Hey Kristin! As someone who just went through this entire process last year, I wanted to jump in and say you're absolutely not alone in feeling confused - the FAFSA system is honestly designed to be as unclear as possible sometimes! Reading through all these amazing responses, I think everyone has covered the main points really well. Your SAI of 3500 is fantastic news - you're definitely going to qualify for substantial aid. I had almost the exact same number and ended up with the full Pell Grant plus additional state aid that made college actually affordable. One small thing I'd add that I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you save/bookmark the direct links to each school's financial aid portal. When things start moving quickly in the spring, you'll want easy access to check for updates without having to navigate through their main websites every time. Also, some schools send important updates through their portals rather than email, so checking them regularly becomes super important. You're being incredibly smart by asking all these questions upfront instead of just hoping everything works out. The waiting period is definitely stressful, but based on your SAI, you're going to have some really good options. Hang in there - it's all going to come together!

Hey Kristin! Welcome to the financial aid journey! As someone who works as a college counselor and helps first-gen students navigate this process all the time, I can tell you that your confusion is completely normal and you're asking exactly the right questions. Your SAI of 3500 is genuinely excellent news - you'll almost certainly qualify for the maximum Pell Grant (around $7,395 for 2025-26). Here's the simple timeline: FAFSA processes → you get SAI notification → schools create individual aid packages → you receive award letters (usually March-May) → you compare and accept/decline specific aid types. One thing I always tell my students: create a simple tracking system now while you wait. List each school, whether they need CSS Profile, their typical aid timeline, and any special requirements. It makes everything much less overwhelming when things start happening quickly in the spring. Also, don't hesitate to call financial aid offices directly with questions - they're used to helping first-gen families and most are genuinely helpful. You're being incredibly proactive by learning about this process early instead of just hoping it works out. With your SAI, you're going to have some great options! Keep us posted on how things develop!

UPDATE: IT WORKED! I followed the advice about checking account roles and discovered I only had "Student" enabled. After adding the "Parent" role, logging out completely, and using the fresh invitation link my son sent, I was able to access his FAFSA as a contributor! Currently finishing up my section now. Thank you all so much for your help!

Great to see this got resolved! This account role issue is definitely something more families need to know about. For anyone else reading this thread who might encounter the same problem, it's worth noting that if you completed college courses even briefly in the past and created an FSA ID, your account defaults to "Student" role only. The system doesn't automatically recognize when you need parent contributor access too. Austin's solution of manually adding the "Parent" role in Account Settings should be the first troubleshooting step for parents who previously attended college themselves. This could save a lot of frustration for other families dealing with the new FAFSA system!

This thread has been a lifesaver! I'm a first-time FAFSA parent and was starting to panic about filling out my daughter's application after hearing horror stories from other parents. Seeing all the practical solutions here - from trying different browsers to checking name formatting against the Social Security card - gives me so much more confidence going into this process. It's also really helpful to know that citizenship verification errors are common glitches rather than actual problems. I'll definitely be using Firefox and having all her documents ready before I start. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and help others navigate this confusing system!

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed experiences and solutions! I'm getting ready to fill out my son's 2025-26 FAFSA and was feeling pretty anxious about it, but this thread has given me a complete game plan. I've already switched to Firefox based on Connor's success, printed out my son's Social Security card to make sure I get the name formatting exactly right, and bookmarked the FSA contact info just in case. It's such a relief to know that citizenship verification errors are system glitches rather than actual problems with our kids' status. The tip about doing it during off-peak hours is brilliant too - I'm planning to tackle it early Saturday morning when the servers are hopefully less busy. This community is amazing for supporting each other through these stressful processes!

You've got a great summary there! One additional tip since you're planning ahead: consider keeping detailed records of any unusual income or expenses in 2024 that might not reflect your typical financial situation. Things like one-time bonuses, job changes, medical expenses, or unemployment can all be documented for potential appeals later if needed. Also, since you mentioned having some flexibility with income timing, remember that the FAFSA looks at Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) from your tax return, so strategies that reduce your AGI (like maximizing 401k contributions, HSA contributions, or traditional IRA contributions in 2024) could be beneficial for aid purposes. Just make sure any financial moves align with your overall financial goals, not just FAFSA optimization!

Great thread! As someone who just went through this process, I wanted to add one more planning consideration: if you're self-employed or have variable income, the prior-prior year system can work either for or against you. Since you're using 2024 taxes for the 2026-2027 FAFSA, if 2024 ends up being a particularly high income year for your business or investments, but you expect 2025-2026 to be more typical, you can always request a professional judgment review from the financial aid office. They can consider more recent income information and adjust your aid package accordingly. The key is having good documentation of the income change and being able to demonstrate that 2024 was an anomaly rather than your new normal income level. This flexibility has helped many families I know get more realistic aid packages!

I'm really sorry you're dealing with this - verification errors causing massive tuition increases are unfortunately way too common. A few additional things to consider: if your daughter took out any private loans for Spring, contact those lenders immediately about the LOA as they may have different policies than federal loans. Also, check if your school participates in the Common Application's Emergency Aid programs - some schools have discretionary funds for situations exactly like this where administrative errors cause financial hardship. One more tip: if you haven't already, request a detailed breakdown of exactly what verification documents they claim were missing and when they were supposedly required. Sometimes schools have internal deadlines that aren't clearly communicated, and getting this information can strengthen your appeal. Document everything and don't let them make this your problem when it's clearly their administrative failure!

As a newcomer here but unfortunately not new to FAFSA nightmares, I wanted to share something that might help with the verification error appeal. When my daughter faced a similar situation, we found that submitting a formal complaint through the Federal Student Aid (FSA) feedback system actually got the school's attention faster than our direct appeals to them. The FSA complaint creates an official record and schools have to respond to federal inquiries more promptly than parent emails. Also, if your daughter qualifies for need-based aid, make sure to ask about the school's emergency loan programs - many have short-term loans specifically for situations where administrative errors cause immediate financial hardship. These can sometimes bridge the gap while you fight the bigger battle. The whole verification system is absolutely broken and puts families through unnecessary stress, but don't give up! Keep escalating and using every resource available.