To follow up on everyone's helpful comments, here's a quick guide for what to do next with your daughter's excellent -690 SAI: 1. Check which of her schools require the CSS Profile and complete it ASAP if needed 2. Contact each school's financial aid office directly to ask about any institutional/merit scholarships she might qualify for (these are separate from need-based aid) 3. When you receive the financial aid award letters, carefully separate them into these categories: - Free money (grants, scholarships) - Student loans (Stafford/Direct loans - these are in the student's name) - Parent loans (PLUS loans - these are in your name) - Work-study (money earned through campus employment) 4. Calculate the true "net cost" by subtracting ONLY the free money from the total cost of attendance 5. Compare these true net costs between schools to make your decision A negative SAI is definitely good news, but staying organized about the next steps is key to maximizing this advantage!

Congratulations on the negative SAI! That's fantastic news for your daughter's financial aid eligibility. As someone who went through this process recently, I want to emphasize what others have said about not making any decisions until you see ALL the award letters side by side. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: create a simple spreadsheet to track each school's offer. List the total cost of attendance, then subtract ONLY the grants and scholarships (free money) to get your true out-of-pocket cost. Don't include loans or work-study in your "aid received" calculations when comparing schools. Also, once you get the award letters, don't be afraid to appeal if the aid seems insufficient. Schools have some flexibility, especially if you can demonstrate special circumstances or if a comparable school offered more aid. With your daughter's -690 SAI, you have strong grounds for requesting maximum assistance. Good luck! This is actually a great position to be in for college affordability.

One more important point: The 2025-2026 FAFSA now uses the SAI (Student Aid Index) instead of the old EFC calculation. This new formula treats some types of income differently, so your family's $95K might result in more aid eligibility than in previous years, especially if you have multiple children in college simultaneously. With the new FAFSA, having multiple students in college doesn't provide as much benefit as it used to, but there are other changes that might help your situation. Definitely complete the form as soon as it's available for the 2025-2026 academic year.

As someone who just went through this process with my nephew, I want to add that timing matters a lot! If your son is planning to start in spring 2025, he needs to file the 2024-2025 FAFSA ASAP since spring semester aid deadlines are coming up fast. Many schools have priority deadlines in early fall for spring aid. Also, since he's been working and filing taxes, make sure he has his 2023 tax return ready for the FAFSA - even though he's dependent, they'll still need his tax info in addition to yours. And don't forget to check if Georgia has any state-specific deadlines that are earlier than the federal ones! One last tip: if money is really tight, he might want to consider starting part-time while still working. Many technical programs offer evening or weekend classes specifically for working adults, and he can still get partial Pell Grant funding for part-time enrollment.

If you get selected for verification, don't panic - it's routine for about a third of applicants. You'll need to provide documentation supporting the information on your FAFSA, typically: - Tax return transcripts from the IRS - W-2 forms - Documentation of untaxed income - Verification of household size The most important thing is responding quickly and thoroughly. Missing verification deadlines can result in loss of aid eligibility. Each school handles verification differently, so follow their specific instructions carefully.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact same process last year! That "Paperwork Processed" message is definitely exciting but I totally get the confusion about what comes next. One thing I wish I had known - even though your FAFSA gets sent to schools automatically, I'd recommend creating accounts on each school's financial aid portal if you haven't already. That way you can track when they actually receive and process your info on their end. Some schools are super quick (got my aid package in 2 weeks) while others took over a month. Also keep checking your spam folder - I almost missed an important verification email from one school because it went there! The waiting is the hardest part but you're definitely on the right track.

I'm in the exact same boat! My daughter submitted her FAFSA in early December and we've been checking our emails obsessively every day since February. She got accepted to 4 schools but we're still waiting on financial aid packages from all of them. Reading these responses is really helpful - I had no idea about checking separate financial aid portals vs admissions portals. Going to do that right now! It's so stressful not knowing what we can afford, especially with the May 1st deadline approaching. Thanks for asking this question because I was starting to think something was wrong with our application.

As a newcomer here, I'm so grateful to find this thread! My daughter and I are in almost the identical situation - FAFSA submitted in December, acceptances rolling in, but zero financial aid letters yet. I was starting to panic thinking we missed something or made an error. Reading everyone's experiences, especially the professional insight from Jace about the 2-3 week delays due to FAFSA changes, has been incredibly reassuring. I had no idea about checking separate financial aid portals either - that's such a helpful tip! It's nerve-wracking not knowing what we can afford with the May 1st deadline looming, but at least now I know we're not alone in this waiting game. Thank you Sofia for starting this conversation - it's exactly what I needed to read today!

I just went through this same SSN correction nightmare two months ago! Here's what finally worked for me after trying everything mentioned here: I called the FAFSA line at exactly 8:00pm Eastern (they close at 11pm) and got through in under 20 minutes. The evening agents seem to have more time to walk you through the verification process step by step. The agent had me upload a clear photo of my Social Security card directly through the secure message center while we were on the phone, and they were able to remove the verification flag immediately. The whole call took about 15 minutes once connected. Pro tip: Have your Social Security card, driver's license, and your FSA ID login info ready before you call. They'll ask for all three to verify your identity before making the correction. Don't stress too much about the 6-week deadline - once the SSN is corrected and verified, your application will process normally. Good luck!

I'm dealing with something similar right now - trying to correct my birthdate on my FAFSA and running into the same verification issues. @Emma Taylor, when you uploaded your Social Security card photo, did they accept a phone photo or did it need to be scanned? Also, did the agent stay on the line while you uploaded it, or did you have to call back after uploading? I'm hoping to get this sorted out before my school's deadline too. Thanks for sharing your experience - it gives me hope that there's actually a solution that works!