Just to clarify something important: your financial aid award isn't automatic after receiving your SAI. Each school creates their own unique financial aid package based on: 1. Your SAI score 2. The school's total cost of attendance 3. Available funding at that specific institution 4. Their particular awarding policies With a -1500 SAI, you'll likely qualify for the maximum Pell Grant ($7,395 for the 2025-2026 award year), but institutional aid, work-study, and loans will vary by school. Once you've verified your FAFSA is complete and the school has your information, ask about their typical notification timeline and if they need additional documentation from you specifically.

Hey! I went through this exact same situation last year and totally understand the confusion. Your -1500 SAI is fantastic and definitely means you'll qualify for substantial aid! One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to also check if your school has any priority deadlines for institutional aid that you might be approaching. Some schools have separate deadlines for their own scholarships and grants even after you've submitted your FAFSA. Also, while you're waiting to hear back, it might be worth looking into your state's financial aid programs too. Many states have their own grant programs for residents that use your FAFSA info but require separate applications. Good luck with everything - with that SAI score, you should be in really good shape once everything gets processed! The waiting is definitely the hardest part but it sounds like you're on the right track.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this process with three kids over the past few years. The new FAFSA system is definitely better for parents with multiple students, but one thing that caught me off guard was timing. Even though you only fill out your parent section once, I recommend waiting until BOTH kids have completed their student sections before you do yours. I made the mistake of completing my contributor section right after my first child invited me, and then when my second child tried to add me weeks later, there was some glitch in the system that required me to contact student aid support. The representative told me it's more reliable when all the students add the parent contributor around the same time. Also, make sure you save copies of everything - the new system sometimes has display issues where completed sections appear blank even though they're actually saved. Having screenshots gave me peace of mind!

As a parent who just completed this process for my college junior and high school senior, I can confirm the new system works much better! One additional tip I haven't seen mentioned - if you're using a tax preparer or accountant, give them a heads up that you'll need your tax information earlier than usual for FAFSA purposes. We usually don't get our taxes done until late March, but both kids' schools had FAFSA deadlines in early March. I had to get our tax documents organized much earlier this year to meet the deadlines. Also, if you have any complex financial situations (like owning a business or rental property), it's worth reviewing the FAFSA questions ahead of time so you're not scrambling to figure out what information you need when you're actually filling it out.

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped me - when you're documenting custody for FAFSA purposes, keep records like school enrollment forms, medical insurance coverage, and tax returns where you claimed your son as a dependent. These can all serve as proof that he lived with you more than 50% of the time if anyone ever questions it. Also, if your son has a school counselor or someone neutral who knows your family situation, having them aware of the custody arrangement can be helpful for potential waiver documentation later if needed for any CSS Profile schools. Good luck with everything!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I want to echo what others have said about the FAFSA only needing the custodial parent's info - that's absolutely correct. But I'd also suggest reaching out to the financial aid offices at your son's target schools directly to ask about their specific policies. Some schools are really understanding about difficult co-parent situations and may have additional resources or flexibility you're not aware of. Also, if your ex continues to be uncooperative and you end up needing CSS Profile waivers, start that process early - it can take weeks to get approval and you don't want to miss deadlines. The whole system isn't perfect, but there are people at these schools whose job it is to help families navigate exactly these kinds of situations.

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm just starting to research the FAFSA process for my son who's a junior, and honestly, I had no idea about any of these complexities with federal benefits and income thresholds. From reading everyone's experiences, it's clear that the key issue here is the simplified needs test requiring BOTH federal benefits AND income under $60,000. Since your family income was $87,000, you only met one of the two criteria, which means the system shouldn't have skipped the asset questions. Changing your answer to "no" on the Medicaid question makes perfect sense given your situation. What really stands out to me is how supportive everyone has been in sharing their experiences with these FAFSA glitches. It's reassuring to know that financial aid offices understand these technical issues and that making honest corrections won't cause problems. I'm definitely taking notes on all the practical advice here - taking screenshots, keeping detailed benefit timelines, and being prepared for potential verification requests. The Covid Medicaid situation seems to have created confusion for so many families, but seeing how the community comes together to help each other navigate these challenges gives me confidence that we can figure this out. Thank you all for being so open about your experiences - it makes this intimidating process feel much more manageable!

As someone brand new to both this community and the FAFSA process, I've found this entire discussion incredibly enlightening! My daughter is currently a sophomore, so I have some time to prepare, but reading about everyone's experiences with the Covid-era Medicaid complications has already taught me so much. From what I'm understanding, the core issue seems to be that the simplified needs test requires BOTH federal benefits receipt AND income under $60,000. Since your family income was $87,000, you only qualified for one of the two criteria, which means the system should definitely have asked about your assets regardless of the Medicaid answer. What strikes me most is how many families are navigating these same Covid-related benefit complications - it's clearly a widespread issue that the FAFSA system wasn't fully prepared to handle. The advice about changing your answer to "no" makes complete sense given your income level and the fact that your children were only eligible due to emergency provisions rather than normal qualifying circumstances. I'm taking extensive notes from all the practical tips shared here - documenting everything with screenshots, maintaining detailed benefit enrollment timelines, and being prepared for potential verification. It's also incredibly reassuring to learn that financial aid offices understand these technical glitches and that honest corrections won't negatively impact applications. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences so openly. This community support makes what initially seemed like an overwhelming process feel much more manageable. The willingness to help each other navigate these complex situations is truly valuable for parents like me who are just beginning to understand the financial aid landscape!

Hi Leslie! As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to reach out because I'm going through the exact same nerve-wracking experience right now! I submitted my FAFSA about a week ago and when I saw those completely blank sections for family size and assets on the summary, I honestly thought I had somehow destroyed my son's chances for financial aid. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - especially hearing from Amy who works in financial aid that this is completely normal with the redesigned FAFSA system. It's really frustrating that the Department of Education doesn't explain this clearly on the summary page itself - they could save so many parents from sleepless nights with just a simple note that blank sections are expected! Based on everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the new system pulls data directly from our tax returns behind the scenes even when it doesn't display on the summary. I'm still waiting for my SAI calculation but feeling so much more confident after reading all these success stories. Thank you for posting this question - it's helping so many of us newcomers realize we didn't mess up our applications after all!

Hi Leslie! As a newcomer to this community, I completely relate to your panic about those blank sections - I just went through the exact same terrifying experience two weeks ago! My FAFSA summary also showed completely empty fields for family size and assets, and I was absolutely convinced I had somehow ruined my daughter's entire financial aid future. Reading through all these incredibly helpful responses, especially from Amy who works in financial aid, has been such a relief to understand that this is totally normal with the new simplified FAFSA system. The redesigned form really is confusing compared to what we might expect - it pulls information directly from your tax returns behind the scenes even when it doesn't show up on the summary page. I ended up getting my SAI calculation after about 10 days and everything processed perfectly despite those scary blank sections. It's so frustrating that the Department of Education doesn't include a simple explanation on the summary page about why sections appear blank - they could save so many parents from unnecessary stress! But I'm incredibly grateful for this supportive community where we can all share our experiences and reassure each other. Don't lose sleep over this like I did - based on everyone's success stories here, your application sounds like it's in great shape!