I'm also new to this community and just experienced this exact same confusion! My son's FAFSA was processed a few days ago and I was getting increasingly worried when I couldn't find any financial aid amounts anywhere on the studentaid.gov site. I kept thinking "What's the point of filling out all this paperwork if it doesn't tell me what we qualify for?" Reading through everyone's explanations here has been such a relief - I finally get that FAFSA is essentially a financial profile that calculates your ability to contribute (the SAI), while each college uses that information to create their own unique aid packages. It's like submitting a job application - your resume gets you in the door, but each employer decides their own salary offer based on their budget and policies. I just found our SAR following Joy's detailed instructions and finally saw our SAI number. The waiting for actual award letters is still stressful, but at least now I know this is how the process is supposed to work rather than thinking something went wrong with our application. This community has been invaluable for understanding what the official website fails to explain clearly. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences - you've helped so many confused families like mine!

I'm also a newcomer here and just went through this exact frustration! My daughter's FAFSA showed "processed" yesterday and I spent the entire evening clicking through every possible section of studentaid.gov looking for our financial aid award amount. I was convinced I was either missing something obvious or that our application had some kind of error. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea that FAFSA only calculates your Student Aid Index and that the actual aid offers come separately from each college. It's like getting your credit score - the score itself doesn't give you money, but lenders use it to decide what they want to offer you individually. I just successfully found our SAR using Joy's step-by-step instructions (thank you!) and finally located our SAI number. While waiting for the college award letters is still anxiety-inducing, at least now I understand this is the normal process rather than thinking something went wrong. This thread should honestly be required reading for anyone submitting FAFSA for the first time! The official website really needs a simple explanation of what happens after processing. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you've saved so many families from this same confusion and stress!

Welcome to the community! You're definitely not starting too late - spring of senior year is actually a perfect time to get these details sorted out before making final enrollment decisions. Many families don't even think about these complexities until much later in the process. From my experience helping families navigate these situations, I'd recommend reaching out to the financial aid office at your daughter's school within the next few weeks. Most schools are used to these types of detailed questions during this time of year as students are making their final decisions. When you call, ask specifically to speak with someone who has experience with dual-degree or accelerated programs. Some schools even have dedicated advisors for non-traditional enrollment patterns. Come prepared with the key questions from this thread - particularly about when exactly her status would change, how it affects her specific aid package, and whether they have any special procedures for students in her situation. The independent status for graduate students can indeed work in your favor if your family income is higher, as it removes parental income from the aid calculation. But as you noted, weigh that against losing access to undergraduate grants like Pell. One tip: ask if they can provide a "what if" analysis showing how her aid package might look in both scenarios. Many schools can run these comparisons to help families make informed decisions. Good luck!

As a newcomer to this community and someone just starting to navigate the financial aid maze for my daughter's potential 4+1 program, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! Reading through everyone's real-world experiences has given me such a clear picture of what we need to prepare for. What really strikes me is how this discussion has evolved into a comprehensive guide that covers not just the basic FAFSA classification question, but all the related implications - from scholarship year limits to tax credits to graduate assistantship opportunities. The collective wisdom here is incredible! I'm particularly grateful for the practical advice about documentation, getting policies in writing, and asking for "what if" analyses. As someone who tends to assume these processes are more straightforward than they actually are, this thread has been a real eye-opener about the importance of institution-specific research and early planning. For any other newcomers reading this: the checklist approach that's emerged from everyone's contributions is pure gold. I'm printing out the key questions and taking them straight to our financial aid meetings. This is exactly why online communities like this are so valuable - you get insights and strategies that you simply can't find in official resources. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and expertise. This thread should be required reading for any family considering accelerated degree programs!

Just wanted to add my experience here - I went through almost the exact same situation two years ago with my father-in-law. We ended up doing the durable power of attorney route and it's been perfect. The bank was super helpful once we brought in the POA documents, and I've been able to handle all his bills and banking without any FAFSA complications for my kids. One tip: make sure to ask the bank specifically about their POA requirements when you call ahead - some want the documents notarized in a certain way or need specific language included. Also, if your mom is still mentally sharp (which it sounds like she is), having her present when you set everything up makes the whole process smoother. The peace of mind knowing I can help him financially without messing up my kids' college aid has been worth every penny we spent on the lawyer!

Great question about timing the bank visit! From my experience, most banks will accept valid POA documents even if the account holder isn't present, but having them there definitely eliminates any potential pushback from bank staff who might be overly cautious. Some tellers or even managers aren't super familiar with POA procedures, so having your mom there to verbally confirm she wants you to have access just removes any doubt. That said, if she has a particularly bad day when you need to use the POA, the legal document should be sufficient on its own - that's the whole point of having it! I'd recommend going on one of her good days for the initial setup, but don't stress too much about future visits. Once you're in their system with POA authority, routine transactions should be smooth sailing.

As another newcomer to this community facing the exact same situation, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly detailed discussion! My daughter will also be 17 when she starts college this fall, and I was honestly feeling pretty panicked about the financial aid process until I found this thread. The practical advice here has been game-changing - especially learning about specialized staff for minor student cases and the flexibility around timing with 18th birthdays. I had no idea that emergency loan programs existed or that you could start the MPN process early to avoid last-minute complications. One additional question I haven't seen addressed - for those who've been through this, did you find any differences in how private vs public schools handle the minor student loan process? We're looking at both types and I'm wondering if one tends to be more streamlined than the other. Also, has anyone had success getting schools to provide more detailed loan information before the official award letters come out? I'm eager to understand our options as early as possible to help with decision-making. Thanks again to this amazing community for sharing such valuable real-world experience!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my perspective as someone currently going through this exact situation! My son will be 17 when he starts college this fall, and this thread has been incredibly enlightening. One thing I discovered that might help others - some schools have online portals where you can view preliminary loan eligibility even before the official award letters are sent. I found this by logging into the student financial services portal at one of our target schools and clicking on "View Aid Estimates." It showed federal loan amounts he'd be eligible for, which helped ease my anxiety about options. Also, I wanted to mention that when I called our state's student aid office, they told me about a program called "College Goal Sunday" - it's a free event where volunteers help families complete FAFSA forms and answer financial aid questions. While we'd already submitted our FAFSA, they said they also do follow-up counseling sessions specifically for families with unique situations like minor students. Might be worth checking if your state has something similar! The reassurance I'm getting from this community has been invaluable. It's such a relief to know we're not alone in navigating these waters, and that there are actually quite a few resources and options available once you know where to look. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so generously!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the changes this year! My daughter is a high school senior and we just got our SAI back - it's around 9,400. I keep reading conflicting information online about whether this is a good number or not, and I have no idea how it compares to the old EFC system since we never went through that. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful though! It sounds like most people are seeing better aid packages with the new SAI system, especially families with multiple kids in college. We only have one going this year, but it's reassuring to hear that the lower numbers generally mean more aid eligibility. Can anyone share what they think a SAI of 9,400 might mean for aid eligibility? I know it varies by school, but I'm just trying to get a general sense of whether we should be optimistic or start preparing for full-pay scenarios. The waiting for actual aid packages is killing me!

I'm jumping in as someone who works at a college financial aid office and wanted to add some reassurance from the institutional perspective! We've been seeing a lot of families with similar SAI drops this year, and in almost every case, students are qualifying for more aid than they would have under the old EFC system. The 4,000 point drop you mentioned is actually quite common for families with two students in college. The new SAI formula handles multiple enrollments differently than the old system, and it's generally working in families' favor. We've had several cases where students who barely qualified for any need-based aid last year are now eligible for substantial grant packages. One thing to keep in mind: while federal aid eligibility is directly tied to your SAI, many schools are also revising their institutional aid formulas to be more generous alongside the new system. At our institution, we've increased our need-based grant funding by about 15% this year specifically to take advantage of the new calculations. My advice would be to wait for the actual aid offers before worrying too much. Based on what I'm seeing across our applicant pool, families are generally very pleasantly surprised by their aid packages this year!