Northeastern received ZERO FAFSA forms - other schools reporting the same?
Just had a meeting with my daughter's financial aid counselor at Northeastern on Friday and they dropped a bombshell: they've received ZERO FAFSA applications this cycle. ZERO!!! They're usually processing thousands by now. The counselor seemed really stressed about it and said they're completely in the dark about when they'll start receiving the data from Federal Student Aid. Has anyone else heard this from other schools? My daughter needs to make a decision by May 1st but how can she do that without knowing her aid package?? This delay is going to cause absolute chaos for fall enrollment decisions across the country!
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Julian Paolo
I can confirm this is happening at multiple institutions. I work in financial aid at a community college in Texas, and we've also received zero FAFSA applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Department of Education is experiencing significant delays with the new FAFSA implementation. They've announced they won't begin sending data to institutions until mid-March at the earliest, which is putting enormous pressure on schools to turn around financial aid packages in time for May 1 decision deadlines. Many institutions are considering extending their deposit deadlines.
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Madison King
•Mid-MARCH?? That's insane! So basically every college student in America has to make decisions with barely a month to compare aid packages? Did they give any explanation for why it's taking so long?
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Ella Knight
my son goes to UMass and their fin aid office told us the same thing last week. no fafsa apps received yet. they're telling everyone to just wait but its stressing us out cuz we need the parent plus loan to cover his housing
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William Schwarz
•Many schools are developing contingency plans for this delay. Some are creating preliminary aid packages based on prior year information, then adjusting once FAFSA data arrives. Ask UMass if they're considering this approach, especially for continuing students where they already have your previous financial information.
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Lauren Johnson
Wait I'm confused...I submitted my FAFSA in December and got my SAI score already. Doesn't that mean the schools should have it too??
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Julian Paolo
•No, there are two separate steps. First, Federal Student Aid processes your FAFSA and calculates your SAI (Student Aid Index). That part is working for many students. The second step is when FSA transmits that data to your selected schools through what's called the ISIR system. That second step is what's delayed - schools aren't receiving any ISIR records yet, so even though you completed your FAFSA, your schools don't have access to your information yet.
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Jade Santiago
This is absolutely ridiculous. The Department of Education had YEARS to prepare for this FAFSA simplification rollout. They delayed the application opening from October to December, and now they're delaying sending the data to schools until March?! I've been through 3 college applications with my kids and this is BY FAR the worst process. Students will end up making uninformed decisions and either taking on too much debt or missing opportunities at schools they could actually afford. THIS IS MALPRACTICE!
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Caleb Stone
•I've been trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid for days to understand what's happening with my daughter's FAFSA processing. Called at least 20 times and either get disconnected or am on hold for hours. Anyone know if there's a better way to get through to an actual human there? This is beyond frustrating.
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Daniel Price
I found a service called Claimyr that helped me finally get through to a FSA agent last week! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - basically they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. I was skeptical but it worked great and I finally got confirmation that my FAFSA was fully processed. The agent told me schools should get our data by late March but it depends on which region you're in. Their website is claimyr.com if you're interested.
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Caleb Stone
•Thank you! I'll check this out tonight. I desperately need to talk to someone who can actually explain what's happening with my application and when schools will get it.
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William Schwarz
Financial aid professional here. This is unfortunately happening nationwide. The Department of Education is rolling out FAFSA data transmission on a staggered schedule starting mid-March: - Week 1: Northeast and Mid-Atlantic schools - Week 2: Southeast and Midwest schools - Week 3: Southwest schools - Week 4: Western schools Many institutions are planning to extend their May 1 enrollment deposit deadlines to June 1. I strongly recommend contacting all schools your student is considering and asking about their specific plans for notification timelines and deposit extensions. Some schools may offer estimated packages based on prior-year data for returning students.
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Madison King
•Thank you for this detailed information! I'll email Northeastern tonight to ask about their deposit deadline. Do you know if they'll still be able to process Parent Plus loan applications in time for the fall semester with all these delays?
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Lauren Johnson
Does anyone know if this affects CSS Profile schools too? I filled that out back in November!
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Julian Paolo
•CSS Profile data is transmitted separately from FAFSA data, so schools that require both forms likely have your CSS information already. However, most schools use FAFSA data as part of their overall aid calculation, even if they also use CSS Profile. So they may have part of what they need, but not the complete picture to finalize your aid package.
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Ella Knight
so what happens if we miss tuition deposits bc we dont know financial aid packages in time? can schools really expect us to commit without knowing what it costs??
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Jade Santiago
•This is EXACTLY the problem! Schools are putting the burden on families instead of pushing back against the Department of Education. NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) should be advocating for a UNIVERSAL extension of deposit deadlines, not this patchwork approach where each school does something different. It's going to be absolute chaos in April!
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Julian Paolo
For anyone worried about making decisions without financial aid information, I recommend taking these steps: 1. Contact your schools' financial aid offices directly to ask about their contingency plans 2. Ask if they're extending their May 1 deposit deadlines 3. Request an estimated aid package based on last year's FAFSA if you're a returning student 4. If you're a first-year student, ask if they can provide a preliminary estimate based on your self-reported information 5. Document all communications in writing when possible Most institutions want to work with students during this unprecedented situation, but they need to hear from you directly about your concerns.
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Madison King
•This is really helpful advice. I'll start making these calls tomorrow. The whole situation is so stressful - my daughter got into her dream school but we have no idea if we can afford it without seeing the financial aid package. I'm worried all the good dorm options will be gone by the time we can make a decision too.
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Lauren Johnson
I'm still confused why they changed the whole system this year anyway? The old FAFSA worked fine for me last year...
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William Schwarz
•The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed to make several improvements to the financial aid system, including reducing the number of questions from 108 to about 40, expanding Pell Grant eligibility, eliminating the sibling discount, and changing from EFC to SAI calculations. The changes are generally positive for students, but the implementation has been problematic. The new system will be better long-term, but this transition year is causing significant challenges.
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