My daughter had this exact problem last semester at State University. Her SAI was around 4500 and she qualified for a decent aid package but it wasn't showing up. Turns out there was a hold on her account because she hadn't submitted her immunization records to health services!! It had NOTHING to do with financial aid but was blocking the disbursement. Check for random administrative holds - housing, library, immunizations, parking tickets, etc.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your help! I found the issue - I never clicked 'accept' on my subsidized loan, only on my Pell Grant. I just accepted it and called the financial aid office. They said it should process within 5 business days and they'll put a note on my account so I don't get charged late fees. Such a relief!!

just my 2 cents but make sure you actually SPEND that money on educational expenses since its a loan... my cousin used his refund for a spring break trip and is rlly regretting it now that he has to pay it all back lol

As someone who just went through this process last semester, I'd definitely recommend getting it switched! I was hesitant at first because I thought it would be complicated, but it was actually pretty straightforward. One thing to keep in mind is that some banks (especially credit unions) might have stricter policies about receiving large deposits from third parties, so you might want to give your bank a heads up that you're expecting a financial aid refund. Also, if you're using a high-yield savings account, definitely check those transaction limits that were mentioned earlier - some accounts limit you to 6 withdrawals per month, which could be annoying if you need to access the money frequently for school expenses.

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others have said - your -1500 SAI is excellent for Pell Grant eligibility! You'll definitely get the maximum award for your enrollment status. One thing I wish I had known earlier: make sure to submit your FAFSA as early as possible each year. Some schools have limited funding for state grants and other aid that's awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, even though Pell Grants are guaranteed federal funding. Also, since you're a first-gen student, check if your school has any additional scholarships or support programs specifically for first-generation college students. Many schools have these programs and they can provide extra financial assistance on top of your Pell Grant. Good luck with your studies! The financial aid process is overwhelming at first, but you're asking all the right questions.

Hi Kristian! Welcome to the community! I'm also navigating FAFSA as a newcomer and your question really helped me understand more about SAI calculations. From reading all the responses here, it sounds like you're in a really good position with that -1500 SAI! I'm curious - when you calculated your SAI, did you use the federal estimator tool or did your school provide that number? I'm still waiting on my official SAR and trying to figure out if the estimator is pretty accurate. Also, have you already been accepted to the school where you're planning to take those 9 credits? I'm wondering about the timing of everything since I'm also planning to start part-time. Thanks for asking such a detailed question - the responses from everyone have been super educational for those of us just starting to figure this all out!

UPDATE: We got it fixed!!! Turns out we HAD been missing that final submission page all along. After both signatures were in, there was one more button to click that we didn't realize was necessary. Just received confirmation that our FAFSA is now processing. Thanks everyone for your help! For anyone else with this issue, make sure you go ALL the way through to the final confirmation page after signing!

Just wanted to add my experience to help others! I'm a parent who just went through this exact same nightmare with my twin daughters' FAFSAs. We were stuck in signature limbo for almost 3 weeks. What finally worked for us was a combination of several suggestions from this thread: used Chrome browser, cleared all cookies, had each daughter sign first on separate days, then I signed 24 hours after the second one. But the KEY thing was making sure we clicked all the way through to get that final confirmation number - not just stopping at the signature confirmation page. It's such a confusing process and the interface doesn't make it clear that you need to keep going after signatures are complete. Really hoping FSA fixes these issues soon because the stress of missing deadlines while dealing with technical glitches is just awful for families already stressed about college costs!

Quick tip for anyone who needs their SAR for scholarship applications: Save it as a PDF once you find it! I learned this the hard way when my son needed to submit his for multiple scholarships, and the system was down for maintenance when the second deadline came around. The new FAFSA system seems to have more maintenance periods than the old one.

This thread is so helpful! I'm a parent going through the FAFSA process for the first time with my oldest, and honestly the new system has been pretty confusing. I was actually wondering - once you get the SAR printed, what specific information from it do most scholarship applications typically ask for? Is it just the SAI number, or do they usually want the whole document? My daughter has several scholarship deadlines coming up and I want to make sure we're prepared with the right paperwork.