when i did my FAFSA last year i had the same problem but it was becuz i forgot to sign the digital signature at the end LOL. make sure u actually signed everything with ur FSA ID. sometimes people just click through without doing the actual signature part at the end.

UPDATE: I contacted my school's financial aid office and they were super understanding! They said they're seeing delays with almost everyone's FAFSA this year and have extended their priority deadline by 3 weeks. They also gave me a provisional form to fill out so they can start preparing my aid package even without the official SAI number. I also checked my studentaid.gov account more thoroughly and found a small notification about income verification that I completely missed before. I've submitted the requested documents now. Thanks everyone for your help!

Have you tried creating a new FSA ID for yourself and starting over? Sometimes that works when there's a corrupt account issue. Just make sure to document your current FSA ID info before creating a new one. For the Professional Judgment requests for both children, make sure you're using the exact terminology each school requires. Some call it "Special Circumstances Appeal" while others use "Income Adjustment Request" or "Professional Judgment Review." Each school's financial aid office will have slightly different forms and processes.

One final important suggestion - if you can't resolve the technical issue quickly, contact your sophomore's school financial aid office DIRECTLY. Explain the technical problem with FAFSA, and ask if they can process a provisional financial aid package based on last year's information while you resolve the FAFSA issues. Many schools have emergency procedures for FAFSA technical problems, especially when they're this close to the semester starting. They may be able to extend payment deadlines or offer an emergency loan until the FAFSA is processed. This won't solve the long-term issue, but it could prevent registration or housing problems in the immediate term.

Update: I finally got through to someone at Federal Student Aid! The agent told me my application was flagged for manual review because my parents' tax filing status changed between 2023 and 2024. They're expediting it now and said I should see my SAI calculation within 72 hours. Thanks everyone for your advice and support!

wait how did you actually get through to them? i've been trying for days and can't get past the automated system

Update for everyone: The Department of Education has officially announced they're aware of a major phishing campaign targeting FAFSA applicants right now. These scam emails use terms like "recalculation," "urgent verification," and "aid cancellation" to scare students into clicking malicious links. Legitimate FAFSA communications will NEVER: - Ask you to verify your FSA ID through an email link - Request your Social Security Number via email - Use threatening language about immediate aid cancellation - Have spelling/grammar errors (a major red flag) If you receive suspicious emails, report them to the FSA at [email protected] and to your school's IT security team. Also, enable two-factor authentication on your StudentAid.gov account immediately if you haven't already.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I've confirmed it was definitely a phishing attempt. I called my school's financial aid office directly and they confirmed I'm not under any verification process. I've reported the email to [email protected] and changed my FSA ID password just to be safe. I'm going to enable two-factor authentication on my StudentAid.gov account too. For anyone else who gets these emails, definitely check your actual StudentAid.gov account directly (don't click email links) and contact your school's financial aid office to confirm before responding to anything suspicious!

doesnt FAFSA give u free money tho? why u gotta pay it back???

Something else to consider: if your daughter takes out the loans herself, it gives her skin in the game and financial responsibility. My son had his subsidized/unsubsidized loans in his name, and knowing he was responsible for them kept him focused on graduating on time. I also made a deal with him that if he maintained above a 3.5 GPA and graduated in 4 years, I'd help with payments. Worked out great as an incentive, and he finished cum laude in 3.5 years to save money. Student loans in her name won't ruin her future if the total amount is reasonable for her career path. Nursing starting salaries are typically $60-75k depending on location, so standard federal loan amounts should be manageable.