I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress - the FAFSA delays this year have been absolutely brutal for families trying to make college decisions! I went through something similar with my nephew last year (pre-FAFSA disaster) and here's what we learned: Merit scholarships for incoming freshmen almost never transfer if you do community college first. They're specifically designed to get students to enroll directly. However, I'd strongly recommend calling UConn and asking about: 1. Deferring enrollment for one year while keeping the merit award (some schools allow this) 2. Their specific transfer scholarship amounts - you might be surprised 3. Whether they have guaranteed transfer agreements with local CCs that come with scholarship opportunities Also, don't panic about the $20k gap until you see your full aid package! With a $12,500 merit award plus need-based federal and institutional aid, you might find it's much more affordable than you think. The new SAI calculations are supposed to be more generous for middle-income families. Hang in there - you're being a great advocate for your daughter by getting all the facts before making this huge decision!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My daughter got a $10,000 merit scholarship from her dream school but we're still waiting on our FAFSA after submitting it in January. The not knowing is the worst part - how are we supposed to make such a huge financial decision in the dark? Reading through all these responses has been so helpful. I had no idea that merit scholarships usually don't transfer if you go the community college route first. That's definitely something we need to factor into our decision making process. @Savannah Vin I'm so glad you were able to get through and get some answers! It gives me hope that persistence will pay off. I'm going to try that Claimyr service today - at this point I'm willing to try anything to get someone on the phone who can actually help us. The extended deadline option sounds like a huge relief. I think I'm going to call my daughter's school tomorrow and ask if they're offering the same flexibility. This whole FAFSA rollout has been such a nightmare for families, but it's encouraging to see schools recognizing that and trying to accommodate students who are caught in the middle of it all.

Going through this same process right now with my twin daughters! Just wanted to add that I discovered some schools have a "Net Price Calculator" on their websites that can give you a rough estimate of what your aid package might look like while you're waiting for the official letters. It's not perfect since it's based on general data, but it helped give me a ballpark idea of what to expect from each school. Also, if you haven't already, make sure your daughter has set up her student portal accounts at each school she was accepted to. Sometimes schools post aid information there first before sending emails or letters. I check them every few days just to stay on top of any updates. One more tip - I started a simple calendar reminder system for following up with schools if we haven't heard anything after 4-5 weeks from her acceptance date. That way I don't have to keep track of dates in my head and can proactively reach out if needed. The whole process definitely feels overwhelming when you're going through it for the first time, but everyone here has given such helpful advice! We're all learning together.

I'm going through this exact same process with my daughter right now and was feeling so lost until I found this thread! Her FAFSA was completed about two weeks ago and like you, I kept checking studentaid.gov expecting to see actual dollar amounts somewhere. Reading everyone's responses has been incredibly reassuring - I had no idea that schools create their own aid packages using the SAI rather than us getting a standard amount. I've already started implementing some of the great suggestions here: set up the dedicated email folder, started checking her student portals regularly, and created a tracking spreadsheet with all her schools and acceptance dates. One thing I wanted to add is that I called one of the schools yesterday just to ask about their timeline, and the financial aid officer was so helpful! She explained that they typically send packages 3-4 weeks after receiving the FAFSA data, and she could see that they had received my daughter's information, so we should expect something in the next week or two. It was such a relief to get a concrete timeline instead of just wondering. This whole process is definitely more complex than I expected, but this community has made it so much less stressful. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and tips!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who literally just resolved this exact same issue yesterday! I'm a parent helping my son with his FAFSA and we were stuck in the "missing signatures" loop for over a week. After reading through all these helpful comments, I tried the combination approach: used Chrome browser, cleared cookies completely, had my son sign first, waited 24 hours, then I signed. But the absolute game-changer was realizing we needed to continue clicking through ALL the pages after the signatures - there were actually 3 more screens after the signature confirmation page before we got to the actual final submission with the confirmation number! The FAFSA interface is so misleading because it makes you think you're done after signatures, but you're not. Once we got that final confirmation number and email, our application moved to "processing" status within hours. For anyone still struggling - don't stop at the green checkmarks for signatures, keep clicking "Next" until you see an actual confirmation number on your screen!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions here! I'm starting my son's 2025-2026 FAFSA application next week and was already feeling overwhelmed, but reading through all these detailed troubleshooting steps has given me a roadmap for avoiding this signature issue entirely. The key takeaways I'm noting down: use Chrome browser, clear cookies first, complete ALL screens until I get an actual confirmation number (not just stop at signature confirmations), and if we do get stuck, try the 24-hour signing method or contact FSA directly. It's so reassuring to see a community where parents and students actually help each other navigate these technical nightmares. Hopefully FSA gets their act together soon, but in the meantime, this thread is going to save so many families from weeks of stress!

Hey Natasha! I went through almost the exact same situation last year and wanted to share what actually happened in my case. I had a $6,800 loan for fall/spring, dropped spring classes but kept one 2-credit online course thinking it would help me keep some aid. Unfortunately, the 2 credits didn't maintain half-time status, so I still had to return most of the spring portion through R2T4. What really helped me was creating a spreadsheet to track everything - dates of withdrawal, amount returned, new loan balance, etc. Also, don't be surprised if the whole process takes longer than they initially tell you. Mine took almost 6 weeks to fully resolve, and my account was on hold during that time which stressed me out. One silver lining: the returned amount did reduce my total debt, so when I came back the following year, I actually owed less than I originally thought I would. Just make sure to stay on top of the paperwork and keep calling if things seem to stall out. You've got this!

I'm a financial aid counselor and want to emphasize something that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure to ask about your school's specific "census date" or "freeze date" policies. Some schools have different internal deadlines that can affect your tuition charges separate from the federal R2T4 calculation. For example, you might still owe the school tuition even if the federal government gets most of the loan money back. Also, that $800 class might have its own separate refund policy since it's a shorter term. Get clarity on both the federal loan return AND what you'll personally owe the school - these are two different calculations that students often confuse. The school's business office handles tuition refunds while financial aid handles the R2T4 process.

I just went through this same situation a few months ago! Schools typically receive your FAFSA data within 3-7 business days after you get that processing confirmation email. Since you have 3 weeks until your priority deadline, you should be totally fine timing-wise. Here's what I'd recommend doing to ease your anxiety: 1. Log into your schools' student portals every few days to check for a "FAFSA received" status update 2. Keep your FAFSA confirmation number handy in case you need to reference it 3. If you don't see any updates by next week, give your top choice school a quick call - they can usually tell you right away if they've received your info The wait is definitely nerve-wracking, but you submitted with plenty of time to spare. You've got this! 🙌

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and this thread is SO helpful! I haven't submitted mine yet but now I'm realizing I need to get on it ASAP. My school's priority deadline is March 1st - if I submit this week, do you think that's cutting it too close? From what I'm reading here it sounds like I should be okay but I'm getting pretty nervous about the timing. Also, is there anything I should double-check before submitting to avoid delays? Don't want to end up like some of the horror stories mentioned here!