I'm actually going through something very similar right now! My son's FAFSA was delayed until just last week, and we're now comparing offers that came in way after the May 1 deadline. The stress is real! Before making any decisions, I'd definitely recommend calling Lakeside's financial aid office first like Kennedy suggested. We tried this approach with my son's first choice school and while they couldn't match the competing offer completely, they did increase his aid by $3,500/year which made the decision easier. If you do end up switching, just make sure to get everything in writing - both the withdrawal confirmation from Lakeside and the acceptance confirmation from Mountainview. The whole FAFSA delay situation has been such a nightmare for so many families this year, but schools seem to be more understanding about late changes because of it. Good luck with whatever you decide! That $14k/year difference is definitely worth pursuing.

This situation is exactly why the FAFSA delays have been so frustrating for families this year! You're definitely not alone - I've seen so many posts about people having to make decisions with incomplete financial information. A few thoughts from someone who went through college applications with my daughter last year (pre-FAFSA disaster): 1. Definitely try the negotiation route first as others mentioned - bring Mountainview's offer to Lakeside and see if they can bridge some of that gap 2. If you do switch, make sure your daughter understands she'll likely be at the back of the line for housing, meal plans, orientation sessions, and course registration 3. $14k/year is $56k over four years - that's life-changing money and worth the hassle of switching even if it's stressful right now One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure to check if there are any additional fees or requirements at Mountainview that weren't included in their initial offer. Sometimes schools will have mandatory fees, technology costs, or program-specific expenses that don't show up in the basic financial aid package. You're being a great advocate for your daughter by pursuing this. The whole system is broken right now, but you're working within it to get the best outcome for your family!

As a new parent going through this process, I can't thank you enough for sharing this solution! I've been banging my head against the wall for the past two weeks trying to create my FSA ID as a contributor. The "limited account" error was driving me absolutely crazy, especially since the FSA website gives zero helpful guidance on what that actually means or how to fix it. Just tried incognito mode after reading your post and it worked immediately! I'm honestly shocked that such a simple browser setting was the solution after all the technical troubleshooting I attempted. This whole new contributor system has been such a learning curve. Between figuring out who needs to be a contributor, understanding the new SAI calculations, and now dealing with these technical glitches, the 2025-2026 FAFSA feels like it was designed to be as confusing as possible. I really hope they get these bugs worked out soon because I can't imagine how many families are getting stuck on these same issues. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience - you probably just saved hundreds of other parents from weeks of frustration!

This is incredibly helpful - thank you for sharing! I'm a first-time FAFSA parent and have been struggling with the exact same "limited account" error for my husband's FSA ID for over a week now. I tried everything I could think of - different browsers, clearing cookies, waiting between attempts - but never thought to try incognito mode. The timing of your post is perfect because I was literally about to give up and try calling FSA again (which has been a nightmare in itself). Going to try this right now! It's so frustrating that these technical issues are so common with the new system. You'd think after all the delays with the 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout, they would have worked out these basic browser compatibility problems. The lack of clear error messaging makes it even worse - "limited account" tells us absolutely nothing about what's actually wrong or how to fix it. Fingers crossed this works for us too! Will report back if successful.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how helpful this entire thread has been! I'm in almost the exact same situation - submitted my daughter's FAFSA about 5 days ago and have been anxiously checking the dashboard daily. Reading everyone's experiences has really put my mind at ease. It's clear that the one-week timeline is completely normal and that the dashboard is typically the last thing to update. I especially appreciate the practical tips like setting up email notifications, contacting college financial aid offices directly, and switching to weekly check-ins instead of daily refreshing. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - it's so reassuring to know this anxiety is normal and that we're actually on track!

As someone new to this community and the FAFSA process, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! My family is in a similar boat - we submitted our FAFSA about 6 days ago and I've been checking the dashboard obsessively. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring. I had no idea that the dashboard was typically the last thing to update, or that the SAI score comes via email rather than showing up on the dashboard. The timeline insights from everyone (3-5 business days for processing, up to 2+ weeks for dashboard updates) really help set proper expectations. I'm definitely going to stop the daily checking and follow the advice about contacting our target schools' financial aid offices directly. It's such a relief to know that one week with no updates is completely normal during this busy season!

New member here and this thread has been a lifesaver! My PA grant has been stuck in draft status for about 5 weeks now and I was starting to really worry that I'd messed something up on my application. Reading through everyone's experiences and timelines has been so reassuring - I had no idea that the FAFSA Simplification Act was causing these widespread delays with PHEAA processing. @Morita Montoya your insider perspective about the batch processing and 6-8 week timeline really helps set realistic expectations. I'm definitely going to use that PHEAA calculator while I wait instead of just stressing about the unknown. It's amazing how helpful this community is for getting actual answers about what's happening behind the scenes. Hopefully all of our applications start moving through the system soon!

Just joined this community and wow, what a relief to find this thread! I'm also dealing with PA grant delays - mine has been stuck in draft status for about 6 weeks now. I was honestly starting to panic thinking I had made some error on my application or missed a required step. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring and informative. The explanation about PHEAA adjusting their systems due to the FAFSA Simplification Act makes so much sense now - I had no idea that was causing all these processing delays. @Morita Montoya thank you for that detailed insider perspective about the batch processing and timeline expectations, it really helps to know what's actually happening behind the scenes. I'm definitely going to try that PHEAA calculator while I wait instead of just stressing about the unknown. It's amazing how helpful and supportive this community is for getting real answers when the official channels are so hard to reach. Fingers crossed all our applications start moving through the system soon!

I just went through this exact same situation two months ago! I accidentally reported my entire 403b balance (around $45k) in the investments section and was absolutely mortified when I realized my mistake. The panic is so real, but I promise you're going to be okay! I submitted my correction through studentaid.gov just like Sara described, and it processed in about 4 days. My daughter's SAI dropped significantly once the correction went through - I think it was almost $3,000 lower! The financial aid offices at her schools were super understanding when I called to explain, and one advisor even told me they see this mistake "at least 5 times a week during FAFSA season." Your quick action is exactly what matters most here. The fact that you caught it this early means you'll have plenty of time to get everything straightened out before aid packages are finalized. Hang in there!

I'm so glad you found this community and got such helpful advice! As someone who's been through the college financial aid process twice now (older kids), I can tell you that FAFSA mistakes like this are incredibly common and the system is really designed to handle corrections smoothly. What you did - catching the error quickly and submitting the correction right away - is exactly the right approach. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to bookmark the studentaid.gov page where you can check your SAI score. Once your correction processes, you'll be able to see the updated number and confirm everything went through properly. Also, don't be surprised if you get emails from some of your daughter's schools asking for verification documents later in the process - this is totally normal and not related to your correction. You should be really proud of how quickly you identified and fixed this. Your daughter is lucky to have such an attentive parent advocating for her financial aid! Everything is going to work out just fine.