FAFSA website keeps sending 'FSA ID changed' emails every login - is my account compromised?
I'm getting really concerned about my FSA ID security. For the last week, every single time I log into studentaid.gov to check on my FAFSA application status, I immediately receive an email saying "You have successfully changed your FSA ID." But I haven't changed ANYTHING! I'm literally just logging in normally with the same password I've always used. Is this normal? Could someone be trying to hack my account? I'm stressed because my SAI calculation just came through and I'm afraid to keep logging in to view my financial aid options if something fishy is happening. Has anyone else experienced this weird notification issue? Should I be contacting someone about this?
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Keisha Robinson
omg same!! it's been happening to me since last month and freaked me out at first. thought someone had my password but i changed it twice and still get those emails. super annoying but i think its just a glitch?
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Yara Nassar
•That's somewhat reassuring that I'm not the only one. Have you contacted tech support about it? I'm worried it might mess up my application somehow.
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GalaxyGuardian
This is actually a known technical issue with the Federal Student Aid system right now. The emails are being triggered incorrectly by normal login activity. Your account isn't compromised - it's just a bug in their notification system that they're working on fixing. If you want to be extra cautious, you can enable two-factor authentication on your FSA ID account. That way, even if someone did have your password (which isn't happening here), they still couldn't access your account without the verification code sent to your phone.
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Paolo Ricci
•Wait really?? I've been panicking about this for TWO WEEKS!! Called FSA like 20 times and could never get thru to a human. Just kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Such a waste of my time if it's just a stupid bug! 😡
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Amina Toure
I got those emails too but then they stopped after I updated to the latest browser version. Maybe try that? Or clear your cookies? Sometimes the FAFSA website acts weird with certain browsers.
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Yara Nassar
•That's an interesting suggestion. I'm using Chrome, but it's probably due for an update. I'll try that tonight and see if it helps.
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Oliver Zimmermann
I work at a college financial aid office, and we've had several students report this same issue over the past few weeks. It appears to be related to the recent system updates FSA made for the 2025-2026 FAFSA simplification. The good news is that despite these misleading emails, there's no actual security risk to your account or your application data. The emails are being triggered by a bug in their notification system, not by actual changes to your FSA ID. If you want confirmation directly from FSA, you can try calling them, but be prepared for very long wait times. They're experiencing extremely high call volumes right now with all the FAFSA changes.
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Yara Nassar
•Thank you so much for this explanation! It's a huge relief to hear it's just related to their system updates. I was about to cancel my FSA ID completely and start over.
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Natasha Volkova
If your trying to call FSA, don't waste your time on hold. I spent 4.5 hours waiting last Tuesday and got disconnected. Then I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual FSA agent in like 25 minutes! They basically wait on hold for you and call when an agent picks up. Saved me so much time and stress. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ or go to claimyr.com
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Yara Nassar
•Thanks for the suggestion! If clearing my cache and updating my browser doesn't fix it, I might need to call them after all. Good to know there's a way to avoid the endless hold music.
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GalaxyGuardian
Just to follow up on this issue - the Department of Education actually posted about this on their social media today. They confirmed it's a system notification bug affecting some users and said they're working on a fix. In the meantime, they recommend NOT changing your password repeatedly as that can sometimes create additional account access issues.
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Amina Toure
•thx for the update! i was just about to change my password again lol
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Keisha Robinson
has anybody else noticed that these emails always come exactly 2 minutes after you log in?? not immediately? that's what happens to me anyway... so weird
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Javier Torres
•That timing detail is actually helpful for the technical team. It suggests the notification is being triggered by a secondary authentication process that runs after your initial login. This is consistent with the type of system changes they've been making to the authentication framework.
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Paolo Ricci
This is just ONE MORE PROBLEM with the whole FAFSA disaster this year! First the 3-month delay in launching the form, then the parent contribution issues, now security notification bugs?? My daughter's college decisions are coming soon and we STILL don't have accurate financial aid packages because of all these FSA screwups. I'm BEYOND frustrated with this entire system!!!!!
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Oliver Zimmermann
•I completely understand your frustration. The rollout of the new "simplified" FAFSA has been anything but simple. Many schools are working with students on extended financial aid deadlines because they recognize these issues are beyond students' control. I'd recommend reaching out directly to the financial aid offices at your daughter's prospective schools to explain the situation.
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Yara Nassar
Update for anyone who finds this thread later: After updating Chrome and clearing my cache/cookies, I'm STILL getting the emails. But based on everyone's responses here, I'm not going to worry about it anymore. Just a system bug that will hopefully be fixed soon. Thanks for all the help!
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Avery Davis
I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been getting these same "FSA ID changed" emails for the past two weeks and was convinced someone had hacked my account. I even called my bank to make sure no one was trying to access my financial information through my FAFSA. It's such a relief to know it's just a system bug and not a security breach. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is so helpful for navigating all these FAFSA issues!
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Brooklyn Knight
•Welcome to the community! I'm glad you found this thread helpful too. It's amazing how many of us have been dealing with the same issue - really shows how widespread this bug is. Calling your bank was actually a smart precaution though, even if it turned out to be unnecessary. Better safe than sorry when it comes to financial security! Hopefully FSA gets this fixed soon so we can all stop getting those panic-inducing emails.
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Hiroshi Nakamura
I've been experiencing this exact same issue! Started about 10 days ago for me. Every single login triggers that "FSA ID changed" email even though I haven't modified anything. At first I thought maybe someone was trying to access my account, so I changed my password three times and even checked all my login activity. But the emails kept coming! It's been really stressful because I'm in the middle of reviewing my financial aid offers and need to access my account frequently. Thanks for posting about this - it's such a relief to see I'm not alone and that it's just a technical glitch. Hopefully they fix it soon because those emails give me a mini heart attack every time!
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