I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Just submitted my FAFSA in February and have been checking my school portal obsessively. Seeing that "Award access not available" message every day has been driving me crazy, especially since I need to make decisions about meal plans and course registration soon. This thread is honestly a godsend - I had no idea the FAFSA changes were causing delays across the board. I was convinced I'd messed something up on my application. The timeline everyone's mentioning about early April gives me something concrete to look forward to instead of just refreshing my portal every few hours. Going to check my to-do list right now and then try to be more patient. Thanks for posting this question - knowing I'm not the only one stressing about this makes such a difference!

This whole thread has been such a relief to read! I'm a sophomore and have been stressing about this exact message for weeks now. My parents keep asking me about my financial aid status and I've been too embarrassed to tell them I have no idea what's happening with my application. Seeing that literally everyone is dealing with this right now makes me feel so much better - I was starting to think maybe I'd forgotten to submit some important document or something. The explanation about the FAFSA changes causing delays everywhere really helps put this in perspective. I think I'm going to follow everyone's advice and check my to-do list first, then call financial aid next week if I still don't have any updates. It's also smart what someone said about calling housing to ask about deadline extensions - I didn't even think about that option! Thanks for asking this question and creating such a helpful discussion for all of us anxious students.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion! I had an AmeriCorps education award from 2021 that I hadn't used yet when I filed my FAFSA last year. I spent way too much time stressing over this question because the wording is so unclear. But everyone here is giving you the right answer - put $0 since you haven't used the award yet and it wasn't reported as income on your 2022 taxes. The field is specifically asking about education benefits that were ALREADY taxed and reported to the IRS, not awards that are just sitting in your account. I wish the FAFSA would just say "Enter the amount of education grants or scholarships that appear as taxable income on line X of your tax return" - that would make it so much clearer! Don't overthink it like I did - you've got the right answer with $0.

I'm also dealing with an unused AmeriCorps education award and this question had me completely stumped! Mine is from NCCC service last year - $6,095 just sitting in my MyAmeriCorps account. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful because I was about to put the full amount thinking that's what they wanted since it specifically mentions AmeriCorps benefits. But now I totally understand that it's ONLY asking about what was actually reported as taxable income on your 2022 tax return. Since I haven't used my award yet and it wasn't on my taxes, I'll definitely put $0. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's such a relief to know so many of us got confused by the same poorly worded question! The FAFSA really needs to make this clearer.

As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I just want to say how incredibly valuable this entire discussion has been! I'm also filling out the FAFSA for the first time with my daughter, and this exact question had me completely stumped. Reading through everyone's experiences and explanations has made it crystal clear that selecting "YES" is the way to go for most families. The points about avoiding registration holds, refund delays, and emergency situations really drove it home for me. I especially appreciated hearing from actual financial aid professionals like @Yara Khoury and @Nina Chan - it's so reassuring to get insider perspectives on how this actually works in practice. @Malik Johnson, thank you for having the courage to ask this question! I'm sure you've helped countless other confused parents who will find this thread through searches. The FAFSA really needs to do a better job explaining these implications upfront instead of leaving families to figure it out on their own. One small thing I'd add for other newcomers: make sure to save/bookmark this discussion! I have a feeling we'll be referencing it again as we navigate through the rest of the financial aid process this year.

As someone who just went through this same exact confusion last week, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly detailed discussion! I was literally about to call my daughter's college financial aid office because the FAFSA wording was so unclear, but this thread has answered every question I had. The overwhelming consensus to select "YES" makes perfect sense now, especially after hearing about all the potential delays and complications with selecting "NO." What really convinced me was hearing from the actual financial aid professionals - knowing that this is just about disbursement efficiency and that we still maintain full visibility through itemized statements puts my mind at ease. @Malik Johnson, you've done such a service to confused parents everywhere by asking this question! I'm sure this thread will help countless families navigating FAFSA for the first time. The whole process is intimidating enough without having to guess what these authorization questions actually mean. For other newcomers finding this thread: definitely select "YES" unless you have very specific reasons to manage the refunds yourself. The convenience and avoiding potential registration issues seems to far outweigh any downsides. This community is amazing for sharing real-world experiences that you just can't get from official FAFSA help resources!

Reading through all these responses has been so educational! I'm in a similar situation where I need to take summer classes, and I had no idea about most of these options like Year-Round Pell or summer-specific institutional grants. One thing I wanted to add that might help others - my academic advisor mentioned that some schools also offer "compressed" summer courses that are shorter but still count as full credit hours. So if you're worried about the intensity of taking 12 credits over a full summer, you might be able to take some 4-week intensive courses mixed with regular 8-week courses to spread out the workload while still maintaining full-time status for aid purposes. Also, for anyone dealing with the timing issue (like calling in late March), I've heard that some schools have a "summer aid appeals process" where you can petition for funding even after regular deadlines if you can demonstrate that summer enrollment is critical for degree completion. It might be worth asking about if you've missed the initial deadlines. Scarlett, definitely call first thing tomorrow and be persistent! This thread shows there are way more funding options than most of us realized. Good luck to everyone navigating this complicated system!

I just wanted to add something that helped me last year when I was in this exact situation! After reading through everyone's amazing advice, I realized there's one more thing that could be really helpful. If you're taking 12 credits in summer and planning to continue full-time in fall, make sure to ask your financial aid office about "enrollment certification" for summer. Some schools require you to verify that you'll be returning in fall before they'll approve certain types of summer aid, especially institutional grants. Also, don't forget to check if any of your 12 summer credits can count toward both your degree requirements AND satisfy any outstanding general education requirements. Sometimes you can kill two birds with one stone, which might open up additional funding categories. One last tip - if you do end up needing to take any loans for summer, ask about the grace period implications. Taking loans in summer can sometimes affect when your grace period starts after graduation, which could impact your post-graduation financial planning. Scarlett, you've got such a solid plan now thanks to everyone's advice! Definitely update us on how your call goes - I'm rooting for you to get that Year-Round Pell and summer-specific grants that others have mentioned. The financial aid system is confusing but this community proves there are always more options than initially apparent. Good luck tomorrow! 🤞

As someone who just joined this community and is completely new to the FAFSA process, I have to say this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm still waiting for my SAI results to come through, but reading about Eduardo's experience and everyone's explanations has already saved me from what would have been major panic when I see that number. The fact that so many people initially thought the SAI was the actual amount they'd pay per semester really shows how poorly this is explained in official materials. I'm definitely going to bookmark all the advice here about net price calculators, aid negotiation, and the difference between grants vs loans. It's amazing how much practical, real-world information you all have shared that I never would have gotten from my school's financial aid presentation. Thank you for making this process feel so much less intimidating for newcomers like me!

Just wanted to chime in as someone new to this community and the whole financial aid process! Reading through this thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea that the SAI was just a starting point rather than an actual bill. Like so many others here, I was completely overwhelmed when I first started researching FAFSA and college costs. The way everyone has broken down the difference between SAI, demonstrated need, and actual out-of-pocket costs is so much clearer than anything I've read in official materials or gotten from school counselors. I'm definitely going to try those net price calculators everyone mentioned - that seems like such a practical way to get realistic estimates before the official aid letters arrive. It's really reassuring to see how many people had similar initial confusion but ended up with manageable costs after everything was sorted out. Thanks for creating such a helpful and welcoming space for those of us trying to navigate this complicated system!