I went through something very similar with my son two years ago! He had to take a medical leave for mental health reasons after completing his first semester. When we filled out the FAFSA for his return, we listed him as a 1st year student since he only had about 14 credits completed - not enough for sophomore status. The key thing is to match whatever his official academic standing will be according to the registrar's office when he returns. Also, definitely reach out to the financial aid office once you submit the FAFSA to discuss his situation. They were incredibly understanding about my son's circumstances and helped us navigate some additional options we didn't even know existed. It's tough as a parent watching them go through this, but taking time to focus on mental health was the best decision we made. Your daughter is lucky to have such a supportive parent advocating for her!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what I learned when my sister went through a similar situation. She had to take a medical leave during her sophomore year for anxiety issues. When she returned, the financial aid office told us that the FAFSA grade level should always match what the school's registrar has on file - not what you think it should be based on time elapsed. With only 15 credits, your daughter would almost certainly be classified as a freshman (1st year) since most schools require 24-30 credits for sophomore status. One thing that really helped us was emailing the registrar's office directly - they usually respond faster than calling and can confirm her exact academic standing for when she returns. Also, don't forget to ask about any "fresh start" policies your school might have for students returning from medical leave. Some schools don't count grades from before the medical withdrawal in GPA calculations, which can actually be beneficial for scholarship renewals. Hope this helps and sending positive thoughts for your daughter's return to school!

This is absolutely infuriating and unfortunately way too common with FAFSA loan servicers right now. I went through something similar with FedLoan before they transferred my loans to MOHELA. Here's what I learned from my nightmare experience: 1. **Document EVERYTHING** - screenshots of every page, confirmation emails, bank statements, phone call logs with names/times 2. **Use the magic words** - when you call, say "I need to file a Payment Investigation under the Higher Education Act" - this triggers a different process than regular customer service 3. **Escalate immediately** - don't waste time with tier 1 support, ask for a supervisor or complaints department right away 4. **File complaints everywhere** - CFPB, your state attorney general, and the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman (studentaid.gov/ombudsman) The middle initial thing mentioned above is HUGE - I had a similar issue where they had my apartment number wrong and it was causing payment matching failures. Also check if they have the right Social Security number on file. Don't let them gaslight you into thinking this is normal. You have rights as a borrower and they are legally required to properly credit your payments. Keep fighting!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea these payment processing issues were so widespread across all the FAFSA loan servicers! I'm currently in my grace period but about to start repayment with Great Lakes next month, and now I'm terrified the same thing will happen to me. Based on everything I've read here, I'm going to: 1. Take screenshots of EVERY step when I set up my first payment 2. Double-check that all my personal info matches exactly between my bank account and their system (down to middle initials and apartment numbers!) 3. Use one-time payments instead of autopay initially to avoid the processing disconnect issues 4. Keep the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman and CFPB complaint options bookmarked just in case It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to prepare for battle just to make loan payments, but thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions. This community is a lifesaver! @Aisha Abdullah your expertise has been especially valuable - are there any other preventive steps you'd recommend for someone just starting repayment?

I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience! My FAFSA was processed about 2.5 weeks ago, my SAI is around 11,900, and my NJFAMS dashboard is completely empty. I've gotten financial aid packages from two NJ schools but absolutely no mention of state grants anywhere. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is apparently just the normal (painfully slow) HESAA timeline rather than us missing something critical. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like 4-6 weeks after FAFSA processing is typical before anything shows up in NJFAMS. I'm definitely going to hunt for that hidden status checker tool Isaac mentioned and try calling my schools' financial aid offices directly tomorrow. Thanks for posting this question because I was also starting to panic that I'd missed some important deadline or application! We should all keep updating this thread as we find out more information.

I'm in the exact same boat as everyone else here! My FAFSA was processed about 2 weeks ago, SAI is around 10,900, and my NJFAMS dashboard is completely blank too. I've gotten financial aid packages from Rider and Kean but no mention of NJ state grants anywhere. This thread has been incredibly reassuring because I was also convinced I'd messed up somewhere or missed a critical deadline. Based on everyone's experiences, it sounds like we just need to wait another 2-4 weeks for HESAA to catch up. I'm definitely going to try calling my schools' financial aid offices tomorrow and hunt for that hidden status checker tool Isaac mentioned. It's so frustrating that HESAA's system gives us absolutely no indication of what's happening behind the scenes - even a simple "application under review" status would eliminate so much anxiety! Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and timelines.

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I'm blown away by how helpful this thread has been! My daughter is a high school senior and we're just starting our 2025-2026 FAFSA journey. Reading through everyone's experiences with the contributor invitation issues has been both eye-opening and reassuring - it's clear this is a widespread system problem, not something we're doing wrong. I'm definitely saving the "Apply for Aid" > "Complete a FAFSA Form" workaround that seems to be the golden solution here. It's incredible how this one thread has become such a comprehensive resource, with tips ranging from checking browser pop-up blockers to having tax documents ready to avoid timeouts. The support and willingness to share real solutions in this community is amazing - you're all making what feels like an overwhelming process much more manageable for families like mine who are just beginning this journey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their experiences and come back with updates!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! My son is a high school junior, so we'll be facing the FAFSA process next year, and reading through everyone's experiences has given me such valuable insight into what to expect. It's both concerning and reassuring to see how widespread the contributor invitation issues are - concerning because it shows the system has serious usability problems, but reassuring because now I know we won't be alone if we encounter these challenges. I'm definitely bookmarking the "Apply for Aid" > "Complete a FAFSA Form" workaround that worked for so many of you, along with all the other practical tips about browser settings, email matching, and having documents prepared in advance. The level of support and willingness to share real solutions in this community is truly amazing - you're all helping to demystify what seems like such a complex and stressful process for families just starting out. Thank you to everyone who took the time to document their journey and come back with updates!

As someone new to this community and currently navigating my first FAFSA with a complex family situation, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I have twin college sophomores and a high school senior doing early college through our local university (taking 12 credit hours while still in high school). I was definitely going to count all three as "college students" since my high schooler is technically taking a full course load of college classes. But reading through everyone's verification nightmares has been a real eye-opener - especially @Dylan Hughes and @Fatima Al-Sayed's experiences with months-long verification processes. That sounds absolutely brutal when you're already stretched thin financially! The key distinction that finally clicked for me was @Sofia Rodriguez's quote about "at least half-time in a program that leads to a degree or certificate." Even though my daughter is taking 12 credit hours, she's still primarily enrolled as a high school student working toward her diploma, not as a degree-seeking college student. I'm definitely taking @Finley Garrett's advice about documenting my reasoning and printing out those official FAFSA instructions. And knowing about resources like @Ava Thompson's recommendation gives me confidence I can get help if other confusing situations come up. This community is amazing - thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a comprehensive guide for families dealing with concurrent enrollment situations. You've saved me from what could have been a verification nightmare!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to echo everyone's gratitude for this incredibly thorough discussion! I'm currently filling out my first FAFSA with one college freshman and twin high schoolers in our state's dual enrollment program taking college classes at the community college. Like so many others here, I was absolutely planning to count all three as "college students" since the twins are earning college credits. But reading through these verification horror stories has been a real wake-up call - the idea of being stuck in verification for months while trying to manage college expenses is terrifying! @Sofia Rodriguez's official FAFSA language about "at least half-time in a program that leads to a degree or certificate" really crystallized the distinction for me. My twins are definitely still high school students first, even though they're accumulating college credits on the side. I'm immediately implementing @Finley Garrett's advice about printing and highlighting the key FAFSA instructions for my records. And it's reassuring to know about resources like the one @Ava Thompson mentioned if I need to speak with an actual person at FSA. This thread has become such an incredible resource for families navigating concurrent enrollment situations. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and saving newcomers like me from making these costly mistakes!