one more thing - watch out for "front-loading" where they give u more aid freshman year then reduce it later! happened to my cousin and they had to transfer cuz they couldn't afford sophomore year

This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same confusion with my daughter's applications. One thing I learned from our school counselor that might help others - when you're comparing offers, make sure to look at whether the aid includes work-study as part of the package. Some schools count work-study earnings as "aid" which makes their net price look lower, but you still have to actually work those hours and earn that money throughout the year. It's not guaranteed income like grants and scholarships. Just another layer of complexity to navigate in this already confusing process!

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread as someone who went through this exact scenario last month! My daughter's FAFSA randomly switched from "processed" to "in review" when I logged in to check her SAI for a scholarship application. I was absolutely terrified that I had somehow triggered a problem that would delay her financial aid. After reading through all these experiences, I feel so much better knowing this is a widespread issue with the new system. The explanation about automatic quality assurance checks really makes sense. For what it's worth, my daughter's application went back to "processed" after about 8 days with the exact same SAI, and she received her aid packages from all her schools right on schedule. The key thing I learned is that the schools can see your original submission date in their systems, so these random reviews don't affect priority consideration. I also took everyone's advice about screenshotting everything - definitely recommend that for peace of mind! This community has been so helpful in navigating these FAFSA system quirks. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences!

New to this community but SO glad I found this thread! Just had the exact same heart attack moment this afternoon - my son's FAFSA went from "processed" to "in review" the second I logged in to check his SAI for a scholarship application due tomorrow. I was convinced I had somehow broken his entire financial aid future! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. The explanation about random quality assurance checks makes so much more sense than thinking our login somehow triggered a problem. @Nina Chan thank you for the professional insight about the original submission date being what matters for priority consideration - that's exactly what I needed to hear since we submitted well before all his school deadlines. @The Boss your story about the twins going through this and everything working out perfectly gives me so much hope! And @Ethan Wilson hearing that your daughter got all her aid packages on schedule despite the status change is exactly the reassurance I needed. Taking everyone's advice to screenshot everything and wait it out. It's amazing how this thread has turned my panic into relief - thank you all for sharing your stories and creating this supportive space for navigating these FAFSA system quirks!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what I learned when helping my sister navigate this exact same situation. She was in foster care from age 13-16, then returned to live with our mom. I was really confused about the FAFSA rules at first too, but after reading through all these responses, I'm now confident that your daughter definitely qualifies as independent! The key thing that helped us was contacting each school's financial aid office directly before submitting documentation. Some schools had specific forms they wanted us to fill out in addition to the court documents, while others just needed the basic paperwork. Having that conversation upfront saved us from having to resubmit things later. Also, I'd recommend keeping detailed records of every interaction you have during the verification process - dates, names of who you spoke with, what documents you submitted, etc. It really helped when one school lost our paperwork and we needed to prove we had already submitted everything on time. Your daughter has been through enough already with the foster care experience - don't let anyone make this process harder than it needs to be. The rules are clear that she qualifies, and you have every right to advocate for her to get the independent status she deserves!

I'm new here but wanted to add my experience since I went through something very similar with my son. He was in foster care from age 14-17, then came to live with me (his aunt) when he aged out. When we filled out his FAFSA, I was terrified we'd get it wrong because there's so much conflicting information online. What really helped us was creating a complete documentation package before starting the FAFSA. We gathered all court orders, case worker contact information, and even wrote a brief summary letter explaining his situation. When verification time came, we were ready to submit everything immediately to each school. One thing I learned that might help you - some schools have dedicated staff who handle foster care verifications specifically. When you call their financial aid offices, ask if they have someone who specializes in these cases. They tend to be much more knowledgeable about the process and can walk you through exactly what they need. Your daughter absolutely qualifies as independent based on what you've described. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! The foster care experience after age 13 is what matters, not her current living situation. You're doing great advocating for her - she's lucky to have you fighting for her education!

As a newcomer to this community and first-time FAFSA filer, I want to thank everyone for this incredibly detailed and helpful discussion! I've been completely overwhelmed by the asset reporting section for my daughter's application and this thread has answered so many questions I didn't even know I had. My situation is very similar to others here - we have a rental property and our AGI is $67k, so it's now clear we need to report the rental property's net value. The explanation about the $60k AGI threshold for the Simplified Needs Test finally makes sense of all the conflicting advice I was getting from other parents! What's really eased my anxiety is learning about the 5.64% assessment rate from experienced members. I was honestly panicking that reporting our rental would completely eliminate our aid eligibility, but understanding the actual formula makes it feel much more manageable. I'm going to follow all the great documentation advice shared here - getting a current CMA and organizing our mortgage statements. It's such a relief to know that being honest and thorough from the start is the best approach, even when it feels scary to report assets. This community has been invaluable for turning what felt like an impossible maze into a clear roadmap. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences and creating such a supportive space for families navigating this process!

As a newcomer to this community and first-time FAFSA filer, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! I'm navigating the FAFSA process for my daughter and was completely lost on asset reporting requirements until discovering this thread. My situation mirrors many others here - we own a rental property and our AGI is $72k, so it's now abundantly clear that we must report the rental property's net value. The detailed explanation about the $60k AGI threshold for the Simplified Needs Test has been absolutely eye-opening - it finally clarifies why I was receiving such contradictory guidance from other parents in various college planning groups! What has truly put my mind at ease is understanding the 5.64% assessment rate that several experienced members have mentioned throughout this discussion. I was genuinely losing sleep worrying that reporting our rental property would completely eliminate any chance of financial aid for my daughter, but now I understand the actual impact is far more reasonable than I initially feared. I'm planning to implement all the excellent documentation advice shared here - already contacted our realtor to obtain a current comparative market analysis and I'm organizing all our mortgage statements this evening. It's incredibly reassuring to know that being comprehensive and transparent from the beginning is the optimal strategy, even when asset reporting feels intimidating. This community has truly been transformative in converting what seemed like navigating an incomprehensible bureaucratic labyrinth into having a clear, actionable plan. Thank you all for taking the time to share your genuine experiences and for creating such a welcoming and informative environment for families going through the financial aid process for the first time!

I'm a college financial aid consultant, and I want to emphasize something that might ease your stress: the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout has been an absolute mess, and schools are well aware of this. The Department of Education delayed the form launch multiple times, and when it finally went live, there were countless technical issues and confusion about which year's form was which. Because of all these systemic problems, most schools have been much more flexible with deadlines this year than in previous years. Many have extended their priority deadlines or created special consideration processes specifically for FAFSA-related delays and errors. A few additional tips based on what I've seen work this year: 1. **Mention the FAFSA rollout issues** when you call - schools are sympathetic to the confusion caused by the delayed launch 2. **Ask about "FAFSA simplification impact" policies** - many schools created these specifically for 2024-25 3. **Check if they're still processing aid packages** - many schools are behind schedule due to the late FAFSA launch, so they might still be making initial aid decisions Also, keep in mind that this year's compressed timeline means many students are just now receiving their aid packages anyway. Your son might not be as far behind as you think! The fact that you caught this in early May puts you ahead of families who won't realize similar issues until summer orientation. Stay persistent but don't panic - this year is different, and schools are working with families on these issues more than ever before.

I'm a college financial aid director, and I want to add one crucial point that hasn't been mentioned yet: make sure to check the status of your original 2023-24 submission! Since you submitted it in March, it likely went through processing and may have created a record in the federal system that could potentially interfere with your new 2024-25 application. Here's what I recommend: 1. **Log into your FSA account** and verify that both submissions show up correctly with their respective award years 2. **Check for any "duplicate application" flags** - sometimes the system flags multiple submissions as potential duplicates even when they're for different years 3. **Contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center** to ensure your 2024-25 application is processing correctly and wasn't flagged due to the earlier submission I've seen cases where students had processing delays on their correct application because the system got confused by a previous incorrect submission. Getting ahead of this now could save you weeks of processing delays later. Also, when you call schools, mention that you've verified both submissions in your FSA account - this shows you're being thorough and helps the financial aid office understand exactly what happened. Most importantly, don't let this mistake discourage your son from his college goals. In 20 years of financial aid work, I've never seen a student lose their opportunity to attend college due to a FAFSA timing error like this.