Still waiting for 2025-2026 FAFSA aid package - anyone else stuck?

omg same!! submitted in december and still nothing from any of my schools. one FA office told me they're waiting on "federal guidance" whatever that means but like??? how am i supposed to decide where to go with no $$ info??

I work in a financial aid office, and I can tell you this is happening everywhere. The FAFSA simplification has actually complicated things significantly for the 2025-2026 cycle. The Department of Education was late providing the new SAI calculation formulas to schools, and many schools had to rebuild their entire financial aid management systems to accommodate the changes. Some advice: 1. Make sure your FAFSA is actually complete and wasn't selected for verification after your initial submission 2. If your school has a financial aid portal, check it daily for requests for additional documents 3. Call your financial aid office, but instead of asking "where's my package," ask if there are any specific holds or missing documents in your file 4. Remember your SAI score is just one component - schools are still figuring out how to distribute their institutional aid under the new system

This is my third time going through the FAFSA process and I've NEVER seen it this bad. Last year I had my aid package by March. Called my school's financial aid office 5 times in the past month and they keep saying they're "processing applications in the order received" but I submitted mine the literal first week it was available!!! I'm seriously considering taking a gap year if they don't get this figured out soon. Can't commit to $30k+ of tuition without knowing what aid I'm getting.

I've been helping students navigate FAFSA for over 15 years, and this transition to the new FAFSA system has been exceptionally challenging. Here's what I'm seeing across multiple institutions: 1. The Department of Education significantly changed the SAI formula (previously EFC), which affects how schools calculate need-based aid 2. Many schools are rebuilding their entire financial aid awarding algorithms based on the new formula 3. The verification process is taking longer because of new data elements being verified 4. Schools are waiting on final guidance for certain edge cases (like parent PLUS loan eligibility with the new SAI) My advice: If you need to make a deposit before receiving your package, contact the admissions office directly and explain your situation. Many schools are offering deposit extensions or reduced deposits because they understand the delays are systemic. Also, check if your school has emergency grant funds that could help cover your deposit while you wait for your official package.

I'm in the same boat but honestly I think we're all overreacting a bit? This is a completely new FAFSA system and obviously there are going to be bugs to work out. My sister works in college administration (not financial aid specifically) and she said the schools are just as frustrated as we are. The government changed everything and didn't give schools enough time to prepare their systems. It sucks but everyone's in the same situation so 🤷‍♂️

If you're still waiting on your financial aid package and having trouble reaching anyone at your school's financial aid office, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was in the same situation last month and was going crazy trying to get through to an actual person who could help. Found this service that gets you through to Federal Student Aid agents by bypassing the hold times. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they have a video demo that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ I was skeptical at first but it actually worked and I got connected to someone who could tell me exactly what was happening with my application and why my school was delayed in processing. They helped me understand which documents I needed to prioritize and gave me a timeline for when schools would likely be finishing their aid packages.

I FINALLY got my aid package yesterday after waiting since January!!! My SAI score was really low (2100) so I qualified for the full Pell Grant amount plus some state grants. The financial aid counselor told me they're prioritizing packages for students with the lowest SAI scores first, so if yours is higher it might take longer. When I called last week they said they were still working on SAIs under 3000.

this might sound dumb but has anyone tried just showing up in person at the financial aid office? i feel like they can ignore calls and emails but it's harder to brush you off when ur standing right there lol. thinking about driving to campus next week if i still haven't heard anything

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with my school's financial aid office after waiting on hold for 1.5 hours. They said they're processing applications by SAI score ranges and expected enrollment date. Since I'm not starting until fall semester and my SAI isn't in the lowest range, I'm not being prioritized. The counselor said they're hoping to have all packages out by "early June" but couldn't give any guarantees. This is so frustrating! I'm going to try contacting the admissions office about a deposit extension tomorrow.

not to be that person but the old FASFA system worked fine i dont understand why they had to change everything!! my older brother went to college last year and got his financial aid package in february. now im stuck waiting and stressing about how im going to pay for school. classic government making everything worse when they try to "fix" it

Just wanted to share some hope - I finally got my aid package this week after submitting in December! My SAI was around 5200 and I'm starting in fall. The package was actually better than I expected - they increased their institutional grant amounts to offset some of the changes from the new SAI calculation. For anyone still waiting, here's what helped me get answers: I emailed my admissions counselor (not financial aid) and explained that I was committed to attending but needed clarity on timing due to the aid delays. They connected me directly with a senior financial aid counselor who could give me a realistic timeline. Sometimes going through admissions gets you to someone with more authority to actually help. Also, don't give up on calling! I know it's frustrating but I called at 8am right when they opened and got through immediately. Early morning seems to be the best time to avoid hold times.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This gives me a lot of hope. I'm going to try your strategy of reaching out to my admissions counselor first thing tomorrow morning - I hadn't thought of going through admissions instead of financial aid directly. My SAI is around 4350 so hopefully I'll be in the next wave of packages they process. The early morning calling tip is really helpful too - I've been trying to call during lunch breaks but those are probably the busiest times. Really appreciate you taking the time to share what worked for you!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in a similar situation - submitted my FAFSA in early January and still waiting. My SAI is around 3800, so based on what others have shared, I'm hoping I'll be in the next batch they process. I'm definitely going to try the strategy of calling early morning and reaching out to my admissions counselor first. It's reassuring to hear from people who have actually gotten their packages recently - gives me hope that the schools are making progress, even if it's slower than we'd all like. For anyone else still waiting, one thing that's helped my stress levels is setting up a daily check of my student portal instead of obsessively refreshing it all day. I check once in the morning and once before bed, and that's it. The constant checking was driving me crazy and it's not like it makes the package appear any faster! Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and tips - this community has been a lifesaver during this stressful time.

I'm in the exact same situation and it's so validating to read everyone's experiences! Submitted my FAFSA in December, completed verification in February, and my SAI is 4100. Still nothing from my school despite calling weekly. What's really helped me is creating a spreadsheet to track all my communications with the financial aid office - date, time, who I spoke with, and what they told me. This way I can reference specific conversations when I call back and it prevents them from giving me the runaround. I've also started asking for the name and direct extension of whoever I speak with so I can follow up with the same person. The deposit deadline stress is real though. I'm definitely going to try reaching out to admissions for an extension after reading everyone's advice here. It's crazy that we're all dealing with this but at least we're not alone in this mess!

I'm a newcomer here but going through the exact same nightmare! Submitted my FAFSA in January, SAI came back at 4,850, and I've been in limbo ever since. My school keeps saying "we're processing applications" but won't give me any real timeline. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both comforting (I'm not alone!) and terrifying (this could go on for months?!). The spreadsheet tracking idea from Oliver is genius - definitely starting that today. And I'm going to try calling at 8am tomorrow like Kayla suggested. My deposit deadline is in 2 weeks and I'm honestly losing sleep over this. Has anyone tried reaching out to their state's Department of Education? I'm wondering if they have any leverage to help students get faster responses from schools during these delays. At this point I'm willing to try anything to get some concrete answers about when I might actually see my aid package. Thank you all for sharing your stories - it helps to know there's a whole community of us dealing with this mess together!

I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to this frustrating situation! Just wanted to add my experience to this thread since it seems like we're all going through the same nightmare. I submitted my FAFSA in early December (literally the first week it opened), completed all verification documents by mid-February, and my SAI is 3,650. Still absolutely nothing from my university's financial aid office. What's really frustrating is that I applied for early admission specifically to get my financial aid sorted out early, but here I am in the same boat as everyone else! Reading through all your experiences has been both reassuring (at least I know it's not just me or my school) and incredibly helpful. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and reaching out to my admissions counselor instead of going through financial aid directly. The spreadsheet tracking idea is also brilliant - I've had so many different representatives tell me conflicting information that I can barely keep track. One thing I wanted to add: I've been in touch with a few friends at different schools across the state, and this seems to be happening everywhere, not just at certain institutions. It really does seem like a systemic issue with the new FAFSA rollout rather than individual schools being disorganized. My deposit deadline is May 1st, so I'm hoping the admissions office will be understanding about an extension given these circumstances. Thank you all for sharing your strategies and experiences - it's helped me feel less alone in this stressful process!

I'm brand new to this community but unfortunately very familiar with this exact problem! Just found this thread and wow, it's both relieving and terrifying to see how many of us are in the same boat. I submitted my FAFSA in late December, got my SAI (4,200) in January, completed verification in early March, and... crickets. My school's financial aid office has given me the same "we're processing applications" line for weeks now. I'm a first-gen student too and this uncertainty is absolutely killing me - I have no idea how to plan for next year without knowing what aid I'll actually receive. Thank you everyone for sharing such specific strategies! I'm definitely going to try the 8am calling approach and reaching out to my admissions counselor first. The spreadsheet tracking idea is genius and I'm starting that immediately. It's also really helpful to see the SAI ranges that are being processed - gives me some hope that I might be in the next wave. My deposit deadline is April 15th so the timeline is getting really tight. Reading about others successfully getting extensions from admissions gives me hope that there are options if my aid package doesn't come through in time. This whole situation is so stressful but at least we're all navigating it together!

I'm new to this community but sadly not new to this awful waiting game! Just wanted to add my voice to this thread since I'm going through the exact same thing. Submitted my FAFSA in early January, SAI came back at 3,950, completed all verification docs by late February, and I'm still sitting here with absolutely nothing from my school's financial aid office. The most frustrating part is that I called last week and they told me they're "prioritizing students with the most financial need" but couldn't give me any specifics about what SAI ranges they're currently processing or any realistic timeline. My enrollment deposit is due April 30th and I'm starting to panic about having to make a decision without knowing my aid package. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful though! I'm definitely going to try calling at 8am tomorrow and reaching out to my admissions counselor like others have suggested. The spreadsheet tracking idea is brilliant too - I've talked to so many different people who all say slightly different things and I can never keep it straight. It's both comforting and terrifying to know this is happening everywhere. At least we're all in this stressful mess together! Thanks to everyone sharing their strategies and updates - this community has been more helpful than my actual school's financial aid office.

I'm new to this community but definitely not new to this incredibly stressful situation! Just submitted my FAFSA in December, got my SAI back at 4,450 in January, and have been stuck in limbo ever since. My verification documents were submitted in February and every time I call, I get the same "we're still processing applications" response with absolutely no timeline or specifics. Reading through this entire thread has been both a relief (I'm not alone!) and honestly pretty scary (this could drag on for months?!). The strategies everyone has shared are so helpful though - I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling approach tomorrow and reach out to my admissions counselor instead of going through financial aid directly. The spreadsheet tracking idea is genius and I'm starting that today! My deposit deadline is April 20th so I'm getting really anxious about having to make a commitment without knowing my financial picture. Based on the SAI ranges others have mentioned, it sounds like I might be in the next processing wave, which gives me some hope. I'm also planning to contact admissions about a possible extension just to have that backup plan in place. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences and practical advice - this community has been more helpful than my actual school's financial aid office! It's reassuring to know we're all navigating this mess together, even though none of us should have to deal with this level of uncertainty about something so important.

I'm completely new to this community but unfortunately very experienced with this exact nightmare! Just wanted to jump in and share that I'm in the exact same boat as everyone here. Submitted my FAFSA in early January, SAI came back at 4,100, finished all verification by mid-February, and I'm still sitting here with absolutely nothing from my university. The amount of practical advice in this thread is incredible - I wish I had found this community weeks ago! I'm definitely implementing the spreadsheet tracking system immediately (brilliant idea!) and planning to try the 8am calling strategy tomorrow. The suggestion to go through admissions instead of financial aid directly is something I never would have thought of but makes so much sense. My deposit deadline is May 1st, but reading about everyone's success with getting extensions from admissions is really reassuring. Based on the SAI ranges people have mentioned, it sounds like several of us in the 4,000+ range might be in the next wave they process, which gives me some hope after weeks of feeling completely in the dark. This whole situation is absolutely insane - the fact that so many of us are dealing with the same delays because of a "simplified" FAFSA system is beyond frustrating. But honestly, this community has been more helpful and informative than any conversation I've had with my actual financial aid office. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and strategies - it's such a relief to know I'm not alone in this stressful mess!

I'm brand new to this community but sadly very familiar with this frustrating situation! Just submitted my FAFSA in late December, got my SAI of 3,800 back in January, completed all verification documents by early March, and I'm still waiting with absolutely no updates from my school's financial aid office. Reading through this entire thread has been both incredibly helpful and honestly pretty overwhelming - it's clear this is a massive systemic issue affecting students everywhere! I'm definitely going to implement several of the strategies you all have shared. Starting the spreadsheet tracking system today (wish I'd thought of that weeks ago!), and planning to try the 8am calling approach first thing tomorrow morning. The idea of reaching out to my admissions counselor instead of going directly through financial aid is brilliant and something I never would have considered. My enrollment deposit deadline is April 25th, so I'm getting pretty anxious about making a commitment without knowing my financial picture. Based on the SAI ranges others have mentioned being processed, it sounds like I might actually be in the next wave they're working on, which gives me some hope after feeling completely in the dark for months. Thank you all so much for creating such a supportive space and sharing your real experiences and practical advice - this community has been infinitely more helpful than any conversation I've had with my actual financial aid office! It's both comforting and terrifying to know we're all navigating this mess together, but at least we're not alone in it.