


Ask the community...
I'd like to clarify something important: The "processing status list" from FSA contains data for students with BOTH correct and potentially incorrect calculations. Schools are supposed to be able to identify which is which from the list. If your FAFSA shows as processed with an SAI on studentaid.gov, AND the school confirms they can see your SAI, there shouldn't be any technical barriers to generating your aid package. At this point, any further delays are likely due to the institution's internal processing capabilities and priorities, not FSA data access issues. For families facing deadlines, I recommend: 1. Email the financial aid director (not just calling the main office) 2. Include your student's ID number and SAI from studentaid.gov 3. Clearly state any competing offers and deadlines 4. Copy (cc) the admissions office on the email Documenting your communications this way creates accountability and often gets faster results.
i just called my brothers school again and they finally admited they have the list but said there understaffed and processing in alphabetical order... his last name starts with W so were probably screwed lolol
Alphabetical order?! I've never heard of that approach before. That seems incredibly unfair to students with last names at the end of the alphabet. I wonder if that's even allowed under Department of Education guidelines? Maybe someone with more knowledge about financial aid regulations can weigh in on whether schools can prioritize alphabetically or if they need to use other criteria like financial need or application date.
Thank you all for the helpful suggestions! I'm going to try negotiating with the financial aid office and will check out those resources for finding schools with better aid policies. My son and I are sitting down this weekend to look at all his options, including potentially starting at community college. It's frustrating that the system is so complicated, but at least I feel like we have some paths forward now.
The student loan forgiveness you're seeing is ONE TIME relief for people who've been paying for DECADES on predatory loans with interest rates that meant they owed MORE than they borrowed even after years of payments. It's not like people are just getting free money while your son gets nothing. But yeah, the FAFSA this year is a DISASTER. My daughter's application has been "processing" for over 2 months with no explanation. The schools can't package aid without the FAFSA data and the May 1 deposit deadline is coming up fast. HOW are families supposed to make decisions with no financial information??? The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch. Until then, we're all just trying to navigate a broken system the best we can.
Completely unrelated but make sure you also check if any of her schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA! My daughter almost missed out on institutional scholarships because we didn't realize some private colleges require both forms. The CSS Profile has different deadlines too.
Quick update on this topic: The Department of Education recently announced they're working to speed up FAFSA processing times. If schools haven't received your daughter's information within 7-10 days of submission, I'd definitely recommend contacting both the schools and FSA directly. Many schools are also extending their financial aid deadlines to accommodate FAFSA delays this year, so don't panic quite yet!
UPDATE: We logged in last night and found the signature page. You were right @profile2 - it was because we made that correction to the W-2 info. We both signed again and got confirmation numbers. I also called my daughter's school this morning to let them know we fixed the signature issue. They said they'd make a note in her file and that her financial aid package should be processed within 7-10 days once they receive the completed FAFSA. Thanks everyone for your help!
Excellent! That timeline sounds accurate. The school can't finalize her financial aid package until they receive her SAI from the Department of Education, but having that note in her file helps. If you don't see any updates in your studentaid.gov account within 5 business days, I'd recommend checking back in with them.
Sofia Perez
Just a heads up - even after your spouse signs, it might take 3-5 business days for the system to update and calculate your SAI. Don't panic if it doesn't change immediately!
0 coins
Dylan Cooper
•That's good to know - thank you! I was hoping it would update right away but I'll try to be patient.
0 coins
Dmitry Smirnov
Quick update question: Have you been able to find any specific error messages when you log into studentaid.gov? Sometimes they hide the actual error details in the Message Center rather than displaying them prominently on the dashboard.
0 coins
Dylan Cooper
•I just checked the Message Center and found something! There's a notification saying "Action Required: Additional Signature Needed" that I completely missed before. It specifically mentions my spouse needs to sign. Thank you so much for pointing me to look there!
0 coins