What does 'in progress but not submitted' mean on FAFSA application status?

In progress but not' submitted simply means you started your FAFSA application but'haven t completed all required sections and submitted it for processing yet. Your application is saved on the system, but the Department of Education'isn t reviewing it and'won t process any financial aid based on an incomplete application. You need to finish all sections, sign with your FSA ID, and submit it before the status will change 'to' submitted 'or' processing. Nothing happens until you complete that final submissionstep.

I ran into this exact same issue last year! 'In progress' just means you saved information in the system but haven't formally submitted anything. You MUST click the submit button at the very end after completing all sections and signing with your FSA ID for it to actually go through. Nothing is being reviewed until that happens. Don't panic, but definitely finish it asap since aid is often first-come, first-served, especially for work-study funds and some grants.

mine said in proggress for like 3 months bcuz i forgot to actually hit submit after filling everything out! almost missed the deadline lol

The FAFSA site is so confusing! 'In progress' does NOT mean submitted. I thought the same thing last year and missed priority deadline because I didn't realize I needed to sign with my FSA ID and hit the final submit button. When the status changes to 'Processed Successfully' and you get a confirmation email + SAI score, THEN you know it's actually done. Don't make my mistake!!!

Try calling the Federal Student Aid hotline to check on your exact status. I had to call them about my FAFSA last month and spent TWO DAYS trying to get through... so frustrating! Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to skip the wait and get connected directly. Their video demo (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) shows how it works. Saved me hours of waiting and the agent confirmed my application status right away. Worth it when you're stressing about aid deadlines.

am i the only 1 who thinks its ridiculous we have to jump thru all these hoops just to get financial aid? like why make the process so complicated?? my friend dropped out bc her fafsa got messed up and they wanted like 30 different documents for verification

To summarize what everyone's said: your application is saved but NOT submitted. You need to: 1. Log back in to studentaid.gov 2. Complete any remaining sections (look for sections without checkmarks) 3. Sign with your FSA ID 4. Click the final submit button 5. Wait for confirmation email (3-5 days) 6. Check your account for your SAI score Only after completing these steps will your FAFSA actually be processed for financial aid consideration.

Just wanted to add that you should also double-check your school's FAFSA deadline! Even though the federal deadline is later, many schools have their own priority deadlines that are much earlier. I almost missed out on need-based grants because I didn't realize my school's priority deadline was February 15th while the federal deadline wasn't until June. Once you get that confirmation email and see your SAI, make sure to also check if your school needs any additional forms like CSS Profile or their own financial aid application.

Great advice from everyone! I went through this same confusion last year. One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all your documents ready before you log in to finish - tax returns, bank statements, W-2s, etc. The FAFSA will time out if you're inactive for too long while hunting for documents, and you might lose some progress. Also, if you're a dependent student, make sure your parent has their FSA ID ready too since they'll need to sign as well. The whole process is much smoother when you have everything organized beforehand. Good luck finishing it up!

As someone who just went through this process, I can confirm what everyone's saying - "in progress but not submitted" literally means your application is sitting in limbo until you complete every single step and hit submit. The system saves your work automatically as you go, which is great, but it can be misleading because you think progress is being made when really nothing's happening on the financial aid side. I made the same mistake of thinking "in progress" meant they were reviewing what I had completed so far. Nope! You have to finish EVERYTHING, including getting your parent's signature if you're dependent, before the Department of Education even looks at it. Don't stress too much though - just gather those tax documents and power through the remaining sections. The relief you'll feel when you see that confirmation email is worth it!

I had the exact same confusion when I first started my FAFSA! The status wording is definitely misleading. Think of "in progress but not submitted" like having a draft email saved - it's there waiting for you, but nothing's actually been sent until you hit that final submit button. The good news is that all your work is saved, so you can pick up exactly where you left off. Just make sure when you do finish and submit, you keep checking back for that confirmation email and your SAI number. That's when you know it actually went through. Don't let the stress get to you - you've got this!

Just to add another perspective - I work at a college financial aid office and we see this confusion constantly! "In progress but not submitted" is basically the FAFSA's way of saying "we're holding your spot but you haven't crossed the finish line yet." Think of it like being halfway through checkout on an online store - your cart is saved but no purchase has been made until you complete payment and get that confirmation. We always tell students to look for three things after submitting: 1) confirmation email from Federal Student Aid, 2) your SAI (Student Aid Index) showing up in your account, and 3) your school receiving your FAFSA data (you can call your financial aid office to confirm). Without all three, something didn't go through properly. Don't worry though - you're so close to being done!

I just went through this exact situation last month! The "in progress but not submitted" status had me panicking too. What really helped me was logging into my studentaid.gov account and looking at the FAFSA summary page - it shows you exactly which sections are complete (with green checkmarks) and which ones still need work. Don't forget that even after you think you've finished everything, you still need to digitally sign with your FSA ID AND make sure your parent signs too if you're a dependent. I thought I was done but realized I never actually hit the final "Submit My FAFSA" button at the very end. Once you do submit it properly, you should get an email confirmation within a few days and your application status will change. You're almost there - just power through those last sections!

Hey Emma! I just wanted to chime in as someone who literally just finished this process last week. The "in progress but not submitted" status is basically the FAFSA's way of saying "your homework is saved but not turned in yet." I was in the exact same boat - had most of my application done but got stuck waiting for my parents' tax info. When I finally logged back in, I realized I had like 3 sections that still needed completion, plus I had to make sure both my parent and I signed with our FSA IDs. The key thing is that NOTHING happens until you hit that final submit button and get the confirmation email. I was stressed about deadlines too, but once I sat down and knocked out the remaining sections, it only took about 30 minutes to finish everything. You've got this - just gather those tax documents and power through tonight!