To summarize what everyone has said: 1. Check with HER specific university about how THEY classify students in dual degree programs 2. Verify whether her scholarships have year limits that would affect a 5th year 3. Understand that undergraduate status generally provides more favorable financial aid 4. Be prepared to potentially update her FAFSA mid-year if her status changes 5. Ask about any additional forms like the CSS Profile that might be required Based on my experience in financial aid, I'd recommend having this conversation now rather than waiting until she makes her final decision, as the financial implications might actually influence whether the 5th year makes sense for her.

One more thing to consider that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet - if your daughter is planning to pursue graduate school beyond this accelerated master's program, be aware that some PhD programs or professional schools have specific requirements about how recent your undergraduate degree must be, or they might view accelerated programs differently in their admissions process. Also, from a tax perspective, you'll want to understand how her student status affects your ability to claim education credits like the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which is only available for undergraduate students in their first four years of study. The timing of when her undergraduate status officially ends could impact your tax benefits. I'd suggest adding these questions to your list when you meet with the financial aid office: How will this affect education tax credits? And if she plans further graduate study, how do other institutions typically view students from this type of accelerated program?

Just want to add my experience as another divorced parent who went through this process. My daughter received Excelsior for 2024-2025 and they only used my income (I'm the custodial parent providing majority support). The key things that helped: 1) Make sure your FAFSA is completely accurate about which parent provides support, 2) Have your divorce decree ready that shows custody arrangements, 3) Keep records of any child support payments (or lack thereof). The verification process was lengthy but straightforward once I had all the right paperwork. Also agree with previous comments about contacting the college financial aid office if you get stuck - they were much more helpful than calling HESC directly. Good luck with your daughter's applications!

As a divorced parent who successfully navigated this process two years ago, I can confirm that Excelsior does follow FAFSA rules for determining which parent's income counts. Since you're providing more than 50% of your daughter's financial support, only your income should be considered for the $135,000 cap. However, I'd strongly recommend having ALL your documentation ready before you even start the application - divorce decree, custody agreements, tax returns showing your daughter as your dependent, and any child support records. The verification process can be intense, especially for divorced families, and having everything organized upfront saved me weeks of back-and-forth. Also, don't forget to apply for TAP separately and make sure your daughter understands the post-graduation NY residency requirement. The whole process took about 3-4 months from application to final approval for us, but it was worth it!

Just wanted to add that if you're still getting confusing emails from your school, you can also log into your studentaid.gov account to see exactly what documents you have and haven't completed yet. It gives you a clearer picture than those automated emails that schools send out. Also, don't worry about missing deadlines with the MPN - unlike the FAFSA which has strict deadlines, the MPN doesn't have a deadline because it's only needed IF you decide to accept loans. You can complete it anytime before you actually want to receive loan funds. So definitely take your time, wait for your aid package, and make informed decisions about what you actually need!

I'm a newcomer here and this thread has been SO helpful! I'm in the exact same boat as the original poster - got those confusing MPN emails right after submitting my FAFSA and had no idea what they were for. Reading through everyone's explanations really cleared things up for me. I especially appreciate learning that the MPN is completely separate from the FAFSA parent signature and that it's only needed IF I decide to take loans. My parents were also confused and thought they needed to sign something else. It's reassuring to know I can wait to see my full financial aid package before making any decisions about loans. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's nice to know I'm not the only one who found this process confusing! The tip about checking studentaid.gov instead of relying on those automated school emails is gold.

UPDATE: We figured it out! For anyone facing this issue in the future - the problem was incredibly simple but impossible to guess. My wife's middle name was entered as "Marie" on her Social Security card, but in the FSA ID system it was recorded as just "M" (initial only). Once we tried that variation, everything went through perfectly. Thank you everyone for your suggestions! Special thanks to the person who recommended checking against her SS card formatting - that's what led us to the solution.

Great job troubleshooting this! Your experience highlights exactly why the new FAFSA system can be so frustrating - these minor formatting differences that worked fine in previous years now cause major roadblocks. The fact that your wife's middle name was stored as just "M" instead of "Marie" in the FSA database is a perfect example of how picky the real-time verification has become. I'd definitely recommend that other families screenshot or write down the exact format that works once they get through, because you'll need that same formatting for renewals and any future children going through the process. Thanks for posting the solution - this will help so many other parents who run into the same issue!

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their help! We called the school's financial aid office directly, and they were super understanding. They gave us a two-week extension on their aid deadline and said many students are having FAFSA issues this year. We also discovered we needed to complete the verification process first (thanks @profile2!). Once we submitted the verification documents, the "Make FAFSA Corrections" option appeared within 4 days. We were able to add the school successfully! For anyone else with this problem - definitely contact the school directly AND check if your FAFSA has any pending verification requests or action items.

So glad you got this resolved! This is a perfect example of why it's always worth reaching out to the school's financial aid office directly when you hit roadblocks with the FAFSA system. They deal with these issues constantly and are usually much more helpful than trying to navigate the broken federal system alone. For future reference for anyone reading this thread - always check for those little notification icons or alerts in your FAFSA account. The verification requirements can be easy to miss but they'll completely block your ability to make any changes until resolved. Thanks for posting the update - it'll definitely help other families facing the same situation!