SAP Appeal approved for 150% PACE - when will financial aid disburse the refund?

I went through this exact situation last spring semester. My SAP appeal was approved for exceeding the 150% timeframe (changed majors twice). In my case, it took exactly 10 business days after the approval email for the aid to be applied to my account and another 3 days for the refund to hit my bank account. The timeframe can vary a lot depending on your school's processing schedule though. Most schools have specific disbursement dates that happen in cycles. Have you checked your student portal to see if the aid has been applied to your account yet? Sometimes the money is applied to your account balance but the refund process hasn't started yet.

omg i had the same problem lol. my sap appeal took 4ever to get approved and then another 3 weeks for $$$ to actually show up. its so annoying bc they dont tell u anything! good luck

The disbursement timeline after SAP appeals is definitely frustrating. Having worked in a financial aid office previously, I can tell you there are a few factors that impact how quickly you'll see your refund: 1. Whether the SAP approval happened before or after the regular disbursement cycle 2. If there are any other verification issues with your FAFSA 3. Your school's specific refund processing schedule 4. Whether you have direct deposit set up Typically, once a SAP appeal is approved, the financial aid office needs to manually override your aid status in their system, which then triggers the disbursement process. Most schools process aid in batches on specific days of the week. What I'd recommend is asking this specific question: "Has my aid been released for disbursement yet, or is it still pending the SAP update in the system?" That should get you a more concrete answer than the vague timeframe they've given you.

THE FINACIAL AID SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO MAKE STUDENTS SUFFER!!! I had a SAP appeal approved last year and they STILL took almost 5 weeks to give me MY OWN MONEY that I qualified for!! Meanwhile I almost got evicted waiting for them to get their act together. They do this ON PURPOSE to make students desperate. The whole financial aid system is broken and they don't care that real people with real bills are waiting for money they've been approved for!!!

Try contacting your school's bursar office instead of financial aid. Sometimes the hold up is actually on the bursar side since they handle the actual refund part. When I had my SAP appeal approved, financial aid processed it within days but then it sat with the bursar for almost two weeks before they issued my refund.

I went through this nightmare with my SAP appeal for 150% PACE last semester. After my approval, it took exactly 12 business days for the aid to be disbursed to my account. The key is to understand there are actually three separate steps after approval: 1. Financial aid office has to manually code your appeal approval in the system 2. The system has to apply the financial aid to your student account 3. The bursar/student accounts office has to process the refund Each step can take 3-5 business days. The most frustrating part is trying to figure out which step you're currently in! Have you tried asking specifically which of these three steps your aid is currently in? That might give you a better timeline. Also, in my case, I was getting nowhere with phone calls. I had much better luck going in person to the financial aid office. They could actually look at their system and tell me exactly where things stood.

Just a quick tip, make sure your direct deposit info is up to date in your student portal. My roommate had his SAP appeal approved but his refund got delayed another week because his banking info had changed. Also, have you checked to see if your finacial aid shows as "pending" on your account yet?

One thing that helped me when I was in a similar situation was using Claimyr to reach a FAFSA agent by phone. I was getting absolutely nowhere with my school, but once I talked to someone at Federal Student Aid, they were able to confirm that everything was properly coded on their end. This put pressure on my school to move things along since I could prove the federal side was all set. I found them at claimyr.com and they have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Basically they help you skip the ridiculous wait times to talk to a human at the Federal Student Aid office. Once I got that confirmation from FSA, I was able to go back to my school with proof that everything was approved on the federal side, and my refund was processed within 3 days.

mine took forever 2 cuz it was approved after the regular disbursement date. they told me they only process refunds on wednesdays at my school so i had to wait for the next wednesday after it was finally in the system. maybe ask ur school if they have specific days they process refunds?

Update us when you finally get your refund! It helps to have data points on how long these things take at different schools. For what it's worth, I've found that after all the waiting and frustration, when the money finally does come through, it all happens at once without warning. I literally went from $0 to full refund overnight with no intermediate steps visible in my student portal.

I'm going through something similar right now! My SAP appeal was just approved last week for the 150% PACE requirement, and I'm also waiting anxiously for my refund. Reading through all these responses is both reassuring and nerve-wracking - it sounds like there's a huge range in processing times depending on the school. One thing I noticed from everyone's experiences is that it really helps to be persistent and ask specific questions rather than just "when will I get my money?" I'm planning to use some of the suggested questions from this thread when I follow up with my financial aid office. Emma, I hope you get some concrete answers soon! The waiting game is brutal when you're counting on that money for basic expenses. Please keep us posted on what works for you - it'll help the rest of us who are in the same boat.

I went through this exact situation last fall! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved and it took about 2 weeks for the refund to actually hit my account. What really helped me was creating a paper trail - I started emailing instead of just calling so I had documentation of what they told me and when. Here's what I learned: ask them to give you the specific date your aid was "released for disbursement" in their system. That's different from the appeal approval date. Once it's released, most schools process refunds within 5-7 business days if you have direct deposit. Also, if you're really struggling financially while waiting, ask about emergency aid or short-term loans that some schools offer. My school had a small emergency fund that could advance students a few hundred dollars while waiting for official aid to process. It's not well-advertised but worth asking about! Hang in there - the waiting is the worst part, but once it starts moving, it usually happens quickly.

I'm actually in the middle of this exact process right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved about a week ago, and like you, I'm getting the runaround from financial aid about timing. What's been helpful for me so far is checking multiple places - not just my student portal, but also calling both financial aid AND the bursar's office like some others mentioned. Turns out at my school, financial aid handles the approval but the bursar actually processes the refunds, and they weren't communicating well with each other about my case. I've also started documenting everything in writing (emails instead of phone calls) so I have a record of what they tell me and when. It's frustrating how each school seems to have a completely different timeline and process. The emergency aid suggestion from Jamal is something I'm definitely going to look into too. Even a small advance would help cover essentials while waiting for the full amount. Hope you get some concrete answers soon - this waiting game is brutal when you're depending on that money!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved just three days ago and I'm already panicking about the timeline. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and terrifying - it sounds like it could be anywhere from 10 days to a month or more! I really appreciate all the specific advice about asking which step the process is in and contacting both financial aid AND the bursar's office. I had no idea there were three separate steps after approval. That breakdown from Chloe about the coding, application, and refund processing stages is super useful. The emergency aid suggestion is something I'm definitely going to look into. I didn't even know that was a possibility at most schools. Even a small advance would help cover rent while waiting for the full refund. Emma, please keep us updated on what you find out tomorrow! I'm planning to try the same approach - being more specific with my questions and getting everything documented in writing. We're all in this stressful waiting game together, so the more information we can share about what actually works, the better. Fingers crossed for all of us dealing with this right now. The financial aid system really shouldn't make students this anxious about money we've already been approved for!

I'm literally in the exact same boat right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved this past Tuesday and I'm also getting those super vague "could be this week, could be a month" responses from financial aid. It's so frustrating when you're counting on that money for basic living expenses. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful though. I had no idea there were actually three separate steps after approval - the manual coding, applying aid to the account, and then the actual refund processing. That explains why the timeline is so unpredictable! I'm definitely going to try the suggestions about asking which specific step my aid is currently in and checking with both financial aid AND the bursar's office. The point about getting everything documented in emails instead of phone calls is brilliant too. Emma, please keep us all updated on what you find out! I'm planning to follow the same approach tomorrow. It really helps knowing we're all dealing with this stressful waiting period together. The financial aid system really shouldn't leave students hanging like this when we've already been approved for the money we need.

I'm dealing with this exact situation right now too! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved just yesterday and I'm already stressing about how long the refund will take. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both helpful and nerve-wracking - it sounds like there's such a huge variation in processing times between schools. The breakdown about the three separate steps after approval (coding, application to account, refund processing) really explains why the timeline is so unpredictable. I had no idea it involved multiple departments that have to coordinate with each other. I'm definitely going to use the advice here about asking specific questions like "which step is my aid currently in" and "has it been released for disbursement yet" rather than just the generic "when will I get my money" question. And getting everything documented in emails instead of phone calls is such a smart approach. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have thought to ask about, but even a small advance would help cover essentials while waiting for the full amount. Emma, I really hope you get some concrete answers soon! Please keep us posted - those of us just starting this waiting game are learning so much from everyone's experiences.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved on Wednesday, and like everyone else here, I'm getting those incredibly unhelpful "somewhere between this week and next month" responses from my financial aid office. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and eye-opening. The three-step breakdown that Chloe shared really explains why this process is so unpredictable - I had no idea there were separate departments that had to coordinate after the initial approval. I'm definitely going to try the strategy of asking specific questions like "which step is my aid currently in?" and "has it been released for disbursement yet?" instead of the generic timeline questions that seem to get nowhere. And I love the suggestion about documenting everything in emails rather than phone calls - that's such a smart way to create a paper trail. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have thought to ask about, but it could be a real lifesaver while waiting for the full refund. Even a few hundred dollars would help cover groceries and gas during this waiting period. Emma, I really hope you got some concrete answers today! Please update us on what you found out - those of us just starting this waiting game are learning so much from everyone sharing their experiences and timelines.

I'm currently going through this exact same process! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was just approved on Friday, so I'm only a couple days into the waiting game, but already feeling anxious about the timeline after reading everyone's experiences here. The three-step breakdown that Chloe provided is incredibly helpful - I had no idea the process involved manual coding, then applying aid to the account, then actual refund processing through separate departments. That really explains why the timelines are so unpredictable and why the financial aid office can't give concrete dates. I'm definitely going to use all the strategic questions people have shared here instead of just asking "when will I get my money?" The suggestion about asking for the specific "released for disbursement" date rather than just the approval date seems like it could make a huge difference in getting accurate information. Emma, I hope you were able to get some concrete answers when you went in! Please keep us posted on what you found out. It's both comforting and nerve-wracking to see how many of us are dealing with this same situation right now, but sharing experiences and strategies seems to be really helping everyone navigate this confusing process. The emergency aid suggestion is definitely something I'm going to ask about too - even a small advance would help cover basics while waiting for the full refund.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved just this past Monday, so we're on almost identical timelines. Like you, I'm getting those frustratingly vague responses about "could be this week, could be a month" - it's so unhelpful when you're depending on that money for rent and basic expenses. Reading through all the advice in this thread has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea there were actually three separate steps after approval, or that financial aid and the bursar's office handle different parts of the process. The suggestion about asking "has my aid been released for disbursement yet?" instead of just "when will I get paid?" seems like it could make a huge difference in getting concrete information. I'm definitely going to try the strategy of contacting both offices and getting everything documented in emails rather than phone calls. The emergency aid suggestion is brilliant too - I never would have thought to ask about that, but even a couple hundred dollars would help bridge the gap while waiting. Please keep us updated on what you find out! It's both stressful and comforting to know so many of us are dealing with this exact same waiting game right now. Hopefully we'll all have our refunds soon - this process really shouldn't be so anxiety-inducing when we've already been approved for the aid we need.

I'm actually going through the exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was approved last Thursday, so I'm about a week into this waiting game. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both incredibly helpful and nerve-wracking - it sounds like the timeline can vary so dramatically between different schools. The breakdown about the three separate steps (manual coding, applying to account, then refund processing) really opened my eyes to why this process is so unpredictable. I had been getting frustrated with my financial aid office for giving vague timelines, but now I understand they're probably waiting on multiple departments to coordinate. I'm definitely going to use the strategic questions people have shared here - asking specifically which step my aid is currently in and whether it's been "released for disbursement" rather than just the generic "when will I get my money" question that hasn't been getting me anywhere. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have thought to ask about, but it could be a real lifesaver while waiting for the full refund. Even a small advance would help cover essentials during this stressful waiting period. Emma, I hope you've gotten some concrete answers by now! Please keep us all posted - it's really helping to see everyone's different experiences and timelines. This whole process shouldn't be so anxiety-inducing when we've already been approved for the aid we desperately need.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My SAP appeal for 150% PACE was just approved yesterday, so I'm literally at the very beginning of this waiting process. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and anxiety-inducing - it's clear that timelines can vary wildly depending on the school. The three-step breakdown that several people mentioned (manual coding, applying aid to account, then refund processing) is incredibly helpful. I had no idea there were multiple departments involved after the initial approval, which explains why financial aid offices give such vague timelines when we ask. I'm definitely going to use all the strategic advice from this thread - asking specifically which step my aid is in, whether it's been "released for disbursement," and contacting both financial aid AND the bursar's office. Getting everything documented in emails instead of phone calls is brilliant too. The emergency aid suggestion is something I never would have known to ask about, but even a small advance would help cover rent and groceries while waiting for the full refund. Emma, I really hope you've gotten some concrete answers by now! Please keep us posted on what works - those of us just starting this process are learning so much from everyone sharing their experiences and timelines.