Hey Alina! Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who works in higher ed. Your SAI of 4328 is definitely in the range where you should see some good financial aid offers! One thing I'd recommend is keeping a simple spreadsheet or document to track when you submitted your FAFSA to each school and when you receive aid packages back - it'll help you stay organized and follow up if needed. Also, don't stress too much about the number itself - what really matters is how each individual school interprets it. I've seen students with similar SAIs get vastly different packages depending on the school's endowment, their aid policies, and even what major you're pursuing (some schools offer extra aid for STEM fields, etc.). Since you're first-gen, I'd also suggest looking into whether your schools have any special first-generation student programs or scholarships - many colleges are actively trying to support first-gen students and may have additional funding sources beyond just the standard need-based aid. You've got this!

Hi Alina! Congratulations on completing your FAFSA and getting your SAI - that's a huge milestone! As a fellow community member who's been through this process, I wanted to chime in with some encouragement and a few practical tips. Your SAI of 4328 is actually quite good for financial aid purposes - it's low enough that you should qualify for federal Pell Grants (typically for SAIs under $7,400) and substantial need-based aid from most schools. The great news is you don't need to do anything with that number yourself - it's already been sent to all the schools you listed on your FAFSA. A couple of things that might help while you wait for your aid packages: 1) Set up your student portals at each school if you haven't already - that's where they'll post your financial aid letters, 2) Keep checking your email and FAFSA portal for any verification requests (totally normal if selected), and 3) Don't be afraid to call the financial aid offices if you have questions once you get your packages. Being first-gen can make this feel overwhelming, but you're asking all the right questions and you're definitely on the right track. The hardest part is behind you - now it's just waiting for those aid offers to come in! You should start seeing them soon, typically by early April for most schools.

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to jump in and say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm in almost the exact same situation as the original poster - my daughter is a high school senior who will likely qualify for Hope Scholarship at a Georgia university, and I was completely prepared to skip FAFSA since we don't expect to qualify for need-based aid. Reading through everyone's real experiences has been such an eye-opener. The stories about missed departmental scholarships, housing registration issues, athletic scholarship compliance requirements, and even work-study job complications are exactly the kind of practical details you just don't find in official college guides. These are the "gotchas" that can really impact students in unexpected ways. What really convinced me was the combination of Noah's point about professional judgment reviews for unexpected financial changes and Freya's insight about graduate school FAFSA history. It's clear that filing FAFSA opens doors you might not even know exist, both now and in the future. With the new simplified form only taking 30 minutes, there's really no downside to completing it. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - both the success stories and the cautionary tales. This thread has probably saved several families from making costly mistakes!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly informative discussion! I'm in a very similar situation with my son who's a high school senior planning to attend Georgia Southern with Hope Scholarship, and I was absolutely planning to skip FAFSA since we don't expect to qualify for need-based aid. This thread has been a complete game-changer for my thinking. The real-world examples shared here - missed departmental scholarships, housing registration roadblocks, athletic compliance issues, work-study complications - are exactly the practical details that official financial aid websites don't spell out clearly. These are the "hidden requirements" that can really catch families off guard. What particularly resonated with me was the insurance aspect that several people mentioned. Between Noah's point about professional judgment reviews for unexpected financial changes and Freya's insight about graduate school FAFSA history, it's clear that filing now keeps doors open for situations we might not even anticipate. The fact that the new streamlined FAFSA only takes 30 minutes makes this decision easy. Thank you to everyone who shared both their success stories and cautionary tales - this community wisdom is invaluable for families navigating college planning for the first time!

Hey Ethan! New to the community but wanted to share something that just helped me get through to financial aid after weeks of trying. I had a similar SAI (8650) and was getting nowhere with the usual contact methods. What finally worked was reaching out through my school's student success center - they have direct lines to financial aid counselors and can often schedule you for a callback within 24-48 hours. Also, if your school has a financial aid workshop or "FAFSA help session" coming up, those are goldmines for getting real answers about SAI thresholds and aid eligibility. The staff there can often give you school-specific ranges that aren't published anywhere online. With your 8900 SAI, you're definitely in the ballpark for aid based on what everyone's sharing here - don't give up! The new FAFSA system has been a disaster for everyone, but it sounds like you're on the right track.

Hey Ethan! New member here but I wanted to jump in since I'm in almost the exact same situation - just got my SAI of 8800 and have been struggling to get through to my financial aid office too. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful! I'm definitely going to try the early morning call strategy and the student success center approach that others mentioned. One thing I discovered yesterday that might help you too - my school has a "Financial Aid Calculator" buried in their student portal that uses your actual SAI to give estimated aid amounts. It's not official but gave me a rough idea of what to expect. Also, someone mentioned checking for separate work-study applications - I found mine hidden under "Student Employment" rather than "Financial Aid" on my school's website. With your 8900 SAI, it sounds like you have a really good shot at subsidized loans based on everyone's experiences here. Hang in there - this whole process is so stressful but it sounds like we're both in promising ranges!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and currently going through this same process with my daughter. Her FAFSA was processed about a week ago and I've been feeling so lost about what comes next, but this thread has been absolutely incredible! I've learned more here in the past hour than I did from days of trying to navigate the official websites. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - I was starting to panic that we were missing something critical, but now I understand that waiting 1-3 weeks for the PHEAA email is completely normal given all the delays this year. I've already started implementing the great advice I've found here: added "no-reply@pheaa.org" to my safe senders, double-checked that we listed PA correctly as her state of residence, and created a folder to keep all our documentation organized. One thing I'm wondering about - has anyone dealt with the situation where your student applied to both public and private Pennsylvania schools? I'm curious if the PHEAA grant amounts differ significantly between the two types of institutions, or if there are different application requirements. Thanks so much to everyone who has shared their real experiences and practical tips - you've made this overwhelming process feel so much more manageable for families like mine who are navigating it for the first time!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just went through this exact same situation with my son last month. His FAFSA was processed and we waited about 10 days before getting the PHEAA email - definitely check your spam folder daily! One thing I learned that might help: if you're really anxious about the timing, you can actually create an account on pheaa.org using your son's social security number and the same email from the FAFSA. Sometimes the state grant application becomes available there even before you get the official email notification. Also, make sure to complete the application as soon as possible once you get access - I discovered that some schools really do award state grant funding on a first-come basis after eligibility is determined. The whole process took about 3 weeks total from FAFSA processing to receiving our PHEAA award notification. Hang in there - the waiting is nerve-wracking but it does all come together!

This entire discussion has been incredibly valuable for expat families! As someone who went through this process last year while living in the UAE, I can confirm that everything shared here aligns with what we experienced. The key really is understanding that FAFSA wants your legal domicile (where you maintain voting, tax filing, banking ties) rather than your physical residence. We used our home state address in Virginia and had no issues with aid processing. One additional tip I'd add is to save screenshots or print copies of your completed FAFSA submission - if you do get selected for verification, having that original submission handy along with your supporting documents makes the process much smoother. Also, don't stress too much about verification if it happens - the financial aid offices we worked with were very understanding about expat situations and just needed to confirm our documentation matched what we submitted. It's clear from this thread that these situations are becoming much more common, which hopefully means better official guidance from the Department of Education in the future!

As someone new to this community and facing a similar expat situation, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! My family is currently living in Switzerland for my partner's work, and I was completely panicking about how to handle the FAFSA for our daughter's college applications next year. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - especially understanding that using our legal domicile address (where we maintain our Massachusetts voting registration, tax filing, and banking) is not only acceptable but actually the correct approach according to Department of Education guidance. The distinction between legal domicile vs. physical residence finally makes sense to me now. What really stands out is how consistent everyone's advice has been about maintaining alignment between your state tax filing and FAFSA state selection. We've been filing Massachusetts taxes throughout our time overseas, so that gives me confidence we're on the right track. Thank you to everyone who shared their verification experiences too - it's reassuring to know that even if selected, having organized documentation of your US ties makes the process manageable. This thread should honestly be pinned as a resource for expat families navigating FAFSA requirements!