FAFSA

Are you a student in a mixed-status family having trouble completing the 2024-25 FAFSA?

A new version of the FAFSA was launched and opened to the public on December 31, 2023. It was delayed and presented issues for many students, specifically U.S. citizen students who are part of mixed-status families. This makes it difficult to submit their FAFSA application.

The creation of a Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID) becomes an issue when parents/contributors don’t have a SSN and can’t be verified.

  • Verification may be possible through telephone but it has been difficult to connect with representatives.

  • There are technical difficulties when it comes to creating an FSA ID, and parents without a SSN cannot contribute to their child’s form. There is an error stating that they cannot move beyond that step.

  • Students who are part of a mixed-status family have not been able to fill out FAFSA completely.

Here are some issues we’ve seen:

Scenario 1: Incoming first-year student & parents are undocumented

✅ The student completed the student section of the FAFSA.

✅ FAFSA determined that the student is a dependent.

✅ Student invited parents/guardians to contribute to their FAFSA.

✅ Parent created an FSA ID account.

❌ ERROR: The parent cannot verify their account or contribute to their students’ form.

Scenario 2: THIRD-year student renewing their FAFSA & parents are undocumented.

✅ Student completed the student section of the FAFSA. The student is determined to be a dependent.

✅ Student invited parents/guardians to contribute to their FAFSA. The parent created an FSA ID account.

✅ Parent verified their FSA ID account, & received the contributor invitation.

❌ ERROR: The parent received the invitation but cannot enter the student’s application to contribute. The student completed the student section of the FAFSA.

The US Department of Education announced that this issue should be fixed by mid-March, however If you are a student in a mixed-status family experiencing issues with the FAFSA application, please fill out this form, and we will contact you with assistance.

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