Paper FAFSA form sent 3 weeks ago - still not processed? Anyone else waiting?

Oh honey, paper FAFSA forms take FOREVER right now. I sent mine in early October and it took 5 weeks to show up in the system. Then another 2 weeks to get my SAI score. The FSA processing centers are completely overwhelmed with the new simplified form rollout. When you mailed it, did you use certified mail with tracking? That's the only way to know if they actually received it.

Paper forms are definitely taking longer this cycle. I work in a college financial aid office and we're seeing 4-6 week processing times for paper forms vs. 1-2 weeks for online submissions. For your priority deadline, I'd recommend contacting your school's financial aid office ASAP. Explain your situation and ask if they'll accept proof that you submitted the FAFSA (like a photo of your completed form before you mailed it). Many schools will work with you if you can show you submitted before their deadline, even if the federal processing isn't complete.

same thing hapnd to me last yr lol. took like 6 weeks and i missed my schools deadline. ended up having to pay extra for my first semester cuz the aid came in late. definitely hit up ur school NOW and tell them whats going on

I had this exact same issue. Paper forms are taking 4-8 weeks minimum to process this cycle. After waiting 3 weeks with no updates, I was able to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid who confirmed they had received my form but hadn't started processing it yet. It was super frustrating because I kept getting disconnected when calling the standard FSA number. I eventually used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without the endless hold times. They have a good video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent was able to confirm they received my form and even expedited the processing since I was approaching my school's deadline. Definitely worth trying if you're in a time crunch with your deadline coming up.

DONT BOTHER WITH PAPER FORMS!!! The Dept of Education is COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT and will probably LOSE your form anyway! I sent mine in TWICE last year and they claimed they never received either one! I ended up having to do the online form anyway and missed out on first-come-first-served grants at my school. The whole system is rigged to FAIL students.

I mailed my paper FAFSA in about 6 weeks ago and it just showed up in the system last week. One thing that helped me was that I made copies of EVERYTHING before sending it in. When I called my school to explain the situation, they accepted my copies as proof that I submitted before their priority deadline. Definitely call your school ASAP and explain what happened. Also, for next year, I highly recommend using the online form if at all possible. Maybe try using a different browser or device if you were having technical issues.

u ever try calling them? i heard they don't even answer the phones anymore lol

Update us on what your school says! Most financial aid offices understand these processing delays aren't your fault. Just be super nice when you call them - they're dealing with thousands of students in the same situation.

That's such great news about your school being understanding! I'm dealing with a similar situation - sent my paper FAFSA about 4 weeks ago and still radio silence from FSA. Reading through all these responses has been really helpful. I had no idea paper forms were taking this long this year. I'm definitely going to call my school tomorrow and see if they'll accept proof of submission like yours did. Thanks for sharing your experience and giving hope to those of us still waiting!

Wow, reading through all these experiences is both terrifying and reassuring at the same time! I'm a parent helping my daughter with her FAFSA and we submitted online about 2 weeks ago, but now I'm second-guessing whether we should have kept trying when we hit those technical glitches. It sounds like paper forms are creating way more stress than they're worth. For anyone still waiting - definitely take everyone's advice here and contact your schools ASAP. Most financial aid offices have seen this pattern and know it's not the student's fault. The key seems to be having some kind of documentation that you submitted before the deadline. Hang in there everyone - this too shall pass!