One more thought - if he's teaching in a Title I school, he might be eligible for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program for any future education. It provides up to $4,000 per year for teachers who commit to teaching in high-need fields at schools serving low-income students. If he's considering a master's degree to increase his salary, this could help fund it without taking on more loans.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my daughter's Sallie Mae loans, I feel your pain! We managed to get her out by refinancing with SoFi - dropped her rate from 12.8% to 6.2%. The application process was actually pretty straightforward online, and they were transparent about the terms (unlike Sallie Mae's confusing payment allocation games). One thing that really helped was having her gather all her loan documents first - Sallie Mae makes it deliberately hard to get a clear picture of exactly what you owe and at what rates. Export everything into a spreadsheet before shopping around so you can compare offers properly. Also, don't let them pressure you into forbearance or deferment - that just capitalizes more interest. Keep making those payments while you shop for refinancing options. Your son's teaching job actually works in his favor for refinancing since it's stable employment. Good luck!

Thank you all for the advice! I'm definitely convinced to tackle the Sallie Mae loans first while keeping my federal loans on an income-driven plan. I'll check out the SAVE program on StudentAid.gov and see if I can get my private loans refinanced to a lower rate. Such a relief to have a clear plan now!

Smart decision, Emma! You've got a solid plan. One more tip since you mentioned refinancing - shop around with multiple lenders (SoFi, Earnest, CommonBond, etc.) as they all have different qualification criteria and rates. Some will give you rate quotes without a hard credit pull initially. Also, make sure to apply for refinancing soon after you start your new job - lenders like to see stable employment history. Good luck with your new career and tackling those loans!

UPDATE: I was able to coordinate with my daughter and she logged in during her lunch break. The SAI was indeed only visible on her account (under the Student Aid Report section). She set me up as an authorized user but that still didn't give me access to see the SAI directly - she had to download the report and send it to me. For anyone else looking: The SAI appears as a number on the Student Aid Report (SAR). In our case, it was much lower than I expected based on our income, which is actually good news for aid purposes! Thanks everyone for your help.

Great to see you got it sorted out! Just wanted to add for future reference - the SAI can actually change if there are any corrections made to the FAFSA, so it's worth having your daughter check it periodically, especially if any of your financial information changes. Also, keep that SAR document safe - some schools might ask for a copy of it during their financial aid verification process. The lower SAI is definitely good news for potential aid eligibility!

did any1 else's parents get super weird about the CSS profile questions? like my mom freaked out when they asked about her retirement accounts lol

Just wanted to add my experience here - I was in the exact same boat last year! I panicked thinking the CSS Profile would hurt my chances because it shows so much more detail about our finances. But honestly, it ended up helping me get MORE aid at my private colleges. The key thing everyone's saying is right - you NEED both forms. FAFSA gets you federal aid (which is huge - Pell Grants, subsidized loans, etc.) and CSS Profile helps private schools give you their institutional money. Don't worry about being "too transparent" - financial aid offices want to help students who need aid. The extra info in CSS Profile can actually work in your favor if you have special circumstances. I got much better packages from schools that used CSS Profile than from ones that only used FAFSA. Get that FAFSA done ASAP though! You're missing out on potentially thousands in federal aid without it.

To summarize the advice so far: 1. Having schools on FAFSA is good, but you need to contact each financial aid office for their specific policies 2. Enrollment generally happens when you pay a deposit AND register for classes 3. Consider requesting single-semester financial aid if possible 4. Gather all academic records now (transcripts, syllabi, course descriptions) 5. Understand the difference between closed school discharge (loans forgiven but credits lost) vs. transferring credits (keep credits but also keep loans) 6. Ask about mid-year transfer aid availability specifically 7. If needed, look into consortium agreements for potential transition periods The most important thing is open communication with all financial aid offices involved. Don't just rely on general information - get specific answers for your situation.

One additional thing to consider - if your son's university does close, make sure to document the closure date and circumstances. The Department of Education requires specific documentation for closed school discharge eligibility, and schools sometimes try to frame closures as "mergers" or "consolidations" which can affect your discharge options. Also, keep records of any tuition refunds or partial refunds you receive from the current school, as this can impact your financial aid eligibility at transfer schools. The timing of when you apply for aid at potential transfer schools versus when the current school officially closes can make a difference in your aid calculations.