certain browsers or with specific types of financial information. Beyond the excellent troubleshooting suggestions already mentioned, I would recommend: 1. Double-check that your FSA ID was created more than 3 days ago (brand new IDs sometimes have syncing issues) 2. Ensure your name exactly matches what's on your Social Security card 3. If you've received any verification documents from previous FAFSA applications, make sure those are fully resolved If all else fails, you can use the FAFSA PDF form as a last resort, though it takes longer to process.

I had the SAME ISSUE for days and finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid after calling non-stop. The agent told me they're experiencing database syncing problems that are causing these errors. He helped me get my application unstuck over the phone. If you're still stuck, I used a service called Claimyr to get through to an agent without the endless hold times. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. They basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is about to pick up. Saved me hours of frustration and got my FAFSA submitted before my school's priority deadline.

Why does the FAFSA website ALWAYS have issues right around deadline time? It's almost like they WANT students to miss out on financial aid. Been dealing with this garbage system for 3 years now. Every single year, same story, different error messages. 🙄

UPDATE: I tried the incognito mode + phone hotspot suggestion from @profile3 and IT WORKED!! Got past the error screen and was able to complete my entire application! For anyone else having this issue - definitely give this solution a try. Thank you all so much for the help!