Your SAI of 7985 is actually really promising for financial aid! I'm a recent college grad who had an SAI around 8100 when I applied, so very similar to your situation. With your family's $65k income, you should definitely qualify for some Pell Grant funding - probably in the $2,000-3,500 range - plus subsidized loans where the government covers interest while you're enrolled. The math works in your favor: $22,000 tuition minus your $7,985 SAI equals about $14,015 in demonstrated financial need that could potentially be covered by grants, work-study, and loans. That's actually a pretty solid position! Since you're in Illinois, you absolutely need to look into the MAP Grant program through ISAC - Illinois has some of the most generous state aid in the country, and I know students who got $3,000-5,000 from MAP even with SAIs similar to yours. The state programs often have higher cutoffs than federal aid. Also, don't put all your eggs in one basket with State University. Apply to a few other schools so you can compare financial aid packages - the differences can be huge even with identical FAFSA info. Some schools have way more institutional scholarship money than others. You submitted in October which is fantastic timing for aid allocation. Most schools send packages between March-May, so you should hear back soon. Your numbers actually look quite good for meaningful aid, so try not to stress too much!

Your SAI of 7985 is actually in a really solid range for financial aid! I just went through this exact process last year with my daughter who had a similar SAI and family income situation. With your $65k family income and that SAI, you're definitely looking at some Pell Grant money - probably around $2,500-3,500 - plus subsidized loans. The key calculation is that $22,000 tuition minus your $7,985 SAI gives you about $14,015 in demonstrated financial need that schools can help cover through various aid programs. Since you're in Illinois, you absolutely must look into the MAP Grant program through ISAC - it's one of the best state aid programs in the country and has much more generous SAI cutoffs than federal programs. My daughter qualified for $4,200 from MAP with an SAI similar to yours, which made a huge difference in her final aid package. The fact that you submitted your FAFSA in October puts you in excellent position for aid allocation - most schools prioritize early filers. You should start hearing back from schools between March and May with your official aid packages. Don't forget to apply to multiple schools to compare offers. We were amazed at how different the aid packages were between schools even with identical FAFSA information. Some schools just have way more institutional scholarship money available than others. Your numbers actually look quite promising for getting meaningful financial aid, so try not to stress too much about the process!

This is such an important warning - thank you for sharing! I'm new to this community and honestly had no idea these student loan scams had become this sophisticated. The fact that they had your old address and specific loan details is genuinely terrifying. What really concerns me is how they're specifically targeting those 6-digit verification codes. I never realized that giving out one of those codes would essentially hand over complete access to your account - that's such crucial information for everyone to understand. Those codes are literally proof that YOU are trying to access YOUR account, not something to verify your identity to a random caller. I'm definitely going to follow the advice shared here about treating ANY unsolicited calls about my loans as potential scams and always verifying through official channels myself. The tip about asking for a reference number and calling back is brilliant - it's like a simple test that legitimate reps will pass and scammers will fail. It's really frustrating that EdFinancial is getting "numerous similar reports" but won't provide transparency about potential data breaches. We shouldn't have to become cybersecurity experts just to manage our student loans safely, but clearly that's the reality we're facing. I'm going to enable all security features on my FSA account immediately and look into that verbal password protection you mentioned. Thanks again for taking the time to warn everyone - this kind of community awareness is invaluable for protecting each other from these increasingly sophisticated scams!

This is such a valuable warning - thank you for sharing this with the community! As someone who's new to managing student loans, I honestly had no idea these scams had become so sophisticated. The fact that they had your old address and specific loan details to build credibility is absolutely chilling. What really stands out to me is how they're specifically targeting those 6-digit verification codes. I never realized that giving out one of those codes would essentially be handing over the keys to your entire account - that's such crucial information for everyone to understand. Those codes are literally designed to prove YOU are trying to access YOUR account, not to verify your identity to some random caller. I'm definitely going to follow the advice others have shared here about treating ANY unsolicited calls about my student loans as potential scams and always verifying through official channels myself. The tip about asking for a reference number and calling back is brilliant - it's like a foolproof test that separates legitimate representatives from scammers. It's really concerning that EdFinancial is receiving "numerous similar reports" but won't provide clear information about potential data breaches. We shouldn't have to become cybersecurity experts just to safely manage our student loans, but clearly that's the reality we're facing with these increasingly sophisticated operations. I'm going to enable all the security features on my FSA account immediately and look into that verbal password protection you mentioned. Thanks again for taking the time to warn everyone and for following up with official reports - this kind of community awareness is invaluable for helping all of us stay protected!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in a very similar situation with my twins who are also graduating this spring. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. One thing I wanted to add that I learned recently - make sure to check if your twins' prospective colleges participate in something called "Professional Judgment" reviews. This allows financial aid officers to make adjustments to your aid package based on special circumstances like having multiple children in college, recent job loss, or other financial hardships. As a single parent, this could potentially help you get additional aid beyond what the standard FAFSA calculation provides. Also, I've been researching state-specific programs and found that many states have additional grants for residents attending in-state colleges. Some of these have separate applications with earlier deadlines than FAFSA, so it's worth checking your state's higher education website. The information about twin-specific scholarships was news to me too - I had no idea those existed! Does anyone know of a good database or website that lists these specialty scholarships? I've been using general scholarship search engines but haven't come across any twin-specific ones yet. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. It really helps to know we're not alone in navigating this process!

As a parent who just went through the FAFSA process with twins myself, I completely understand your confusion! The whole system feels overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually pretty straightforward. Everyone here is correct - each twin needs their own separate FAFSA application, but you'll be providing the parent information for both. The key is getting all your FSA IDs set up first (you need one, and each twin needs their own). Make sure you use different email addresses for each FSA ID. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet with all the financial information I'd need (tax returns, bank statements, investment info, etc.) before starting either application. That way I wasn't scrambling to find documents in the middle of the process. For the twin-specific aid, definitely look into your state's grant programs too. Many states have additional funding that stacks on top of federal aid, and some even have specific provisions for families with multiple college students. Also, when your twins are talking to college admissions counselors, make sure they mention having a twin sibling also attending college - sometimes schools will coordinate to offer better aid packages when they know about the family situation. You're not behind at all - many schools accept FAFSA applications well into the spring, so you still have plenty of time to get everything submitted properly!

As someone who's been through multiple FAFSA cycles with changing child support situations, I can definitely confirm this is worth appealing! A few practical tips from my experience: 1. When you contact each school's financial aid office, ask specifically about their "professional judgment" or "special circumstances" process - different schools use different terminology 2. Create a simple timeline document showing when payments stopped with exact dates and amounts 3. Include a brief letter explaining how this impacts your current ability to contribute to college costs 4. Keep copies of everything you submit - you might need to reference it later The appeals are processed individually by each school, so don't get discouraged if responses vary. Some schools are more generous than others, but the loss of nearly $9K in annual income should definitely result in increased aid eligibility. Start with your daughter's top choice school first to get familiar with the process, then use that experience for the other applications. The sooner you start, the better!

I'm new to this community but going through a very similar situation right now! My son's child support from his dad ended in December when he turned 18, and I'm trying to figure out the FAFSA appeal process too. Reading through everyone's responses here has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that child support had such a significant impact on the SAI calculation or that it's weighted differently than regular income. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about contacting each school's financial aid office separately and asking specifically about their "professional judgment" process. It's reassuring to hear from @Luis Johnson that the appeal was worth about $3,200 in additional aid - that would make such a difference for us. I'm also going to start gathering all my documentation now, including the court order showing when payments ended and bank statements. Has anyone had experience appealing at community colleges versus four-year universities? My son applied to both types of schools and I'm wondering if the process differs significantly between them.

I'm another first-time FAFSA parent who just went through this exact same confusion! Just submitted mine this week and I was absolutely panicking when I couldn't find any asset questions. I had spent hours organizing bank statements, 529 balances, investment portfolios - even printed out worksheets to track everything - and then the form just... ended without asking for any of it. I kept going back through each section thinking I must have accidentally skipped something important. What made it worse was that every prep resource I used emphasized asset reporting as a major component. The financial aid presentation at our school district, online guides, even YouTube videos I watched - they all made it sound like documenting assets would be the hardest part. So when those questions never appeared, I genuinely thought I'd somehow accessed an incomplete version of the form or that there was a technical glitch. This thread has been absolutely incredible for confirming that this is completely normal and that our application is actually finished! It's honestly shocking how poorly the Department of Education communicated these massive changes. Thank you to everyone who explained how the new system works - you've saved me from probably calling the financial aid office in a panic. Now I know to prepare for the CSS Profile since my daughter has private schools on her list. At least all that documentation won't go to waste after all!

I'm another newcomer who just experienced this exact same confusion! Just completed my FAFSA submission yesterday and I was absolutely convinced I had somehow broken the website or missed critical sections. I spent months preparing - organized all our 529 statements, investment accounts, calculated home equity, even gathered business valuation documents - and then none of it was requested on the actual form. I kept scrolling back and forth through every page thinking there must be an assets section I accidentally skipped. What really frustrated me was that every single preparation resource I used made asset reporting sound essential. The high school financial aid night, College Board materials, even the FAFSA mobile app tutorial - they all emphasized having comprehensive asset documentation ready. So when the form completed without asking for any of it, I genuinely thought I'd made a major error or accessed the wrong version somehow. This entire thread has been such a relief! Reading through dozens of nearly identical experiences confirms I'm not going crazy and that our application really is complete. It's honestly disappointing that the Department of Education didn't do a better job communicating these fundamental changes - so many parents have been unnecessarily stressed and confused by outdated guidance materials still circulating online. Thanks to everyone who explained how the new income-focused system works and shared CSS Profile preparation tips. My daughter is applying to several private colleges that require it, so all that asset documentation I gathered will finally be useful! This community has provided the clarity that official resources somehow missed entirely.