Where to check for missing FAFSA documents after school says application is processed?

when they say missing documents they usually mean stuff the SCHOOL needs not studentaid.gov. login to your daughters student portal for that specific college. there should be a financial aid tab and it'll show what docs they need. each school has different requirements!

The school's financial aid office is referring to their own document requirements, not the FAFSA portal. Here's what you need to do: 1. Log into your daughter's student portal for Riverdale State College 2. Navigate to the Financial Aid or Student Finances section 3. Look for a tab/section called "Required Documents" or "Missing Documents" 4. You may see requests for verification documents like tax returns, W-2s, or the college's own internal forms Each school has its own verification process that happens AFTER the FAFSA is processed. The studentaid.gov site only shows your FAFSA status, not what individual schools need from you.

had the same issue w/ my son last yr. turns out most schools want extra stuff even after fafsa says ur done. check the school portal. for us it was some income verification form + copy of our tax transcript. super annoying!

Based on my experience working with students, this is a common point of confusion. The FAFSA processing and the school's verification requirements are two separate processes: - FAFSA processing: Your application goes through the federal system and generates your SAI score - School verification: Individual schools select certain applications for additional document verification Approximately 30% of all FAFSA applications get selected for verification by schools. This requires submitting additional documentation to confirm the accuracy of what you reported on your FAFSA. As others have mentioned, you need to check the student portal for Riverdale State. Each school's portal is different, but look for terms like "Financial Aid Requirements," "Outstanding Items," or "To-Do List.

If you're having trouble getting through to Riverdale's financial aid office by phone (which is super common this time of year), I'd recommend trying Claimyr.com. I was in the same situation last month and kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. Claimyr got me connected to a financial aid rep in about 10 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration!

UGHHH the FAFSA process is such a nightmare this year!!!!! After my daughter's application was "processed" we discovered there were SEVEN additional forms the school wanted. SEVEN!!!! And get this - they never emailed us about it! They just silently added them to her portal and expected us to know. We only found out because I randomly checked her portal one day. Check that portal ASAP and then check it EVERY WEEK because they keep adding new requirements without telling you!!!!

ask ur daughter if she got emails. sometimes they only send notifications to the student email not the parent

I think the most confusing part of FAFSA is that each school does verification differently. My oldest son's university wanted copies of our actual tax returns, while my youngest's community college wanted the IRS tax transcript instead. Neither would accept the other's preferred document! So frustrating.

One additional tip: When you do find the missing document list, take screenshots of everything they're requesting. Financial aid portal requirements can sometimes change or update, and having documentation of what was initially requested can be helpful if there are any discrepancies later. Also, once you submit the additional documents, follow up within 7-10 business days if you don't see an update in the portal. Sometimes documents get misplaced or incorrectly marked as missing even after submission.

As someone who just went through this process with my twins last year, I can't stress enough how important it is to check BOTH the student portal AND have your daughter check her student email regularly. We missed a deadline because one of my sons didn't see an email about additional verification documents that was sent only to his student account, not to me as the parent. Also, pro tip: if Riverdale has a financial aid checklist or "to-do" section in their portal, bookmark that page and check it weekly until everything is resolved. Some schools update requirements in real-time as they review applications, so what looks complete today might have new items tomorrow. Good luck with getting everything sorted before her decision deadline!

I'm just starting this whole FAFSA process with my youngest and this thread is both helpful and terrifying! The idea that schools can just keep adding requirements without proper notification is honestly shocking. I had no idea there were two separate processes - the federal FAFSA and then each school's own verification. @Nia Williams I hope you get everything sorted out quickly! It sounds like you've gotten some great advice here about checking the student portal regularly. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread for when I inevitably run into the same issues in a few months. Question for everyone: Is there any way to predict which schools are more likely to select you for verification, or is it basically random? Trying to mentally prepare myself for what's coming!