my sai was 0 last year and some schools gave me full rides and others still wanted like $15k!!! makes no sense how they can all see the same number and come up with totally different amounts. the whole system is such a scam tbh

I want to clarify something important about a 0 SAI: While it means maximum federal aid eligibility, it doesn't necessarily mean your Expected Family Contribution is actually $0. The SAI is not the same as the old EFC. Under the new FAFSA formula, an SAI can be as low as -$1,500, but it's reported as 0 (they don't show negative numbers). This means some students with a reported SAI of 0 actually have even higher financial need than others with the same reported number. This can sometimes affect how institutional aid is distributed, as colleges may look at the actual calculation rather than just the reported 0.

Update for everyone dealing with this issue: The Department of Education just announced they're releasing a patch next week to fix this specific parent contributor bug. If you can wait, you might not need both parents to complete sections separately. They're also extending the priority deadline by 10 days for students affected by these technical issues. You can check your student's status by logging into studentaid.gov and viewing the application status page.

As someone who just went through this exact same nightmare last month, I can confirm this is definitely a system glitch. What worked for us was having my spouse create his FSA ID immediately and complete his section the same day - don't wait! The longer you delay, the more likely you'll hit other technical issues. Also, make sure to save/screenshot everything as you go because the system has been known to lose progress. Once both parent sections are submitted, your son's application should process within 2-3 business days. The whole "married filing jointly only needs one parent" rule is supposed to be true, but the current system is buggy enough that it's easier to just work around it than fight it. Good luck!

Update: I finally got through to the financial aid office! For anyone with the same problem: at SUNY Buffalo (and apparently most other SUNY schools), TAP and SUNY Tuition Credit DO automatically accept - they stay in "offered" status until about 3 weeks into the semester when enrollment is confirmed. However, we did have a residency verification hold I didn't know about! They needed my daughter's driver's license info to confirm NY residency. This wasn't showing anywhere obvious in the portal, but the financial aid advisor found it when she looked at our account. Thanks everyone for your help! The advisor also mentioned they're extremely backed up with calls right now, so if anyone else is trying to reach financial aid at any SUNY school, be prepared for long waits.

Thanks for the update! This is super helpful for anyone else dealing with the same issue. The residency verification hold is such a sneaky thing - they really should make those holds more visible in the portal. Glad you got it sorted out! It's crazy how many hidden requirements there are in this process that nobody tells you about upfront.

Thanks everyone for the explanations! This makes WAY more sense now. I'm definitely going to fill out the FAFSA and then carefully look at what each school offers me. I'll make sure to accept the grants and scholarships but be super careful about any loans. And I'll submit early to get the best shot at those grants!

Smart approach! Just to add one more tip - when you get those financial aid award letters, don't feel pressured to accept everything right away. You usually have until May 1st to decide, so take time to compare offers from different schools. Also, if one school offers you mostly loans but another offers more grants, you can sometimes appeal to your preferred school and ask them to match or improve their aid package. Many schools will work with you if you provide documentation of better offers elsewhere. Good luck with your applications!

One more important thing to note: since your daughter has an Associate's degree, her SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) calculation might be different than a traditional first-year student. The good news is that as a transfer student with an Associate's, she might qualify for transfer scholarships that aren't available to freshmen. Make sure she checks with the financial aid office at her new school about any special transfer scholarship opportunities!

I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year! She had her Associate's from community college and was transferring to a 4-year school. The "high school diploma" selection is definitely correct - I made the mistake of overthinking it too and almost selected "some college" which would have been wrong. One tip that helped us: after you submit the FAFSA, download a copy of the Student Aid Report (SAR) when it becomes available. This way you can double-check that all the information processed correctly before the schools receive it. Sometimes there are processing errors that are easier to catch early. Also, don't forget to update her student status to reflect her transfer student level (sounds like she'll be a junior based on the other comments). Good luck with the process!