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PSA: Always save copies of your FAFSA confirmation emails and screenshots of your submitted application. You never know when you'll need proof!
idk if this helps, but I had a similar issue and it turned out there was a hold on my account because I hadn't submitted my vaccination records to the school. Might be worth checking if there are any random administrative holds?
Oh wow, I didn't even think of that. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks for the tip!
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did ur daughter check if she entered the wrong email for him? my son put .con instead of .com on my email and thats why i never got anything lol. such a simple mistake but took us forever to figure it out
We checked that multiple times, but I'll have her triple-check tonight. It's exactly the kind of silly mistake that would explain everything! Thanks for the suggestion.
Just an update on what we've been seeing with our college access program - the FAFSA's "contributor" function has been one of the biggest technical issues this application season. The Department of Education actually acknowledged there's a bug affecting about 20% of parent contributors. One workaround some families have used successfully: have your daughter upload the signed Alternative Documentation for Contributors form (it's on the StudentAid.gov site) instead of waiting for the electronic contribution. It's not ideal, but it can get you past this roadblock.
This is really helpful! I didn't know about that form. We'll look for it tonight as a backup plan. It's frustrating that they know about this bug but haven't fixed it after all this time.
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One more important point: When you get to the tax information section, you'll notice that Social Security benefits are generally not taxable (or only partially taxable in some cases). This means they might not appear on your tax return, but you still need to report them separately in the untaxed income section of the FAFSA. This is one of the most common mistakes people make - they assume that if it's not on their tax return, it doesn't need to be reported on FAFSA. Always better to report and be transparent!
That's really helpful information! We only reported about 15% of his SSDI on our taxes last year because most of it wasn't taxable. I'll make sure to include the full amount on the FAFSA though. These forms are so confusing.
After you submit the FAFSA, I recommend keeping an eye on the SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation. With disability income, sometimes the formula doesn't accurately reflect your actual financial situation. If the SAI seems too high based on your family's circumstances, contact your daughter's college financial aid office about a 'professional judgment' review. They can adjust the SAI to account for special circumstances like disability and medical expenses.
I had no idea this was possible! We do have a lot of ongoing medical expenses from my husband's injury that aren't fully covered by insurance. I'll definitely look into this if her aid package isn't sufficient. Thank you!
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the paper form is THE WORST don't do it unless u absolutely have to!! took us 6 weeks to get processed and nearly missed the deadline for my kids scholarships
UPDATE: We got it working! For anyone facing the same issue, here's what solved it for us: 1. We cleared browser cache/cookies on both computers 2. I created a Gmail account instead of using Outlook 3. We made sure my name format exactly matched my tax documents (included middle initial only, not full middle name) 4. My daughter logged out and back into her FAFSA account completely After doing all this, the invitation came through immediately and I was able to complete my portion. Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions! The new FAFSA system definitely still has some serious bugs to work out.
Thank you for coming back and sharing what worked! This will definitely help other families facing the same issue. I'm going to share these steps with some of my students' parents who are still struggling with the contributor invitations.
congrats!! glad u didn't have to do the stupid paper form
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my kids fafsa got processed but then we got selected for verification and had to upload tax stuff now were waiting again its so frustrating
UPDATE: We figured it out! My daughter logged into studentaid.gov and found her SAI score right on her dashboard under 'Your FAFSA Status.' We also confirmed which schools received her information. Turns out she was confused about the difference between the FAFSA results and actual financial aid award letters from schools (which will come separately). For anyone else with this issue - definitely have your student check their actual account rather than waiting for emails. Thanks everyone for your help!
Great news! And yes, that's the most common confusion - the FAFSA itself doesn't award money, it just provides the SAI that schools use to create their own aid packages. Glad you got it sorted out!
thx for the update! this helped me figure out what my daughter needed to look for too!
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has anyone here had experience with whether this affects parent contribution expectations? i'm wondering because graduate students are automatically independent on FAFSA but if she's still technically working on undergrad degree does that mean we still have to provide our info?
Great question! If she's classified as a graduate student for FAFSA purposes, she's automatically considered independent regardless of when the bachelor's degree is actually conferred. That means parent information isn't required for the FAFSA. However, some graduate programs still request parent information for institutional aid through the CSS Profile, even though it's not needed for federal aid purposes.
One more important point: Make sure you complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA instead of the 2024-2025 form if you're applying for aid for next academic year. With all the FAFSA changes and the new SAI calculation, many families are filling out the wrong year's form, especially since the new one was delayed. The 2025-2026 FAFSA is the one that requires the new FSA ID verification process for both student and contributors.
That's a really good reminder! We definitely need the 2025-2026 form. We've already gone through the FSA ID verification process, but it was confusing with the new contributor requirements. Is there a specific section on that form where we need to indicate her graduate status?
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Is one of ur kids a dependent and the other independent? That would make a HUGE difference in what gets asked. Or maybe one is getting grants and the other just loans? The requirements are totally different for differnt types of aid!!!
Both are definitely dependents - they live with us when not at college and we provide more than half their support. I think from what others have said, it's just that income threshold that's making the difference. It's nice to know it's not a glitch at least!
In my experience working with financial aid offices, this is completely normal. The Department of Education uses what's called "targeted verification" to reduce paperwork burden. Prior to 2022, they verified about 30% of all FAFSA applications randomly, but now they're more selective and focus on applications where the student's income might significantly impact the aid calculation. That's why there's that approximately $4,200 threshold others have mentioned. Your son was just above it, your daughter just below. One important note: make sure you keep all tax documents for BOTH children readily available. Sometimes they request additional verification later in the process, especially if there are any corrections made to the application.
Thank you for that advice! I'll definitely keep both kids' tax documents handy just in case. Better to be prepared than scrambling later. This targeted verification approach makes a lot of sense when explained this way.
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My daughter's university financial aid office actually recommended requesting exactly the Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any other aid received. The COA already includes estimates for books, supplies, personal expenses, etc. You can find the official COA on your school's financial aid website. This prevents overborrowing while ensuring all legitimate educational expenses are covered.
That makes a lot of sense. I just checked and her school's COA is $32,600, which includes about $2,800 for books/supplies and $3,400 for miscellaneous personal expenses. Her scholarships and direct loans total $14,200, so maybe I should request around $18,400? That seems more reasonable than just guessing.
Exactly! The COA is carefully calculated by the school to represent a realistic budget. Just be aware that some schools inflate their miscellaneous/personal expense categories, so you might want to look at the breakdown and decide if you need the full amount.
when i got parent plus loans for my twins the extra money went to THEM not me even tho i checked the box for it to come to me!!!! the school said once the money hits their student accounts its legally theirs or something. now im paying interest on money they spent on who knows what 🤬
This sounds unusual. By federal regulation, Parent Plus loan refunds should go to the parent unless the parent specifically authorizes the refund to go to the student. I'd suggest contacting the Federal Student Aid office to discuss this situation, as the school may have made an error in their refund processing.
Giovanni Martello
To clarify some confusion in this thread: You should absolutely notify your school's financial aid office about your status change. They will guide you through their specific process. Most schools have a formal procedure for mid-year status changes. Regarding the FAFSA itself: 1. You don't need to submit a brand new FAFSA application mid-year 2. In most cases, you should submit a FAFSA correction to update your grade level 3. Your school may submit this update on your behalf, but confirm this with them Also important: The financial aid award you receive as a graduate student will be calculated differently than undergraduate aid. Graduate students qualify for up to $20,500 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans annually (higher than undergrad limits), but as you noted, grad students don't qualify for Pell Grants.
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Grant Vikers
•wait is that true about the $20,500?? thats way better than what i got as an undergrad!
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Amaya Watson
Update for anyone who finds this thread later: I finally spoke with my financial aid office today. They were actually super helpful! For anyone in this situation, here's what I learned: 1. I DID need to submit a special form through my university (it was called "Change in Academic Program/Level" form) 2. I did NOT need to update my FAFSA directly - the school handles that reporting 3. They will recalculate my aid package for spring semester based on graduate student eligibility 4. There will be a 2-3 week processing period before I see my updated aid package 5. My loan limits will actually increase as a grad student, but I'll no longer be eligible for subsidized loans Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! The most important thing is definitely to contact your school's financial aid office directly since it seems like every school handles this differently.
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Savannah Weiner
•nice! glad it worked out 4 u!
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Christian Arauz
•@Amaya Watson assuming you had an undergraduate loan previously, and the graduate loan goes up to 20,500. What was the increase? Was it like 20,500 - previous loan awarded?
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