I went through something very similar with my stepson last year. The FAFSA rules around divorced parents are definitely frustrating, but they're based on where the student physically lived the most, not who would provide better aid eligibility. Since your daughter lived with you for the past 4 years, you're the correct parent to include. However, don't lose hope! Here are a few things that helped us: 1. Professional Judgment appeals really do work - we got our EFC reduced by about $3,500 after providing documentation of the non-custodial parent's disability and inability to contribute. 2. Look into your state's grant programs. Some have aid specifically for single parents or families with disabled members that uses different criteria than FAFSA. 3. Check if your daughter qualifies for any scholarships through organizations that support children of disabled parents. The key is being persistent with the financial aid office and providing thorough documentation. Many schools have additional institutional aid they can offer beyond what the initial FAFSA calculation shows. Good luck!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now and wanted to share what I've learned so far. You're absolutely right that the FAFSA rules seem unfair for divorced families - you can't choose which parent to use based on who has lower income, it's strictly based on where your daughter lived most of the time. Since she's lived with you for 4 years, you're locked into using your income. However, I've been researching options and here's what I've found that might help: 1. Definitely pursue the Professional Judgment appeal that others mentioned - gather all documentation about your ex's disability status and inability to contribute 2. Check if your daughter might qualify for Social Security dependent benefits if her father receives SSDI 3. Look into your college's emergency aid funds or hardship grants that aren't tied to FAFSA calculations 4. Research scholarships specifically for children with disabled parents or single-parent households I know it's frustrating when you're carrying the full financial burden alone while the system doesn't account for that reality. But from what I'm reading here, there are definitely additional options beyond the initial aid package. Don't give up!

Quick update for everyone: The Department of Education just posted that they'll be doing system maintenance this weekend specifically to fix this redirect issue. The portal will be down from Friday 10pm to Sunday 6am, and they expect the problem to be resolved after that. So if you can wait a few days, you might not need to call or try workarounds!

Just wanted to add my experience - I had this exact same redirect issue for almost 2 weeks! What finally worked for me was logging out completely, clearing all my browser data (not just cookies but everything), then logging back in and going directly to the "View Your FAFSA" section instead of trying to access through the status dashboard. It took a few tries but eventually I could see my 2024-2025 SAR. Also make sure you're using the FSA ID that you originally used to sign the application - I was accidentally trying to log in with my parent's FSA ID at first which made everything even more confusing. Hope this helps someone!

As someone who went through this nightmare last year, I feel your pain! One thing that helped me was clearing my browser cache completely before trying again. The FAFSA site seems to store corrupted session data sometimes. Also, if you're still having issues, try opening an incognito/private browser window and logging in fresh. Sometimes the site gets confused if you've been going back and forth between sections too many times. The whole system is honestly broken but these little tricks can sometimes unstick things. Hope you got it submitted in time!

Hey Oliver, so glad you got it figured out! This thread is super helpful for anyone else dealing with FAFSA draft issues. I went through something similar last month and it was such a relief when it finally went through. One thing I learned is that the new FAFSA system is way more sensitive about completion requirements than the old one - even tiny things like not scrolling to the bottom of certain pages can sometimes prevent submission. It's also worth noting that if you need to make changes after submitting, you'll have to wait for it to process first (usually 1-3 days) before you can submit corrections. The whole system definitely needs work but at least there are workarounds. Thanks to everyone who shared their troubleshooting tips - this will help so many students!

As a newcomer to FAFSA, this entire thread has been incredibly reassuring! I just submitted my application last week and have been constantly worried about whether I made any mistakes. Reading everyone's experiences - especially @ec89ffba57e6's successful correction story and the detailed explanations from financial aid professionals like @e44d2afe5238 and @ed15ee67065b - has really calmed my nerves. It's amazing to learn that corrections don't restart the whole process and that schools are generally understanding about these situations. The advice about proactively emailing financial aid offices seems like such a smart approach. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment for people navigating this process for the first time!

Just wanted to jump in as another newcomer who found this thread super helpful! I submitted my FAFSA two weeks ago and have been obsessively checking for any mistakes I might have made. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially the successful correction stories and professional advice, has really put my mind at ease. It's so reassuring to know that if I do need to make corrections later, it won't completely derail my financial aid timeline. The tip about emailing schools proactively seems like such valuable advice that I'll definitely keep in mind. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is such a great resource for first-time filers like me!

Welcome to the FAFSA journey, Dylan! You're smart to be reading through these experiences ahead of time. A few tips that might help when you get there: 1) Take screenshots at each major step, especially after signing, 2) Don't rush through that final confirmation area - look carefully for any submit buttons, 3) Keep your FSA ID info handy in case you need to log back in, and 4) If you get stuck, don't hesitate to reach out here or contact your school's financial aid office directly. The process can definitely feel overwhelming at first, but you've got this! Having this community knowledge beforehand puts you way ahead of where most of us started.

This is such a valuable thread! I'm a parent who went through this exact same nightmare last year with my oldest son's FAFSA. The confusion between "completed" and "submitted" is so real - we also got stuck at that final step and didn't realize there was another button to click after signatures. What made it worse was that the status page kept saying "form started" even though we'd spent hours filling everything out perfectly. I ended up having to drive to his high school and ask the guidance counselor to walk through it with us on their computer. Turned out we missed that final submit button too! For anyone reading this who hasn't started yet: budget extra time for this process and don't assume you're done just because you've signed everything. The interface is genuinely confusing and it's not your fault if you get stuck. So glad Keisha got it resolved and shared the solution!