I'm an academic advisor at a university, and I can confirm that this is completely normal. Schools receive your FAFSA information, but they only process and award aid if you actually enroll. You don't need to contact the other schools to withdraw your FAFSA - their financial aid offices will simply not process packages for non-enrolled students after their enrollment deadline passes. Focus on making sure State University has all the information they need. Check your student portal or email regularly for any verification requests, as these can delay your aid package if not completed promptly.

Just wanted to add my experience - I was in a similar situation two years ago and listed 6 schools on my FAFSA but only enrolled at one. The other schools did send me financial aid package information for a few months, but once I didn't respond or enroll by their deadlines, they automatically stopped processing anything for me. No action needed on your part! Your aid at State University is completely independent and won't be affected at all. The system is designed to handle this exact scenario since most students apply to multiple schools but only attend one.

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely incredible! I'm just starting this journey with my daughter and reading about @Paloma Clark's "hidden application" nightmare has been both terrifying and educational. I had no idea the system could create applications that are invisible to students - that's such a specific technical failure that would be impossible to troubleshoot without knowing it exists. I'm definitely saving the Claimyr recommendation and making note of that "hidden application" terminology for if we run into issues. It's amazing how everyone came together to help solve such a complex problem, and how @Paloma Clark came back to share the exact solution that worked. This kind of community support makes facing these technical challenges feel so much less daunting. Thank you all for creating such a valuable resource for families navigating these frustrating system glitches!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have discovered this incredibly detailed thread! I'm just beginning the FAFSA process with my first child and honestly had no idea about these kinds of technical nightmares that could completely sabotage an application. Reading through @Paloma Clark's journey with the "hidden application" glitch has been both terrifying and reassuring - it's scary that the system can fail in such invisible ways, but knowing there are specific solutions and terminology that help agents identify the problem gives me hope. I'm definitely bookmarking the Claimyr service and taking detailed notes on all the troubleshooting steps everyone shared. What really stands out to me is how this community rallied together to solve such a complex technical issue, and how @Paloma Clark took the time to come back and share the exact resolution. This kind of collective problem-solving is exactly what we need when dealing with these glitch-prone systems. Thank you to everyone who shared their hard-won knowledge - it could save other families weeks of frustration and missed deadlines!

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm going to wait until my parents file their taxes, then immediately make the correction on studentaid.gov AND contact all my schools to let them know. I'll also check each school's financial aid website to see if they have specific forms for tax updates. Hoping the difference isn't too big from what we estimated!

Great question! I went through this exact same situation last year. Yes, you absolutely should update your FAFSA once your parents file their 2023 taxes. Here's what I learned: Log into studentaid.gov and use the "Make FAFSA Corrections" feature to input the actual tax figures. The system will automatically recalculate your SAI with the real numbers. Also, definitely reach out to each of your schools' financial aid offices proactively - some have their own internal deadlines for tax updates that aren't widely advertised. I'd recommend making the correction within a week of when the taxes are filed to avoid any processing delays that could affect your aid disbursement timing. Keep digital copies of everything in case you need to reference them later!

Great thread! I'm in a similar situation with my son who was accepted to Auburn for Fall 2025. We submitted our FAFSA in early February and just got our SAI last week. His stats are close to your daughter's (3.9 GPA, 1310 SAT) so I'm hoping for something in that $10-11K range based on what others have shared here. One thing I wanted to add - make sure to check if Auburn has any special scholarships for your daughter's intended major. Some departments have additional merit awards that aren't widely advertised. Also, if you're out-of-state, there are sometimes regional scholarships available depending on where you're from. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're trying to compare financial packages from multiple schools! Auburn seems to be one of the slower ones this year, but at least now we know it's partly due to the FAFSA delays affecting everyone.

Just wanted to chime in as another parent going through this process! My daughter was also accepted to Auburn for Fall 2025 with a 3.8 GPA and 1350 SAT. We submitted our FAFSA in January and got our SAI about 10 days ago. She completed the scholarship application in her portal right after reading this thread (thank you Paolo for that crucial info!). I called Auburn's financial aid office yesterday using that Claimyr service someone mentioned and actually got through in about 20 minutes - way better than the 2+ hour holds I've experienced before! The rep told me they're processing scholarship notifications in batches and expect most to go out by mid-to-late March, which is definitely later than usual due to the FAFSA delays. One thing she mentioned that might be helpful - they're prioritizing notifications for students who have both submitted their FAFSA AND completed the scholarship application. So if anyone reading this hasn't done the scholarship app yet, definitely get on that ASAP! Hoping we all hear some good news soon. War Eagle! 🦅

As a parent who just went through this process last year, I can't stress enough how important it is to understand these repayment options upfront! We made the mistake of not requesting deferment initially and were hit with immediate payments we weren't budgeting for. Here's what I learned that might help: You can actually change your repayment plan even after the loan has been disbursed. I called our loan servicer (Nelnet in our case) about 3 months into payments and was able to switch to deferment. The process took about 2 weeks, but it gave us the breathing room we needed. Also, regarding which parent should apply - we went with my husband because his credit score was higher, even though I make slightly more. The approval was instant, whereas when I had tried first, it required additional documentation. Credit score really does make a difference for Parent PLUS loans. One last tip: Keep detailed records of all your communications with the loan servicer. I had to call three times to get consistent information, and having notes from previous calls helped me push back when they gave contradictory advice.

I'm a financial aid advisor and wanted to add some clarity to help reduce the confusion here. The Parent PLUS loan system has three repayment options that you can choose from: 1. **Immediate Standard Repayment**: Payments begin 60 days after the final loan disbursement for the academic year 2. **Deferred Repayment**: No payments required while your student is enrolled at least half-time, plus a 6-month grace period after they graduate or drop below half-time 3. **Interest Payment Option**: Pay only the interest while your student is in school, then begin full payments after the grace period The key point everyone's mentioned is correct - deferment is NOT automatic. You must specifically request it either during the application process or by contacting your loan servicer after approval. Regarding your income question: Your joint income affects your daughter's federal aid eligibility (grants, work-study, etc.) through the FAFSA, but Parent PLUS loan approval is based solely on the applying parent's credit history, not income. The interest rate is fixed at 8.05% for all Parent PLUS borrowers regardless of income or credit score. My recommendation: Call your loan servicer directly (not the school) to request deferment, then consider making voluntary interest payments if your budget allows. This gives you flexibility while preventing your balance from growing significantly over the next four years.