How long after FAFSA processing do schools send financial aid packages? University system upgrade delay
Finally got my daughter's FAFSA processed (took forever with all the new system issues!) but now I'm wondering how long until her university actually sends the financial aid package? I've been checking her student portal daily for two weeks and there's absolutely nothing about aid amounts or types. No updates at all. Is this normal or should I be concerned? I'm getting anxious because fall tuition deadlines are approaching and we need to figure out what loans we might need on top of whatever aid she gets. UPDATE: Just saw an alert on her university's website saying their system will be down this weekend for an upgrade to 'match the new FAFSA software so they can receive transmitted information.' So I guess that explains the delay? Anyone know how long these system upgrades typically take? Will aid packages come quickly after this?
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Chloe Zhang
its super differnt from school 2 school. my sons college took like 3 weeks after his fafsa was processed and my daughters took almost 2 months!! its crazy how long it takes. But that update about the system being down probably explains it, they cant do anything until there system works with the new FAFSA
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Sophia Carter
•2 MONTHS?? Oh god I hope it doesn't take that long for us. We need to make some big decisions about whether she can afford to live on campus vs commuting.
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Brandon Parker
Financial aid advisor here. The timeline varies significantly between institutions, but this year has been exceptionally challenging with the FAFSA Simplification Act implementation. Many schools are experiencing delays because their systems need significant updates to accommodate the new FAFSA data format and SAI calculations. Typically, once FAFSA is processed: - Some schools send packages within 2-3 weeks - Many are taking 4-6 weeks this year - Some are experiencing delays of 8+ weeks The system upgrade you mentioned is a good sign. Many institutions are just now completing these upgrades to handle the new data structure. I'd expect you'll see movement within 1-2 weeks after their system comes back online.
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Sophia Carter
•Thank you for this detailed explanation! It's so frustrating that they changed everything this year when my daughter is starting college. Do you know if schools are generally honoring their scholarship offers even with these delays? She got an academic scholarship but we haven't seen the official financial aid package incorporating it.
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Brandon Parker
•Yes, schools are absolutely still honoring their scholarship offers! The academic scholarships are typically processed through a different system than need-based aid, so those commitments remain intact. The financial aid package will eventually combine everything (scholarships, grants, loans) into one comprehensive offer. If you're concerned, email the financial aid office specifically about the scholarship status - they can often confirm that separately while waiting for the full aid package to be processed.
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Adriana Cohn
I feel your pain! With all these FAFSA changes this year, its been a NIGHTMARE! I waited like 5 weeks after FAFSA processing for my daughters aid package and ended up having to call the financial aid office directly. They manually checked her file and found it was stuck in some verification queue because of the new system. Have you tried calling them directly? Sometimes that gets faster results than just waiting.
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Sophia Carter
•I tried calling twice but both times I was on hold for over an hour and eventually had to hang up because I had to get back to work. Their phone system is completely overwhelmed right now.
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Jace Caspullo
•Have you tried using Claimyr? It saved me SO much time with FAFSA issues. Instead of waiting on hold forever, they wait for you and call when an agent is available. I used it when my son's FAFSA got stuck in verification and we couldn't get through on the regular line. The website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I know it's frustrating dealing with financial aid offices right now, but sometimes talking to a real person is the only way to get answers.
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Melody Miles
The financial aid system is BROKEN this year!!! My nephew's family is going through the same thing at 3 different schools. One school didn't even START processing aid packages until JUNE even though FAFSA was done in March!!! The department of education totally screwed up this rollout and now families are suffering. Schools are using the "system upgrades" excuse but really they're just overwhelmed and understaffed.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•While I understand the frustration, these system upgrades are actually very real and necessary. The 2024-2025 FAFSA changes were the most significant in over 40 years, including completely replacing the EFC with the SAI calculation method. Most college financial aid systems were built around the old formula and data format. Many schools literally cannot process the new FAFSA information without major software upgrades. This isn't an excuse - it's a technical reality.
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Eva St. Cyr
Just wanted to share my daughter's experience this year - her FAFSA was processed in early May, and we received her financial aid package on June 28th. So that was about 7-8 weeks after FAFSA processing. The school sent an email explaining they were delayed due to implementing the new SAI calculation system. Once they got their system upgraded, packages came out within about 10 days. It sounds like your daughter's school is in that same upgrade process now. One thing that helped: we emailed the financial aid office with her student ID and asked for an estimated timeline. They actually responded with a pretty specific date range for when they expected to release aid packages after their system update.
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Sophia Carter
•That's a good idea about emailing for a timeline estimate. I'll try that after their system comes back online. 7-8 weeks is such a long wait though! Did they give you enough time to make decisions before payment deadlines?
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Eva St. Cyr
•Yes, they automatically extended the tuition deposit deadline because of the delays. Most schools are aware of the timing issues this year and are making accommodations. When you email, specifically ask about any payment deadline extensions they're offering because of the FAFSA delays - almost every school has implemented some kind of extension policy this year.
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Adriana Cohn
my daughters school had like 3 different "system updates" this year lol each one took like a week and nothing changed. i ended up having to go IN PERSON to the financial aid office to get answers. if ur close enough to the school maybe try that?
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Sophia Carter
•Unfortunately we're about 3 hours away, so going in person isn't very practical. I guess I'll just have to be patient through this system update and then try calling again if we don't see movement.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
To give you some context on the technical side: colleges are having to completely rebuild how their systems interpret FAFSA data this year. The Federal Student Aid office changed not just the formula (from EFC to SAI) but also the entire data structure and transmission protocols. Many colleges built their systems around the old ISIR format and are now having to adapt to receive data in the new format. What's happening at your daughter's school is actually a good sign - they're implementing the required updates to process the new FAFSA data. Based on my experience working with several institutions, once these updates are complete, the processing of aid packages typically accelerates significantly. You might see a lot of movement within 7-10 days after their system comes back online. If you don't see updates within two weeks after their system upgrade, that would be the appropriate time to follow up directly with their financial aid office.
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Sophia Carter
•Thanks for explaining the technical aspects. That helps me understand why there's such a delay. I'll wait until about two weeks after their upgrade before really starting to worry.
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Sophia Carson
I'm going through the exact same thing with my son's college! His FAFSA was processed in early June but we're still waiting for the financial aid package. The uncertainty is killing me because I need to know if we should apply for parent PLUS loans or look into private loan options. It's so stressful not knowing what our out-of-pocket costs will be when fall semester is just around the corner. I keep refreshing his student portal hoping something will appear. At least it sounds like your daughter's school is being proactive about the system upgrade - that gives me hope that things will start moving faster once these technical issues are resolved.
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