Open Issues
STUDENT WHO INCORRECTLY SELECTS “ELIGIBLE NONCITIZEN” ON FAFSA FORM PREVENTED FROM COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING FORM AFTER CORRECTION (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a student who is a citizen initially selects "Eligible noncitizen" on the 2024-25 FAFSA form, enters an “A-Number” when prompted, and completes the demographic section, the student is prevented from completing the form even after the student changes the citizenship status response to "U.S. citizen or national". In this situation, the A-Number is not removed from the form and the student cannot proceed beyond the “Select Colleges” question. The student receives no error message to explain this situation and is prevented from completing and submitting the form.
Workaround: The student can delete the existing application and then start a new 2024-25 FAFSA form online.
PARENT WHO RE-ENTERS SAVED FAFSA FORM MUST ADD COUNTRY AGAIN TO SUBMIT FORM (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: Each time a parent re-enters a saved 2024-25 FAFSA form, the Country previously entered by the parent does not carry over. The parent receives no error message to explain this situation and is prevented from completing and submitting the form until the parent completes the “Country” question.
Workaround: Despite receiving no error message, the parent should be able to easily identify the blank “Country” question and re-add the information to allow form submission.
STUDENT OR PARENT WHO RETURNS TO SAVED FAFSA FORM REQUIRING CONTRIBUTORS HAS SIGNATURE REMOVED UPON RETURN WITHOUT CHANGING ANY INFORMATION (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a student or parent signs the student’s or parent’s respective section of a 2024-25 FAFSA form that includes other contributors and returns to the form before the other contributors have signed and submitted the form and selects “Save” from the FAFSA menu without making any changes, the signature of that student or parent is removed from the application.
Workaround: The student or parent should re-sign the FAFSA form upon returning to the application, even if the student or parent is not making any changes to the form.
SOME SCHOOL NAMES ARE TRUNCATED ON COLLEGE SEARCH PAGE (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: When searching for a school from the 2024-25 FAFSA form, the full name of a school may not be displayed on the screen. In the case of a school with multiple programs or locations, this makes it difficult for a user to know which entry to select.
Workaround: The user can search by Federal School Code instead of by School Name to identify the correct school entry. School codes can be located via Internet search.
PARENT OR SPOUSE CONTRIBUTOR WITHOUT FSA ID ACCOUNT PREVENTED FROM CREATING ACCOUNT WHILE SSA MATCH IS PENDING (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a user invites a parent or spouse who does not already have an FSA ID account to contribute to a 2024-25 FAFSA form and that contributor attempts to create an account before the contributor’s Social Security Administration (SSA) Match changes from Pending to Full Match, the contributor receives no error message explaining this situation and is prevented from proceeding past Step 3 of the Create an Account page on StudentAid.gov.
Workaround: The parent or spouse contributor can delete the Mailing Address entered on the Create an Account page and then proceed. The contributor’s address can be added to the account via Settings after the account has been created. Alternatively, the contributor can wait until the SSA Match status is Full Match and try again to create an account.
STUDENT WITH NO SSN THAT EXITED FAFSA FORM BEFORE “STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCY” QUESTION UNABLE TO CONTINUE FORM OR START NEW FORM (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a student with no Social Security number (SSN) starts the 2024-25 FAFSA form but saves and exits before answering the “State of Legal Residency” question, the student will be unable to continue the application later. The student will no longer see the FAFSA draft in “My Activity” and will be unable to start a new FAFSA, as the student will see a message that a FAFSA is already on file.
Workaround: There is currently no workaround to this issue. The student will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA Form online once the issue is resolved.
PARENT WITH NO SSN UNABLE TO START FAFSA FORM FOR STUDENT OR CONTRIBUTE TO AN EXISTING FORM (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a parent with no Social Security number (SSN) starts the 2024-25 FAFSA form for a student, the parent will receive an error message on the “Student Information” page. This incorrect error message states that the user is “unauthorized to act on behalf of the student since they already have a 24-25 FAFSA form” even if the student has not started an application. A parent with no SSN also is not able to contribute to the form, even if the student starts the application and invites the parent to contribute.
Workaround: There is currently no workaround for a parent without an SSN. A student may start the application, but the parent will not be able to contribute the parent information. The student and parent will be able to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved.
PARENT WITH FOREIGN LEGAL RESIDENCE UNABLE TO SUBMIT FAFSA FORM WHEN PARENT HAS NOT FILED TAXES DUE TO EARNING NO INCOME (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: On the “Parent Tax Filing Status” page of the 2024-25 FAFSA form, a parent selects the parent’s tax filing status. If a parent who has a foreign legal residence (Foreign Country, Canada, Mexico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Republic of Palau) selects that the parent did not or will not file taxes due to earning no income, the parent is prevented from proceeding past the Financials Section. Instead of allowing the parent to navigate to the review page, the parent will be continuously redirected back to the “Parent 2022 Tax Return Information” page without receiving an error message.
Workaround: There is currently no workaround to this issue. The parent will be able to pick up where the parent left off and complete the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved. The parent’s information previously entered will be saved. The student can complete and sign the student’s section of the form.
FAFSA UNABLE TO BE SUBMITTED IF PARENT CONTRIBUTOR HAS ENTERED VALUE FOR "INCOME TAX PAID" GREATER THAN "AGI" (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a parent contributor manually enters a value for "Income Tax Paid" that is greater than the parent’s "AGI" on the 2024-25 FAFSA form, the parent will be shown a validation page to confirm if this is accurate. If the parent opts to confirm this is accurate and continues without changing these values, the FAFSA form will later be unable to be submitted.
Workaround: If the parent’s Income Tax Paid is truly greater than the parent’s AGI, there is currently no workaround to this issue. The parent will be able to submit the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved. The student can complete and sign the student’s section of the form.
MARRIED STUDENT OR PARENT WHO DOES NOT PROVIDE SPOUSE’S INFORMATION BEFORE LEAVING 2024-25 FAFSA FORM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT FORM UPON RE-ENTRY (Added Jan. 4, 2024)
Status: Open
Description: If a married student or parent leaves the 2024-25 FAFSA form before entering the required information for the spouse, the student or parent will not be able to add this information when the student or parent re-enters the form and will be prevented from submitting the form.
Workaround: There is currently no workaround to this issue. The student or parent will be able to complete and submit the 2024-25 FAFSA form online once the issue is resolved.