I went through this last month with my son. Called the financial aid office and they told me the 2023-24 FAFSA was required for his summer classes. I freaked out because I thought we'd missed the deadline, but they assured me it's still possible to complete it for summer sessions. I actually found it easier than the new nightmare FAFSA we all struggled with this year! The processing was much faster too - about 3 days vs the weeks the new system is taking.

Update: I finally got through to my son's financial aid office! They confirmed Summer 2024 does require the 2023-2024 FAFSA at their school. The advisor said even though it's late, we should still submit it ASAP as he might qualify for some grants or loans. They also mentioned a special summer payment plan that might help spread out costs if aid is limited. Going to tackle the old FAFSA tonight - wish me luck!

Just to clarify, here's what happened with the FAFSA simplification: 1. The FUTURE Act and FAFSA Simplification Act completely redesigned the form 2. Direct data sharing with IRS eliminated the need for manual financial information input 3. They reduced questions by about 80% from the original form 4. The new SAI calculation replaced the old EFC formula 5. Most importantly, they eliminated questions about untaxed income, assets for many families, and simplified household size reporting So what you experienced is correct and working as designed! Just make sure you check your studentaid.gov account in 3-5 days to see your calculated SAI and ensure there are no flags for verification.

Update for anyone who comes across this post: I checked my studentaid.gov account today (3 days after submission) and my SAI score is already calculated! It shows as processed and sent to all my selected schools. The new system really is that much faster. Just wanted to confirm for others who might be suspicious like I was.

My son's FAFSA was stuck on "Still In Review" for 7 weeks before finally processing. The date changed 3 times during that period. We were panicking because his university's housing deposit was due and we needed to know his aid package first. I ended up calling the Federal Student Aid helpline 12 TIMES before getting through. Turns out there was a mismatch between his Social Security number and name that was causing the delay, but nothing on the dashboard indicated this problem. The whole system needs to be more transparent.

Financial aid administrator here. The 2025-2026 FAFSA processing timeline is significantly longer than previous years. Current average processing time is 4-6 weeks, with some applications taking up to 8 weeks if selected for verification. The date change you're seeing is typically just a system update and doesn't necessarily indicate progress. I recommend three actions: 1. Contact your school's financial aid office immediately to alert them to the delay 2. Ask about provisional aid packaging based on estimated information 3. Request documentation that you submitted your FAFSA prior to priority deadlines Most institutions are implementing flexible deadlines this cycle due to the nationwide processing delays.

my son is at college now and honestly the fafsa was way easier than i thought it would be!! took like 30 mins. they fixed a bunch of the problems from last year i think. don't stress too much!!

Rather than paying for a consultant, I'd suggest attending a financial aid night at your daughter's high school or a local college. They're usually free and cover both FAFSA and CSS Profile. For your specific self-employment questions, you could also schedule a one-time meeting with a fee-only financial advisor who specializes in college planning (not the commissioned kind who will try to sell you financial products). They can review your specific situation and advise on both FAFSA reporting and potential tax planning strategies that might improve your aid eligibility for sophomore year onward. Also, don't forget to check if each college has differential additional scholarships your daughter might qualify for beyond standard financial aid.

@OP - Great feedback on the beta experience. To address the sibling in college question: The 2025-26 FAFSA does have improved functionality for reporting multiple students in college, but it's important to understand that the FAFSA Simplification Act has permanently changed how this affects your SAI calculation. Under the new formula, having multiple students in college has a much smaller impact on your aid eligibility than under the old system. This isn't a technical issue - it's an intentional policy change. As for the dependency override question you mentioned was still confusing, students should work directly with their financial aid office for these special circumstances rather than trying to address it entirely through the FAFSA form.

I'm glad to hear the process is improving! For those who weren't selected for the beta but want to prepare, I recommend using the FAFSA preview worksheet available on studentaid.gov. While it might not show the exact new interface, it will help you gather all the necessary information before October 1st. The Federal Student Aid office has indicated they're making significant improvements to both the user interface and backend processing systems for the 2025-26 application cycle.