How to fix misspelled student name on FAFSA? And what do greyed-out sections mean?

Don't panic! For the name correction, you need to contact Federal Student Aid directly. You can't edit certain fields after submission. The greyed-out sections typically mean either: 1) that information doesn't apply based on your previous answers, or 2) that section isn't available yet. The name spelling is more urgent - colleges match records by name and SSN, so a mismatch could delay processing. Call the Federal Student Aid Info Center at 1-800-433-3243 to request a correction.

I had a similar issue when I accidentally put my daughter's nickname (Beth) instead of her legal name (Elizabeth) on the FAFSA. Spent literally 8 hours trying to get through to someone at FSA. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They helped me file a correction. There's a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Definitely worth it during peak FAFSA season when nobody can get through.

the greyed out parts r usually cuz of the skip logic in the app. if u answered a question a certain way, some parts wont apply 2 u. not a big deal, just means u dont gotta fill those parts out.

THEY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX ANYTHING!!!! I had to fix my daughter's birthdate last year and it took 3 MONTHS to get it corrected!!! By then she almost lost her housing assignment because financial aid was delayed!!! The system is BROKEN and they don't care at all. Call your congressman if you can't get through on the phone, that's what finally worked for me.

For the greyed out asset section specifically - did you use the Federal Tax Information retrieval tool? If your income was below certain thresholds (about $60,000 for a family of 4), the system automatically applies the SAI (Student Aid Index) simplification formula and skips asset questions entirely. It's a feature, not a glitch! Your son might qualify for more aid this way.

my cousin had this exact problem last month lol. she ended up just submitting a correction request through studentaid.gov instead of calling. took like 10 days to process but it worked fine. just go to the website and click on "make FAFSA corrections" after logging in

i work at my college financial aid office. name spelling errors happen ALL THE TIME. if u can't get thru to fafsa directly, another option is to bring ID docs to your son's college financial aid office once he picks a school. we can help submit correction paperwork. not ideal but it works if ur in a rush later.

Just went through this with my son's application. Once your FAFSA moves from "Processing" to "Processed" (took about 4 days for us), you'll see the correction options appear. For the name correction specifically, you'll need to: 1. Log in to studentaid.gov 2. Select "Apply for Aid" 3. Choose "Correct your FAFSA" 4. Navigate to the student information section 5. Make the correction to the name field 6. Re-sign with your FSA ID The correction itself will take another 3-5 days to process, but colleges will see the corrected version.

Just want to add that while you're waiting for the FAFSA to change from "Processing" to "Processed," you can still contact your son's high school guidance counselor if they have experience with FAFSA issues. Many counselors have direct contacts at Federal Student Aid and can sometimes expedite corrections for urgent cases. Also, make sure to screenshot or document the misspelled name now as proof of the error - some schools may ask for this documentation later. The good news is that one-letter typos like "Micahel" vs "Michael" are super common and the system is designed to handle these corrections routinely.

I went through this exact same situation with my daughter's FAFSA two years ago! The name misspelling stressed me out so much, but it ended up being totally fixable. Here's what I learned: Don't submit a new application - that will just create more confusion and delays. The correction process through studentaid.gov really is the way to go once your status changes to "Processed." One tip that helped me: set up email notifications in your FSA account so you'll get alerted immediately when the status changes. That way you can jump on the correction right away instead of checking manually every day. Also, if you're still having trouble getting through on the phone after it processes, try calling right when they open (8am EST) - I had much better luck early in the morning before the lines get jammed. The asset section being greyed out is actually great news for your family's aid eligibility! With that income level, your son will likely qualify for a significant Pell Grant. Good luck with everything!

As someone who just went through this process with my own child, I wanted to share a few additional resources that might help. If you're still having trouble reaching Federal Student Aid by phone, you can also try their live chat feature on studentaid.gov - it's often faster than calling, especially during peak hours. The chat agents can walk you through the correction process step by step once your application is processed. Also, don't worry about the timing affecting your son's college applications. Most schools understand that FAFSA corrections are common and they typically hold financial aid packages until corrections are complete. Just make sure to inform the financial aid offices at his schools about the name correction so they know to expect an updated FAFSA. One more thing - when you do make the correction, double-check ALL the personal information fields while you're in there (SSN, birthdate, etc.) since you won't want to have to go through this process again for another small error!

I just wanted to add one more option that worked for my family last year when we had a similar name correction issue. If you're still having trouble getting through to Federal Student Aid after your FAFSA status changes to "Processed," you can also reach out to your state's higher education agency. Many states have FAFSA specialists who can help facilitate corrections with the federal system. In our case, our state agency was able to get our correction processed much faster than going through the federal channels directly. You can find your state agency contact info on the NASFAA website or by searching "[your state] higher education agency FAFSA help." Also, just to echo what others have said - don't stress too much about the timeline. Colleges are very used to dealing with FAFSA corrections and they build buffer time into their financial aid processing for exactly these kinds of situations. Your son's aid won't be jeopardized by a simple name spelling correction!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My daughter's middle initial got left off her FAFSA and I've been stressing about it for days. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially learning about the different options like live chat, state agencies, and the timing around when corrections become available. One thing I wanted to ask - for those who successfully made corrections, did you notice any delay in when your Student Aid Report (SAR) was sent to your colleges? I'm worried that even after we fix the name issue, it might slow down the whole financial aid timeline at the schools she's applied to. Also, @Zainab Ibrahim, it sounds like you're in a much better position than you initially thought with that asset section being greyed out due to your income level! That simplified formula could really work in your son's favor for aid eligibility.

I'm going through the FAFSA process for the first time with my son and this thread has been incredibly educational! It's reassuring to see how many people have successfully navigated name corrections and similar issues. One thing I wanted to add for future parents who might find this thread - I learned from our high school's financial aid workshop that you can also create a "to-do" list in your FSA account to track important dates and deadlines. This has been helpful for keeping track of when to check if our status changes from "Processing" to "Processed." @Zainab Ibrahim, it sounds like you have a great support system here and multiple solid options to get your son's name corrected. The fact that your asset section is greyed out due to the simplified formula is actually fantastic news for your aid eligibility. Wishing you the best of luck with the correction process!