I went through something very similar with my son two years ago! He had to take a medical leave for mental health reasons after completing his first semester. When we filled out the FAFSA for his return, we listed him as a 1st year student since he only had about 14 credits completed - not enough for sophomore status. The key thing is to match whatever his official academic standing will be according to the registrar's office when he returns. Also, definitely reach out to the financial aid office once you submit the FAFSA to discuss his situation. They were incredibly understanding about my son's circumstances and helped us navigate some additional options we didn't even know existed. It's tough as a parent watching them go through this, but taking time to focus on mental health was the best decision we made. Your daughter is lucky to have such a supportive parent advocating for her!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what I learned when my sister went through a similar situation. She had to take a medical leave during her sophomore year for anxiety issues. When she returned, the financial aid office told us that the FAFSA grade level should always match what the school's registrar has on file - not what you think it should be based on time elapsed. With only 15 credits, your daughter would almost certainly be classified as a freshman (1st year) since most schools require 24-30 credits for sophomore status. One thing that really helped us was emailing the registrar's office directly - they usually respond faster than calling and can confirm her exact academic standing for when she returns. Also, don't forget to ask about any "fresh start" policies your school might have for students returning from medical leave. Some schools don't count grades from before the medical withdrawal in GPA calculations, which can actually be beneficial for scholarship renewals. Hope this helps and sending positive thoughts for your daughter's return to school!

I'm going through the exact same frustrating experience! My FAFSA was processed about 2.5 weeks ago, my SAI is around 11,900, and my NJFAMS dashboard is completely empty. I've gotten financial aid packages from two NJ schools but absolutely no mention of state grants anywhere. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is apparently just the normal (painfully slow) HESAA timeline rather than us missing something critical. Based on what everyone's sharing, it sounds like 4-6 weeks after FAFSA processing is typical before anything shows up in NJFAMS. I'm definitely going to hunt for that hidden status checker tool Isaac mentioned and try calling my schools' financial aid offices directly tomorrow. Thanks for posting this question because I was also starting to panic that I'd missed some important deadline or application! We should all keep updating this thread as we find out more information.

I'm in the exact same boat as everyone else here! My FAFSA was processed about 2 weeks ago, SAI is around 10,900, and my NJFAMS dashboard is completely blank too. I've gotten financial aid packages from Rider and Kean but no mention of NJ state grants anywhere. This thread has been incredibly reassuring because I was also convinced I'd messed up somewhere or missed a critical deadline. Based on everyone's experiences, it sounds like we just need to wait another 2-4 weeks for HESAA to catch up. I'm definitely going to try calling my schools' financial aid offices tomorrow and hunt for that hidden status checker tool Isaac mentioned. It's so frustrating that HESAA's system gives us absolutely no indication of what's happening behind the scenes - even a simple "application under review" status would eliminate so much anxiety! Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and timelines.

I'm having this exact same problem! Been trying to complete my parent contributor section since yesterday morning and keep getting hit with that "system unable to complete action" error. My mom's tax info is super straightforward - just W-2 income, standard deductions, nothing complicated at all. I've tried Chrome, Firefox, even Edge, cleared my cache multiple times, restarted my computer, tried from my phone, and even went to my friend's house to try from their wifi thinking it was my internet connection. Still getting the same error every single time! My school's priority deadline is next Wednesday and I'm honestly starting to panic about missing out on financial aid. This thread is such a lifesaver - it's so relieving to know this is clearly a widespread system issue and not something I'm doing wrong with the data entry. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for everyone. Setting my alarm for 2:45am tonight and crossing my fingers! Also planning to call my financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning to document all these technical difficulties before my deadline. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips - knowing we're all dealing with the same system nightmare together makes me feel so much better! 🤞

I'm experiencing this exact same issue! Been trying to submit my parent contributor section for the past two days and getting that frustrating "system unable to complete action" error every single time. It's such a relief to find this thread and know I'm not going crazy - I was starting to think I had messed up my stepdad's tax information somehow. I've tried Chrome, Firefox, Safari, clearing cache and cookies, restarting my router, even tried from the campus library computers. Nothing works! My school's priority deadline is this Friday and I'm honestly getting pretty stressed about missing out on aid. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful - it's clear this is a widespread system issue affecting tons of people. Definitely going to try the 3am approach that seems to be working for others. Setting my alarm for 2:30am tomorrow morning and keeping my fingers crossed! Also planning to email my financial aid office today with screenshots of all my error messages to document that I've been trying before the deadline. Thanks everyone for posting your experiences and solutions - it really helps to know we're all dealing with the same tech nightmare together! 🤞

I'm a newcomer here but going through the exact same nightmare with Nelnet! Got my first payment demand email three days ago for $412 even though I enrolled in SAVE back in December and my StudentAid.gov clearly shows forbearance status. What's really concerning me is that I'm a single parent making $28,000/year with two kids - there's absolutely no way I should owe anything under SAVE. I literally cannot afford a $400+ payment right now, especially with rent going up next month. Reading all these responses has been both reassuring and infuriating. Reassuring because it's clearly a widespread Nelnet system issue, but infuriating that they're putting so many people through this stress! How is it acceptable for a loan servicer to have such broken systems that they're terrorizing borrowers who are already struggling financially? I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and secure messaging for documentation. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's helping me realize I'm not crazy and this really is just Nelnet being incompetent with their system updates.

I'm new to this community but experiencing the exact same issue! Got a payment notice from Nelnet yesterday for $291 despite being enrolled in SAVE since January and my StudentAid.gov account clearly showing forbearance status. This thread has been incredibly helpful - it's such a relief to know this is a widespread Nelnet system error and not something I did wrong. As someone making $29,500/year as a single person, I should definitely qualify for $0 payments under SAVE, but Nelnet's broken system is causing so much unnecessary panic. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions! I'm planning to try the early morning calling strategy tomorrow and will definitely use their secure messaging system to get written confirmation. It's frustrating that we have to work this hard to get basic confirmation of our correct account status, but at least now I know I'm not alone in this mess. @Jamal Washington - I hope you've been able to get through to them by now! Your income and family situation should absolutely qualify you for $0 payments. Don't let Nelnet's technical incompetence stress you out - you're doing everything right!

I'm a complete newcomer to the FAFSA process and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea about these new requirements for both parents to verify separately when married filing jointly. Reading through everyone's experiences has really helped me understand that this is about identity verification and fraud prevention, not about our tax filing status. The key takeaways I'm getting are: 1) Have my spouse create his FSA ID proactively before any travel, 2) The verification can be done on mobile in 15-20 minutes with just SSN, phone, and email, 3) No financial documents needed since I'll handle that part with our joint return, and 4) Complete it immediately when the email arrives to avoid delays. It's reassuring to know that processing only takes 3-5 days once both parents finish. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that makes navigating these changes so much easier!

I'm just starting my first FAFSA and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had assumed that since my spouse and I file jointly, only one of us would need to handle the FAFSA process. Reading everyone's experiences with the new verification requirements has really helped me understand what we're in for. It sounds like the key is getting my husband's FSA ID set up ahead of time so we're not scrambling when that verification email comes through. One question I have - for those who mentioned the identity verification questions about previous addresses and employment, do they typically ask about both spouses' history or just the person completing the verification? My husband has had several job changes over the past few years and I'm wondering if he should review his employment timeline before starting the process. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that helps make sense of all these new FAFSA changes!