Paper FAFSA submission stuck in limbo for 6 weeks - no SAI or confirmation

Man u may be screwed. My buddy did paper last yr and it took them 2 months to even show as received in system. Somethin about paper apps going to a separate processing center. did u keep copies of everything???

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Submitted paper on Dec 8 after the website kept rejecting my parent's electronic signature. Called about 20 times and finally got someone who said paper forms go to a completely different processing center in Kentucky and take "substantially longer" to process. They wouldn't give me any estimate though, just said to "keep checking the portal." This is so frustrating especially since none of this was our fault!

As someone who's worked in financial aid for years, I can confirm paper FAFSA processing times are significantly longer this year due to the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. The good news is that most institutions are aware of these delays and have internal processes for students with pending FAFSAs. Here's what you should do: 1. Contact your school's financial aid office directly and explain the situation 2. Ask if they have a "FAFSA Delay Consideration Form" or similar provisional process 3. Provide them with copies of your mailed FAFSA and delivery confirmation 4. Request a priority deadline extension with documentation of your attempts to submit Most schools have contingency plans this year specifically because of the rocky FAFSA rollout. Don't panic yet!

paper fafsa is the WORST!!!! i did one last year because my parents don't have internet at home and it took 11 weeks to process!!! ELEVEN!!!! you should definitely call your school financial aid office because most of them know the system is completely broken this year and they might have workarounds. good luck!!!

I've been helping students with FAFSA issues for the past few months, and unfortunately, paper applications are experiencing severe delays this year. The processing center in Kentucky is overwhelmed with the combination of paper forms and the new system implementation. I recommend using Claimyr to actually reach a Federal Student Aid agent directly. I started recommending it to students after waiting on hold for 3+ hours myself multiple times. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and the website is claimyr.com. It's been a lifesaver for connecting students with actual FSA agents who can look up paper applications in their internal system and confirm receipt. You need to specifically ask the agent to check the "paper processing queue" as it's in a different system than the electronic submissions. They can flag your application for priority processing if you explain your scholarship deadline situation.

I work at a university financial aid office, and we're seeing TONS of students with similar issues this year. Paper FAFSAs are definitely taking longer, but here's some inside info: we can often begin processing your aid package with just proof that you submitted your FAFSA, even if it hasn't been fully processed by Federal Student Aid yet. Bring your certified mail receipt, copies of your completed FAFSA, and any correspondence with FSA to your financial aid office IN PERSON. Ask to speak with a counselor, not just the front desk staff. Many schools have implemented emergency procedures for this exact situation since the new FAFSA rollout has been so problematic. Don't lose hope - we know this isn't students' fault and most institutions are being flexible with deadlines this cycle.

UPDATE: After trying for days, I FINALLY got through to someone at Federal Student Aid who was actually helpful! Used the Claimyr service that was recommended here (totally worth it) and got connected to an agent in about 10 minutes. The agent confirmed they have my paper FAFSA in their system as received on December 15th, but it's in the "manual processing queue" which is severely backlogged. However, she was able to flag my application for expedited processing due to my approaching scholarship deadline and gave me a case reference number to provide to my school's financial aid office. I took this info plus all my FAFSA copies to the financial aid office, and they were able to put me on their "FAFSA Pending" list which will reserve potential aid while waiting for official processing. The financial aid counselor said they're doing this for lots of students this year. Still annoyed about the whole situation, but at least now I know my application wasn't lost and I won't miss out on aid opportunities. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Reading through this thread is giving me anxiety! I submitted my FAFSA online last week after trying since January (kept getting an error about my parents' marital status verification). Now I'm terrified it's going to take months to process too! Question for those who got through to an actual person: did they give any indication of how long online FAFSA applications are taking to process compared to paper ones? I'm also facing a mid-February scholarship deadline and getting really worried.