Why haven't colleges sent financial aid packages yet? Is the FAFSA delay to blame?

Yes, the FAFSA delays are absolutely affecting financial aid packages nationwide. The Department of Education had major issues with the 2024-2025 FAFSA rollout, which was supposed to be simplified but ended up being released months later than usual. Schools didn't start receiving student data until late January/early February, when they normally would have had it in October. Many colleges have publicly announced they're pushing back their decision deadlines because of this. Has your daughter reached out to the financial aid offices directly?

same boat here!! none of my 6 schools have sent aid info yet and im FREAKING OUT!! deposit due may 1 for all of them 😭😭

This is unfortunately very common this year due to the FAFSA modernization project and its problematic rollout. The Department of Education has acknowledged these issues and has been working to correct them, but schools are severely delayed in their aid packaging as a result. Here's what you should know: 1. Many institutions ARE extending their deposit deadlines, but not all have announced this yet 2. Schools are prioritizing processing based on various factors, and many are working overtime to get packages out 3. The FAFSA processing delays meant schools received data months later than usual, creating a massive backlog 4. Some schools have indicated they'll be sending packages in large batches throughout April I strongly recommend calling each financial aid office directly. Be persistent but patient - their phone lines are overwhelmed right now.

My son's in his 2nd year and we're having the same issue with his renewal FAFSA. His school said they're behind by at least 6 weeks processing everything this year. I think all collges are in the same boat cause of the FAFSA mess.

yall are lucky u even got the fafsa submitted!! im still getting errors when i try to fill it out 🤬 this whole process is a joke

I've been trying to call the Federal Student Aid helpline for THREE WEEKS about my daughter's FAFSA and can never get through. Always says "call volume too high" and disconnects. Finally I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration! They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ showing how it works. My daughter's SAI finally got processed correctly and now we're just waiting on the schools to send packages.

I work at a university financial aid office (not saying which one for obvious reasons), and I can confirm we're MASSIVELY behind schedule. The FAFSA modernization rollout has been a disaster from our perspective. We didn't receive ANY student data until February, and there have been countless technical problems with the data we did receive. Many schools have already announced extended deposit deadlines, and many more will follow. My advice: 1. Yes, absolutely call the financial aid offices. We're prioritizing students who reach out. 2. Check each school's financial aid website daily - many are posting updates there rather than sending individual emails. 3. Ask specifically about deadline extensions when you call. I promise we're working as fast as we can, often 7 days a week. This situation is as frustrating for us as it is for you.

Just wanted to update - my daughter's top choice school finally sent their aid package today! We called them last week after getting nowhere with emails. They told us they're sending packages in batches and are about 3 weeks behind schedule. So don't give up hope! The packages are coming, just very late.

Something important to note: The Department of Education recently announced they've resolved many of the initial FAFSA processing issues and are now processing applications much faster. This means schools should start receiving student information more quickly, which should help speed up the financial aid packaging process. Many schools are now saying they'll have all packages out by mid-April, though that's still cutting it close for May 1 deadlines. Also, if your family's financial situation has changed significantly since you filed taxes (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), make sure to contact financial aid offices about a professional judgment review ASAP, as these take additional time to process.

I'm going through the exact same thing! My daughter applied to 8 schools and we haven't heard back from ANY of them about financial aid. I submitted our FAFSA in December thinking I was being proactive, but here we are in late March still waiting. The stress is unreal - how are we supposed to make informed decisions about where to send her without knowing what each school will cost us? I've been checking my email obsessively every day hoping to see something, but nothing. At least it sounds like we're not alone in this mess. Has anyone had any luck getting through to the Department of Education directly about FAFSA processing status?

I'm in the EXACT same situation and honestly it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one going through this nightmare! My son applied to 7 schools and we've gotten radio silence from all of them on financial aid. I submitted our FAFSA in early January thinking we were ahead of the game, but now I'm wondering if I should have waited given all these technical issues everyone's talking about. The May 1st deadline is keeping me up at night - how can they expect families to commit to schools without knowing what aid we'll receive? I've started a spreadsheet tracking when I contact each school because at this point I feel like I need to become a full-time advocate just to get basic information. Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences here - it helps to know this is a systemic problem and not something we did wrong!

I'm a college sophomore and went through this exact same stress last year, though not quite to this extent. The FAFSA delays this year are definitely unprecedented - last year we had our packages by mid-March from most schools. What helped us was creating a shared Google doc with all the schools, their financial aid office phone numbers, and tracking each contact attempt. Also, many schools have specific "FAFSA delay" pages on their websites now with updates, so definitely check those regularly. One thing that worked for my family was calling early in the morning (like 8 AM sharp) when phone lines opened - we had much better luck getting through then. The financial aid officers are genuinely trying their best in an impossible situation. Hang in there - the packages will come, and schools know they'll have to be flexible with deadlines this year!