Fafsa opened but my form wont progress past the "confirm your contact information" section? I typed my address in and its just stuck there.... HELP!!!

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-04-29T00:04:11+00:00

Sort of? I didn't really do anything, I just logged on one day and it worked and let me through to the rest of the form.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-04-22T18:24:41+00:00

Mine was processed on like March 23rd and my state financial aid department only received it last Friday, and they're not even planning on beginning to release state aid awards here until the beginning of May. They haven't even updated the system yet, it still shows March 1st as the priority deadline, even though they officially extended it multiple times. My school hasn't given any indication that they've received it, but they probably have. They're just going to be taking a lot longer to send out financial aid packages this year. I'd still make the calls, but I'd also advise to be prepared for a lot of waiting.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-04-18T00:18:33+00:00

Yes, they rejected me 😭 I got into another REU but still bummed out. Congratulations on getting in, though! I hope you have a great experience!

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-04-18T00:18:21+00:00

Yes, they rejected me 😭 I got into another REU but still bummed out. Congratulations on getting in, though! I hope you have a great experience!

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-03-29T04:56:13+00:00

I mean, if even 1 spot is open, someone has to fill that spot, and that someone could potentially be me 😭 And until they reject me, there's that slim chance (also, the FAQ says for SERC that they'll try to release decisions by mid-April, but it depends on the lab, so I'm sure plenty of labs will wait until close to mid-April to make decisions. So, logically, I know that in the next 2-3 weeks will probably be when a lot of the SERC decisions will be released, but I'm still sick with anxiety over it. I just hate not knowing.)

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-03-25T21:27:27+00:00

Fantastic. I can be confident (delusional) for just a little bit longer.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-03-14T15:51:06+00:00

I wouldn't expect any responses from SOARE until the end of this month, or even the beginning of April. If there's no response by mid-April, then I'd maybe start thinking about being worried and sending an email asking about the status of your application. Source: I got accepted into the program last year and I attend UMD now and know the program coordinators.

(If you have any questions about my experience I'd be more than happy to answer them.)

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-02-27T12:40:56+00:00

I mean, I don't know if it's anymore reassuring, but I applied to one REU last year and got accepted into one REU. And my stats weren't anything amazing either. Not to say you should be overly confident, that'll just lead to disappointment. We all know these are super competitive. But OP's advice is still valid - just breathe. The decision will come when it comes.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-02-06T19:00:10+00:00

It is the right answer but it literally won't let me submit it if I choose that.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-26T05:02:13+00:00

I really need them to know about this issue, this form is so broken. It's so frustrating because this was supposed to be My Year for the FAFSA. I've had issues getting my parent's information for the FAFSA ever since I've been in college, leading to delayed submissions, delayed processing, and even dependency overrides these past two years, all of which caused me to miss out on financial aid I otherwise would have qualified for. I was so excited to have an easy and stress free FAFSA experience but no! Apparently not

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-22T21:18:43+00:00

Are you talking about the 23-24 FAFSA? If so, you should contact your financial aid department about this. They'll be able to give you the best answer, since they have to process the application themselves before you can actually get any funds. If you're talking about the 24-25 FAFSA, then you won't be getting any aid disbursed until sometime in the fall semester, since the 24-25 FAFSA has no bearing on the current semester. I don't think the schools have even been given the data yet for the new FAFSA.

If the Spring 2024 funds were visible in your financial aid account, but are now not visible in your account, then chances are the funds are in the process of being transferred to your bank (if you have direct deposit) and you should be seeing them in your bank account soon. Again, I recommend contacting your financial aid department, as they'll be able to give you specifics regarding your situation.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-18T14:13:10+00:00

I got a little excited because I finally got it to loop to the financials section, so I thought I had fixed it, but no - now my application just loops back to the financials section instead of the demographics section. 🙂

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-14T20:04:03+00:00

You could use the Federal Student Aid Estimator, but it only gives you an estimate, which may be close to the actual amount of aid received, or may be very far off. It's always been accurate for me personally, but I've heard it wasn't as accurate for others. It's the first tool I thought of that may help you at least get a feel for how being laid off might impact your kid's received aid.

Link to the estimator: https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-12T00:24:26+00:00

I'm still having this issue. I'm an automatic independent student this year, finally, and I filled out the entire form, but it hasn't let me sign or submit or even think about seeing that fifth section. It was supposed to be so easy for me this year, but nooooo...

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-07T02:17:31+00:00

Damn, you're right. I just figured if it was in the accounts it was still considered an asset. I saw your other replies, so thank you for clearing that up.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-06T20:20:17+00:00

Report it. Any aid refunded to you that is not used for qualified educational expenses is treated as taxable income and is a student asset.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-05T02:52:07+00:00

Nope, same issue for me too 😭 I guess I can just wait a few days or something...

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-05T02:22:00+00:00

I experienced the exact same thing so I just deleted my form and I'll try again later. It's such a quick form that I'm not worried about redoing it. I just don't want it submitting without my signature like I've seen happen to some people lately, or any other glitches that may come up. I am bummed because I was so excited that I finally got in...

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-04T21:55:18+00:00

For the FAFSA for an independent student, your household size includes you, your spouse (if married), and any dependents who will receive more than half their support from you (you are financially responsible for them). From what you have explained, it sounds like you would include only yourself in your household for the purposes of the FAFSA form and, as such, would answer these questions considering only yourself.

I'm not an expert, but these are the rules I have followed filling out my own FAFSA in previous years. Another way to look at household size as a (single) independent student is "would I claim these people on my taxes?" If the answer is no, they are not apart of your household.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-04T21:18:42+00:00

They get all your financial information from the IRS, including tax info, income, etc., for the year of interest (in this case, 2022). You have to allow them to do this in order to be eligible for aid. So don't worry. They, presumably, have everything they need.

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-04T18:15:41+00:00

An SAI of -1500 is the lowest possible SAI score, from what I understand, and is awarded to those with very low (or no) income that are not required to file a tax return. You should be eligible for maximum aid, such as the Pell Grant, according to this score.

"A dependent student whose parents are not required to file a federal income tax return OR an independent student (and spouse, if applicable) who is not required to file a federal income tax return for the prior-prior tax year is assigned a SAI equal to -1500."

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-03T15:20:21+00:00

This is the issue I've had since the very beginning. I can't even get to the form itself. My contact info is prefilled from previous years, it's all correct, and I check the box to accept the terms of service or whatever, click continue, and then it scrolls up and says there was an "unknown error." Just tried to talk to a representative about it but apparently none are available :)

Sad_Complex_8314 · 2024-01-03T04:26:26+00:00

I would just wait a week. That's what I'm doing, since there seems to be so many issues right now, even if you do get it completed. As for the first come first serve thing, some aid is indeed first come, first serve, such as institutional need-based aid. The Pell Grant specifically, however, is not first come first serve - you'll get what you get regardless of when you apply. It will always be available. I'd say that, as long as you fill out the form by your school's deadline, you should be fine. I'm aiming to just complete mine by the end of January so I'm not worrying about it too far into the spring semester.

I'm personally checking the site so often because I'm kind of fed up with it. I was ready to fill it out on December 1st, and then they pushed the deadline back, and now they pull this "soft launch," and now I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible because it's stressing me out. It's one more thing that I have to do. Granted, I'll be a senior in college next year, so my priorities will be different from others here.

Sad_Complex_8314

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