After going through this exact nightmare, I can confirm what others have said - you CANNOT delete a FAFSA application once submitted, but you CAN make unlimited corrections. The fix that finally worked for us was having my son create a completely new FSA ID. Apparently his original one had become corrupted somehow in their system. After creating the new ID and waiting 3 days for processing, we were able to link it to our existing application and finally complete everything. It's an extreme solution but might be worth considering if nothing else works.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - the FAFSA system can be incredibly frustrating! As a newcomer here, I've been reading through everyone's suggestions and they're all really helpful. One thing I'd add that might help: if you do end up calling FSA again, try calling right when they open (8am ET) - I've found the wait times are much shorter then and you're more likely to get someone who isn't rushed. Also, keep a detailed log of every call you make (date, time, representative name if they give it, what they told you to do) because it helps when you have to call back and explain what you've already tried. The technical specialists seem to appreciate when you can show you've already gone through the basic troubleshooting steps. Good luck - you'll get through this!

my daughter just finished college and i wished someone told me to appeal when my income changed! we lost out on so much aid cuz i didnt know about that professional judgmetn thing. also divorce makes fafsa 10x more complicated so dont feel bad for being confused everyone is

As someone who's been through the FAFSA process with multiple kids, I can confirm you did the right thing reporting the full $10K! The instructions are definitely confusing because different aid programs have different rules. One thing I'd add about the Professional Judgment appeal - make sure to submit it as soon as possible. Many schools have deadlines for these appeals, and the earlier you get it in, the better your chances of getting additional aid for the current year. Also, keep copies of everything you submit. For planning ahead with both kids in college next year, your SAI should actually go down significantly just from having two students enrolled simultaneously. The FAFSA formula divides the parent contribution between enrolled students, so even without the income change, you should see better aid packages across the board. Good luck with everything! The first year is definitely the steepest learning curve, but you've got this.

Thanks everyone for the great information. Just to update, I checked with my daughter's financial aid office at her college and they confirmed what most of you said - my IRA rollover does NOT need to be reported as an asset on the FAFSA. Such a relief! They did mention I should double check my tax return to make sure the rollover was properly coded so it doesn't appear as income, but since it was a direct transfer, it should be fine. I really appreciate all the help!

Great to hear you got confirmation from the financial aid office! That's always the best source for peace of mind. For anyone else reading this thread, it's worth noting that while retirement accounts don't count as assets, any distributions you take FROM those accounts (other than rollovers) would count as income on the FAFSA. So if you're retired and taking regular distributions to live on, those would be reported. But sounds like you're all set with just the rollover situation!

I'm going through this EXACT same situation right now with my daughter's Parent PLUS loan! Got the credit approval 10 days ago and have been refreshing the school portal obsessively. Reading through all these comments has been so helpful - I had no idea about the MPN step either! Just completed mine after seeing Sean's breakdown of the 5 steps. One thing I'd add is to screenshot everything from studentaid.gov showing your approval status and completion dates. When I called my daughter's school yesterday, they asked for the specific date I completed each step, and having those screenshots saved me from having to call back. Also, if your son's school uses a third-party billing system (like Nelnet or Flywire), sometimes there's a delay between when the financial aid office processes the loan and when it shows up on the billing portal. Hang in there - it sounds like you're on the right track now that you've got the MPN done!

I'm new here but unfortunately not new to Parent PLUS stress! I went through this exact same situation with my son last year and completely understand your panic. The whole "approved" status is so misleading - it really should say "credit check complete" instead! A few things that helped me: First, make sure you screenshot everything from studentaid.gov showing your completion dates (wish someone had told me this earlier). Second, when you call the financial aid office tomorrow, ask specifically what their federal loan batch processing days are - ours only processed on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which explained some delays. Third, ask them to email you confirmation of any temporary payment hold they put in place - having it in writing really helped my anxiety. The timeline from my experience: 2 days from MPN completion to showing "processing" in the school system, then another 6 business days to actual disbursement. The financial aid counselor told me they see this situation literally every day during enrollment periods and have it down to a science. You're definitely going to be okay - no student loses their spot over Parent PLUS processing when the school can see it's coming through! Keep us posted on how your call goes tomorrow!

As a final note, I'd recommend printing out a copy of your son's official transcript and credit evaluation from his college before filling out the FAFSA. Having documentation of his official credit count and classification can be helpful if any questions arise. The 2025-26 FAFSA will determine his final year of undergraduate aid, so you want to make sure it's processed correctly. Congratulations on his accelerated progress through his degree program!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! My daughter transferred from community college with tons of credits and we've been so confused about grade level classification. From what I've learned, the key is to be consistent between what you put on the FAFSA and what your school has on file. The FAFSA instructions say to use your grade level at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year, so if he'll officially be a senior by credits then, that's what you should select. I'd also suggest keeping records of any conversations you have with the financial aid office about his classification - just in case you need to reference them later. The dual enrollment credit situation is becoming so common that most schools are used to handling these cases now.