Financial aid professionals now have some new tips for resolving a FAFSA error that has created confusion both students and schools.
An August 21 Electronic Announcement provided an update from the Department of Education about the FAFSA Reject Code 68 and guidance for resolving issues related to this code.
Reject Code 68 indicates that a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) is blank, but the transaction is not rejected. The Department has been assigning Reject Code 68 to records as they work to resolve related processing issues.
The Department is attempting to better classify the issues that lead to this rejection so that schools have clear steps for short-term resolution and in order for the Department to implement a longer-term solution.
Reject Code 68 is often paired with comment codes 303 and 329 and include the following:
Comment Code 303
- Missing Tax Filing Status
Comment Code 329
- StudentAid.gov Account is flagged
- Parent Paper Signature on Electronic FAFSA Form
- Pending Match Status
A table is included in the announcement that includes a detailed overview of each issue, how to identify it, and the potential solution.
Schools with questions or for those who continue to have issues should contact the FPS Help Desk and have the students’ transaction IDs so that a ticket can be opened. FPS can be contacted by phone at 800-330-5947, fax at 319-665-7662, or email at support@fps.ed.gov or TFASupport@ed.gov (for TFA specific questions).
