I work at a community college financial aid office, and we've received exactly ZERO FAFSA records so far for 2025-2026. The Department of Education told us larger universities are getting priority in the data distribution. We've been told to expect our first batch of ISIRs sometime next week. This is without question the worst FAFSA rollout I've experienced in my 14 years in financial aid. The entire system needs to be overhauled. Students are bearing the brunt of governmental incompetence.

Update: I finally reached one of my schools by phone today. They confirmed they've received some FAFSA data but are still waiting on most student records. The representative checked my specific status and said they don't have my information yet, but assured me they're adjusting all their internal deadlines. She advised me to email their office with my name, ID number, the date I submitted my FAFSA, and my SAI score. Apparently, they're creating a tracking list for students who have completed the FAFSA but whose data hasn't arrived yet. They'll use this to prioritize processing once they do receive the data. Thank you everyone for your helpful comments! This has been really stressful but at least I know I'm not alone in this situation.

UPDATE: We got it figured out! My daughter logged into her account and found her application was actually saved but not submitted (despite what she thought). She was able to add me as a contributor, and I created my own FSA ID with my email. My husband did the same. We're now all properly linked to her application! Thanks everyone for your help!

This situation highlights why it's so important to start the FAFSA process early. The new system requires each person to have their own FSA ID with separate email addresses for security purposes. A common mistake is using the same email for multiple FSA IDs, which causes all kinds of verification problems later. Remember that for dependent students, both the student and at least one contributing parent must have valid FSA IDs to complete the application.

my son's financial aid counselor said the most important thing is that the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation needs BOTH parents info if ur married and in the same house. otherwise your daughter might get flagged for verification which is a whole other headache!!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for your help! My daughter logged in tonight and found the "Contributors" section just like you all suggested. She sent the invite to my husband, and he's creating his FSA ID now. So relieved we caught this before submitting the final application!

has anyone ever tried getting an extension on the may 1 deposit deadline?? my sister needed one last year and just called the admissions office directly (not financial aid) and they gave her until may 15th

Just wondering - did you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when you filled out the FAFSA? I'm confused about how it went through at all if there were tax errors that would affect the SAI calculation???

I think the FAFSA automatically assumes a student household size of 1 (just the student) for calculation purposes if that field is blank. Obviously that would result in a much higher SAI than if you have a household of 4! Definitely make that correction from your daughter's account. \n\nI saw a presentation from a financial aid administrator who said this is one of the most common errors they're seeing this year, along with the parent contribution not being split correctly between multiple students.

That makes sense why our SAI seems so off! If they're calculating as if she's in a household of 1 instead of 4, that would explain a lot. I'll make that correction right away. Thanks for the explanation.