How Students Can Check Their FAFSA Submission Status

The new 2024-25 FAFSA is short. So short in fact, that families can come to the end of it without even realizing that they are all finished. The form’s brevity is a good thing. But it can lead families to a nagging doubt that they actually haven't successfully completed and filed the form. Compounding this sense of uncertainty is the fact that, currently, the automatic confirmation that the FAFSA has been successfully filed and sent to colleges isn't exactly working. Which creates even more doubt.

The rollout of the new, simplified FAFSA hasn't gone exactly according to plan. When the application process is running as normal, those who file the form should receive a confirmation email in a matter of days, with notification that the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid office has received their data. That email should also include an estimate of their?Student Aid Index (SAI)?(the number that colleges use to calculate eligibility for financial aid and formerly know as EFC), their?FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS), and an estimate of their federal student aid. In a normal FAFSA year, families can also log back in to the application a few days after filing it, see the FAFSA data they submitted, and also make corrections to it.

But this year, many parts of the process aren't working according to schedule or are delayed. Everyone who submits a FAFSA?should?still be getting a confirmation email, with at least an estimated SAI and notification that the FAFSA has been submitted. Some filers are receiving this, but some are not. Also, when logging back into the FAFSA, filers can't yet see their FAFSA data or make corrections to it. In addition, the colleges themselves won't actually be receiving FAFSA data until sometime in March, or later. So a college can't even confirm that a FAFSA has been sent.

So how can families determine if their FAFSA has actually been submitted? They can log in to their FAFSA online and check their status. If the FAFSA says it's?In Review, then the application has been submitted.

We recognize this status is confusing to many parents and students. What does "in review" mean? It essentially means that they have done everything they need to do. Colleges may request additional information once they receive the FAFSA data and get a chance to review it. But for now, families can sit tight.

And in the meantime, Federal Student Aid is aware of the issue of missing confirmation emails and knows that families are anxious to review their own data and make corrections to it. They are also working hard to get FAFSA data to colleges as soon as they can.

If you have questions about the FAFSA, check out our FAFSA Simplification Updates & Resources page.