Will FAFSA and Pell Grants continue despite looming government shutdown?

You can breathe a little easier. During previous shutdowns, essential financial aid services have continued operating. The Department of Education specifically stated they will continue processing FAFSA applications, disbursing Pell Grants, and handling student loans even during a shutdown. These are considered essential services since they're statutorily mandated programs. Your $7,300 Pell Grant should be safe, though there could be minor processing delays if staff reductions occur. Just make sure your application is complete with all required documentation to avoid any potential delays.

dont stress too much i went thru a shutdown in 2019 and my loans came thru fine. pell wasnt affected either. the fafsa ppl seem to keep working even when other govt shuts down

I WOULDN'T TRUST ANYTHING THE DEPT OF EDUCATION SAYS!! During the last shutdown they CLAIMED everything would continue normally but my sister's verification process took an EXTRA MONTH!!! The phone lines were basically useless - called 18 times in one day and couldn't get through to anyone!! They might process the basic stuff but anything complicated or that needs human review will probably sit in a pile somewhere!!

Financial aid advisor here. Let me clarify a few things: 1. The Department of Education operates under contingency plans during shutdowns 2. FAFSA processing does continue, but with reduced staff 3. Pell Grants and direct loans are mandatory spending programs protected from shutdowns 4. The Central Processing System (CPS) that calculates your SAI remains operational 5. However, customer service and verification processing may experience significant delays If you're subject to verification, I strongly recommend submitting all documents immediately, well ahead of any deadlines. Also, contact your school's financial aid office - they often have emergency funds available if disbursements are delayed.

When the govt shut down in 2013 my roomate couldn't get anyone on the phone for weeks to fix an error on his FAFSA. His dad had put a decimal point in the wrong place on income (said he made $54.000 instead of $54,000) and they flagged his whole application. Finally he had to get the financial aid office at school to help after waiting for like a month. So yeah stuff TECHNICALLY continues but anything requiring human help gets super delayed.

I've been through this rodeo before! When they had the shutdown in 2019, I was trying to get my Parent PLUS loan processed and it was absolute HELL getting anyone on the phone. I discovered this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual FSA agent in about 18 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Totally worth it during a shutdown when everyone and their mom is trying to get through on those phone lines. Saved my sanity and probably my semester since I needed that loan processed ASAP.

OK update - just checked with my financial aid counselor and she confirmed what others are saying here. FAFSA processing should continue but EXPECT DELAYS especially for anything requiring human review like verification, appeals, or corrections. She recommended: 1. Submit EVERYTHING early 2. Triple-check for errors before submitting 3. Keep copies of EVERYTHING 4. Screenshot confirmation pages as proof 5. If dependent, make sure parents have FSA IDs ready to go

wait so will the SAI calculations be delayed? i thought that was all done by computers anyway? my efc last year was 2800 and i got maximum pell but im confused about how the new SAI works

My sister works at our college's financial aid office and she said they're preparing for possible delays but not expecting any catastrophic issues. Their main concern is that students might panic and not submit applications thinking it's pointless during a shutdown. PLEASE STILL SUBMIT YOUR FAFSA!!

I just want to thank everyone for all this helpful info. I'm definitely going to submit my application ASAP and make sure all my verification documents are ready to go. I'll also talk to my school's financial aid office tomorrow about any emergency funds they might have if there are disbursement delays. Feeling much less panicked now!

As someone who went through a similar situation a few years ago, I wanted to add that it's also worth checking if your state has any emergency financial aid programs. When I had delays with my federal aid during a processing backlog, my state's higher education agency had a small emergency grant program that helped bridge the gap for textbooks and immediate expenses. It wasn't much (like $500) but it made a huge difference at the time. Also, don't forget about your school's food pantry and other campus resources if money gets tight while waiting for aid to process. Most schools have gotten much better about these services since COVID. You've got this!