Just wanted to jump in here as another parent dealing with this exact same nightmare! My twin boys are both starting college in the fall and we're hitting the DRT failure issue with both of their FAFSAs. What's particularly frustrating is that I'm pretty tech-savvy and KNOW I used the IRS tool correctly - I even took screenshots during the process because I was paranoid about making mistakes. But sure enough, both schools are now saying the tax info shows as "manually entered." Reading through this thread has been incredibly reassuring though. It's clear this is a widespread system failure, not something families are doing wrong. I'm going to follow the advice here and skip trying to reach FSA entirely. Instead, I'll be calling both schools' financial aid offices tomorrow morning with our tax transcripts ready to go. One thing I wanted to add - for anyone else with multiple kids affected, I'm planning to ask each school if they can expedite the review process since we're dealing with two students at different institutions. Hopefully having documentation ready upfront will help move things along quickly. Thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences here, especially @Savannah Vin for the insider perspective from the financial aid office side. This community has been a lifesaver during what's been an incredibly stressful process!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! My daughter's FAFSA shows "manually entered" even though I definitely used the DRT back in January. I was so careful about clicking the right buttons because I've heard horror stories about manual entry errors. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. I've been beating myself up thinking I somehow messed up the process, but it's clearly a system problem on their end. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm going to skip trying to reach FSA and go straight to my daughter's financial aid office tomorrow. Already requested our tax transcript from IRS.gov and have our W-2s ready to send over. It's such a relief to know that schools are understanding about this and have procedures in place. The timing stress is real though - we need that aid package to make our final decision! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions.

This entire thread has been absolutely incredible to read! As someone starting college this fall with similar anxieties about managing financial aid properly, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing such detailed and thoughtful advice. Connor (@fc329fc715f8), your question perfectly captured concerns I've been having but didn't know how to articulate. The combination of working while in school and wanting to manage aid responsibly shows such great planning on your part. What's really convinced me to open a separate account after reading all these responses: **The peace of mind factor** - So many people emphasized how much better they sleep knowing they can't accidentally spend aid money. As someone with similar anxiety, that psychological benefit alone seems worth it. **The practical benefits are numerous** - easier verification if selected, cleaner tax preparation, better FAFSA renewal process, and even potential help with emergency aid applications. These are benefits I never would have considered! **Simple solutions work best** - I love that people recommend basic approaches like account nicknames, simple tracking methods, and keeping the debit card separate. No need for complicated systems. The 30% verification rate really put things in perspective too - preparing for that possibility isn't paranoid, it's just smart planning. Thank you all for being so generous with your experiences and creating such a supportive discussion. This community is amazing, and I feel so much more confident about starting my financial aid journey now! 💙 @fc329fc715f8 - you've definitely got this, and you've helped so many other students by asking this question!

This thread has been absolutely amazing to read through! As someone who's starting my sophomore year and wishes I had found advice like this earlier, I wanted to share my experience to hopefully help others. I actually did NOT open a separate account my first year and really regretted it. I spent so many nights stressed out trying to figure out if I had accidentally used financial aid money for something I shouldn't have. The anxiety was honestly worse than any of my actual coursework! This past summer I finally opened a dedicated financial aid account at my local credit union, and the difference has been incredible. Some specific benefits I've noticed: - I can actually enjoy spending money on allowed expenses without that nagging worry in the back of my mind - My budgeting became so much clearer when I could see exactly how much aid I had left for the semester - When my friend got selected for verification, I realized how much easier my situation would be with clean, separate records For anyone still on the fence about this - the peace of mind alone is worth it. You're not being overly cautious; you're being smart and responsible. Plus, most credit unions offer completely free student checking, so there's really no downside. Connor, your proactive thinking about this shows you're going to do great in college! The fact that you're balancing PCA work while planning your finances so thoughtfully is really impressive. Thanks for asking the question that so many of us needed answered! 🎓

Hey! I just finished my FAFSA a few weeks ago and can definitely confirm the save feature works well. I actually had to stop and come back multiple times over about a week to gather all my documents. A few tips that helped me: 1) Always complete the entire page you're on before closing - don't leave anything half-filled, 2) Use the "Save & Exit" button when you see it rather than just closing the browser, 3) When you log back in, look for the "Continue Application" button on your dashboard. The system will take you right back to where you left off. I was also paranoid about losing my work, so I kept a running document with all my info as backup, but honestly didn't need it. The autosave worked perfectly every time. Don't stress - you've got this! The whole system is designed for people to work on it over several sessions since most of us don't have all our financial documents memorized lol.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who recently completed their FAFSA and had the same exact worry! The save feature definitely works, but here's what I learned from experience: the system saves your progress automatically when you complete each page AND click "Next," but I also recommend manually clicking "Save" whenever you see that option just to be extra safe. When you log back in, you'll see your dashboard first (which might look different than when you left), but just look for "Continue FAFSA" or "Resume Application" - it'll take you right back to where you stopped. I actually had to pause mine three different times to hunt down various tax documents, and each time everything was exactly where I left it. The key is making sure you finish the page you're on before closing out. Also, keep your FSA ID handy since you'll need it each time you log back in. You should be totally fine picking up where you left off!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact process two years ago with my son who was also a QuestBridge finalist! That IDOC question about submitting FAFSA before November 15th had us completely confused too - we actually called the college's financial aid office in a panic thinking we had missed some critical deadline. What I learned is that these systems (CSS Profile, IDOC, FAFSA) were built at different times and unfortunately don't always sync up perfectly, especially with all the FAFSA delays in recent years. The admissions counselor we spoke with just laughed and said they get this question constantly during ED season. For what it's worth, my son didn't Match through QuestBridge but got into his ED school with an incredible financial aid package - better than we ever imagined possible. The CSS Profile really is the key document for these private schools, so focus on making sure that's complete and accurate. One practical tip: keep a detailed record of every document you submit and when. We had to resubmit tax forms twice because they got "lost" in the system, but having our submission confirmations saved us a lot of stress. Your daughter sounds like she's in an amazing position as a QuestBridge finalist - that recognition alone opens so many doors! Wishing your family the best of luck with the ED process.

As a newcomer to this community who's just starting to navigate these financial aid waters, I want to say how incredibly helpful and reassuring this entire discussion has been! My family is in the early stages of preparing for college applications, and reading about everyone's experiences with QuestBridge, CSS Profile, IDOC, and all these confusing systems has given me such valuable insights. The fact that so many families have encountered that same confusing IDOC question about submitting FAFSA before November 15th (when it doesn't even open until December 1st!) really shows how these different systems don't communicate well with each other. It's both frustrating and comforting to know we're not alone in finding this process overwhelming. I'm taking notes on all the practical tips shared here - creating spreadsheets to track deadlines, taking screenshots of confirmations, setting up individual school financial aid portals early, and focusing on accuracy with the CSS Profile since it's so important for institutional aid at private colleges. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences, especially the success stories that give hope to first-gen families like mine. This community support makes navigating these complex financial aid systems feel much less daunting!

This is such an inspiring thread to read as someone just starting to navigate the college process! McKenzie, congratulations on your success - you really showed how important it is to be your own advocate. For other families who might be lurking here with similar concerns, I think this conversation highlights some key red flags to watch for: - Schools pressuring for deposits without providing financial aid information - Admissions saying "don't worry" when you ask legitimate financial questions - Any school that seems reluctant to provide timelines or estimates The advice about contacting financial aid directly (not admissions) seems to be the golden rule here. It's also really encouraging to see that schools DO have flexibility with deadlines when you ask directly. One question for the group: Are there any other warning signs families should watch for during this process? I want to make sure I'm prepared when it's my turn!

This entire thread has been such a masterclass in advocating for yourself during the college process! McKenzie, I'm so thrilled that you got the extension and preliminary package - what a perfect example of how being informed and persistent pays off. As someone completely new to FAFSA and college financing, I had no idea that schools could play these kinds of timing games with deposits vs. aid packages. The distinction everyone's made between federal aid (locked in by your SAI) and institutional aid (at the school's discretion) is something I never would have understood without reading this conversation. The strategy of calling financial aid directly instead of going through admissions seems to be the key takeaway here. It's amazing how quickly they accommodated your requests once you knew to ask the right office with the right language! For other newcomers like me reading this - it seems like the main lesson is: don't let anyone pressure you into major financial commitments without complete information, and don't be afraid to ask for deadline extensions when you need more time to make informed decisions. This community is incredible for sharing real experiences and practical advice!