As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful I found this thread! My daughter is a high school senior and we're just starting to navigate the FAFSA and financial aid process for the first time. My son is two years behind her, so reading about everyone's experiences with multiple Parent PLUS loans is exactly what I needed. The information about there being no aggregate limit across children is such a relief - I was genuinely worried we might be limited in how much we could borrow total. And all the practical advice about maintaining good credit, keeping detailed records, and the strategy of potentially having different parents as borrowers is incredibly valuable. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who've been through this process multiple times, do you find that schools are consistent in their financial aid packages year over year? I'm trying to budget for both kids, but I'm not sure if I should expect similar aid amounts each year or if there's typically a lot of variation. Also, has anyone found it helpful to have conversations with the financial aid offices at prospective schools about your family's situation with multiple children? I'm wondering if being upfront about having another child coming through the pipeline might influence how they structure aid packages. Thank you all for sharing such detailed and honest experiences - this community is already proving to be an invaluable resource as we start this journey!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for all the detailed information shared in this thread! My husband and I are just starting to plan for our twins who will be seniors in high school next year, and the Parent PLUS loan process has been really confusing to navigate. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - especially learning definitively that there's no aggregate limit across children for Parent PLUS loans. The strategy about having different parents as borrowers for different children is something we'll definitely consider, given that we'll potentially be applying for two loans in the same year. I'm curious about one aspect I haven't seen discussed much - when you have twins starting college at the same time, do you typically apply for both PLUS loans simultaneously, or is there any advantage to spacing out the applications? I'm wondering about the impact on credit scores from multiple hard inquiries close together, and whether loan servicers treat simultaneous applications any differently. Also, the point about the Student Aid Index being divided when both kids are in college gives me hope that we might qualify for more need-based aid than I initially expected. Has anyone found that schools are generally good about explaining how this works during their financial aid presentations? Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative community - the real-world insights shared here are invaluable for families trying to navigate this complex process!

That's such a smart approach to budgeting! Most financial aid offices do have budgeting resources - when I was starting out, mine had a whole packet with worksheets for tracking expenses and planning out semester costs. They also connected me with a financial literacy counselor who helped me set up a basic budget. Definitely worth asking when you go to pick up your refund check! One thing that really helped me was opening a separate savings account just for my financial aid money, so I wasn't tempted to spend it all at once. You could even set up automatic transfers to move a set amount each month from your "aid account" to your checking account for regular expenses. This way you're less likely to accidentally overspend early in the semester. Sounds like you're already thinking about this way more responsibly than I did my first year!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this process a few times now! The advice about budgeting is spot on - I actually use a simple spreadsheet to track my financial aid spending throughout the semester. One thing I didn't see mentioned yet is that you might want to keep some documentation of your major purchases, especially if they're educational-related. While the IRS generally doesn't require receipts for Pell Grant expenses, having them can be helpful if you ever get audited or need to prove the money was used appropriately. Also, if you're planning to continue school next year, keep in mind that any leftover financial aid money you don't spend this semester won't roll over - it's specific to this academic year. So don't feel like you need to hoard every penny, but definitely be strategic about timing larger purchases!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My daughter's SAI came through about 10 days ago, and I've been checking her student portals obsessively every day. So far only 2 out of 5 schools have updated their systems to show they received the FAFSA data. The waiting is killing me because we really need to see those aid packages to make our final decision. I called one school yesterday and they said they're running about 2-3 weeks behind their normal timeline this year due to all the FAFSA delays and changes. It's reassuring to know we're all in the same boat, but wow is this stressful when you're trying to plan for such a huge financial commitment!

I'm in exactly the same situation! My son's SAI was processed about a week and a half ago, and the waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking. What I've learned from calling a couple of schools is that while they typically receive the FAFSA data within 3-5 days, their internal processing times have been significantly delayed this year due to all the FAFSA changes and the compressed timeline. One admissions counselor told me they're getting a "tsunami" of applications all at once instead of the usual steady flow throughout the year. I've started checking each school's financial aid website for any updates about their specific timelines - a few have posted notices about delays. Also found it helpful to sign up for text alerts from the schools if they offer it, since some are sending updates that way. The uncertainty is definitely the worst part, especially with those May 1st deadlines looming! Hang in there - we're all navigating this together.

Welcome to the FAFSA journey, Dylan! You're smart to be reading through these experiences ahead of time. A few tips that might help when you get there: 1) Take screenshots at each major step, especially after signing, 2) Don't rush through that final confirmation area - look carefully for any submit buttons, 3) Keep your FSA ID info handy in case you need to log back in, and 4) If you get stuck, don't hesitate to reach out here or contact your school's financial aid office directly. The process can definitely feel overwhelming at first, but you've got this! Having this community knowledge beforehand puts you way ahead of where most of us started.

This is such a valuable thread! I'm a parent who went through this exact same nightmare last year with my oldest son's FAFSA. The confusion between "completed" and "submitted" is so real - we also got stuck at that final step and didn't realize there was another button to click after signatures. What made it worse was that the status page kept saying "form started" even though we'd spent hours filling everything out perfectly. I ended up having to drive to his high school and ask the guidance counselor to walk through it with us on their computer. Turned out we missed that final submit button too! For anyone reading this who hasn't started yet: budget extra time for this process and don't assume you're done just because you've signed everything. The interface is genuinely confusing and it's not your fault if you get stuck. So glad Keisha got it resolved and shared the solution!

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can definitely relate to that panic! I made a similar error with my parent's tax information and was terrified it would mess everything up. But honestly, the correction process was much smoother than I expected. Mine processed in about 5 days, and like others mentioned, it didn't reset my application or affect my priority status at schools. The key thing that helped me was emailing my financial aid offices right away - they were super understanding and actually appreciated the heads up. Your $1,400 difference in retirement contributions really shouldn't cause major changes to your SAI, so try not to stress too much. You did the right thing by correcting it quickly rather than letting it slide!

As a newcomer to FAFSA, this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! I just submitted my application last week and have been constantly worried about whether I made any mistakes. Reading everyone's experiences - especially @ec89ffba57e6's successful correction story and the detailed explanations from financial aid professionals like @e44d2afe5238 and @ed15ee67065b - has really calmed my nerves. It's amazing to learn that corrections don't restart the whole process and that schools are generally understanding about these situations. The advice about proactively emailing financial aid offices seems like such a smart approach. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment for people navigating this process for the first time!