As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such a thorough discussion! I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter who will be starting college in fall 2025, and her great-grandmother wants to contribute to her education costs. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful in understanding the new FAFSA rules. I especially appreciate the clarification about the timing - waiting until aid packages are finalized before any payments are made seems like the safest approach. It's reassuring to know that under the FAFSA Simplification Act, direct payments to the school won't hurt our federal aid eligibility the way they used to. I'm definitely going to share this information with our family members who want to help. Thank you all for creating such an informative resource!

As someone new to this community and the FAFSA process, I'm incredibly grateful for this detailed discussion! My son will also be starting college in fall 2025, and his grandparents have expressed interest in helping with costs. This thread has been a goldmine of information about the new FAFSA Simplification Act rules. I'm particularly relieved to learn that direct payments to schools won't impact federal aid eligibility like they used to under the old system. The strategic timing advice - waiting until after all aid packages are finalized before any grandparent payments - seems crucial. I'm also taking note of the CSS Profile considerations for private schools, since that's a different set of rules we'll need to navigate. One question for the group: for families applying to a mix of public and private schools, would you recommend having the same conversation with financial aid offices at each type of institution to understand their specific policies? I want to make sure we're not missing any nuances between federal aid rules and individual school policies.

I'm completely new to this community and just ran into this exact same issue today! I submitted my FAFSA for my son last Thursday and have been trying all weekend to add 4 additional schools, but keep getting that frustrating "College selection unavailable at this time" error. I was starting to think I had somehow messed up the initial submission and was getting really panicked about missing his application deadlines. This entire thread has been absolutely incredible - I can't believe how much more useful information I've found here than anywhere on the official FSA website! Learning that this is a system-wide maintenance issue affecting everyone (not user error) is such a huge relief. The fact that FSA didn't send out clear notifications about this outage when families are dealing with critical deadlines is really disappointing. Based on all the detailed success stories shared here, I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr callback service first thing Monday morning - hearing that so many people connected with FSA agents in 20-30 minutes instead of the hours I've wasted on hold is really encouraging. I'm also going to spend tonight checking each school's financial aid website for those direct FAFSA request forms that Giovanni mentioned and others have confirmed actually work. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and real working solutions. This community has provided more practical help and reassurance than any official source, and it's comforting to know schools are being flexible with deadlines given this widespread problem!

I'm new to this community and just ran into this exact same problem! I submitted my FAFSA last week but can't add the 3 additional schools my daughter needs for her applications. I've been getting that same "College selection unavailable" error and was starting to panic that I had done something wrong with the initial submission. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - I had no idea this was a system-wide maintenance issue affecting everyone! It's really frustrating that Federal Student Aid didn't provide clear advance notice about this outage, especially when so many families are dealing with tight deadlines. Based on all the success stories shared here, I'm definitely planning to try the Claimyr callback service tomorrow morning. Hearing that multiple people got through to FSA agents in 20-30 minutes instead of hours on hold gives me real hope. I'm also going to check each school's website tonight for those direct FAFSA request forms that Giovanni mentioned - what a brilliant workaround! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and working solutions. This community has been more helpful than any official source, and it's comforting to know that schools are being understanding about the situation. Really appreciate all the practical guidance for newcomers like me dealing with this system outage!

I'm jumping in as another person who went through this exact situation! I had a bachelor's degree from Sweden and just completed my first semester of an accelerated BSN program in Florida. Here's what I wish I had known earlier: **You absolutely CAN get federal loans through FAFSA with a foreign degree!** I was initially terrified after reading conflicting information online, but I ended up receiving $20,500 in Direct Unsubsidized Loans for my accelerated program. A few things that really helped me: - **Don't wait to submit FAFSA** - I submitted mine before my transcript evaluation was complete and it worked out fine - **WES transcript evaluation** - took 5 weeks, cost about $265, but totally worth it for peace of mind - **Accelerated programs might be worth comparing** - mine is 16 months instead of traditional 4 semesters, and the financial aid office said the shorter timeline actually helped with loan disbursement scheduling **Florida-specific tip that might apply elsewhere:** Many states have Critical Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Programs for nurses. Florida forgives up to $4,000/year of loans if you work in underserved areas after graduation. The stress is so real when you're navigating this process, but please don't let the FAFSA confusion stop you from pursuing nursing! There are definitely viable paths forward. Start with submitting that FAFSA this week - you'll be amazed how much clearer everything becomes once you get the process moving. Sending you encouragement from someone who made it through to the other side! 💪

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - you are DEFINITELY eligible for federal student loans through FAFSA even with your Portuguese degree! I went through this same process two years ago with my bachelor's from Australia and ended up getting $18,500 per year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans. The key things that helped me: 1. **Submit FAFSA immediately** - don't wait for transcript evaluation to be complete 2. **Use ECE for transcript evaluation** - they were familiar with international transcripts and processed mine in 4 weeks 3. **Contact your nursing program's financial aid office directly** - they often know about school-specific scholarships you won't find online **California has amazing opportunities for nursing students!** Look into the State Loan Repayment Program and the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Programs - both have funding specifically for nursing students and many don't exclude people with prior degrees. Also, definitely explore hospital partnerships in your area. I know several people who got their entire education covered by hospitals like Dignity Health and CommonSpirit in exchange for 2-3 year work commitments. Given California's nursing shortage, these programs are becoming really competitive for hospitals to offer. The $35k is totally manageable with federal loans + targeted scholarships. I pieced together funding from 5 different sources and graduated debt-free. Don't let the initial FAFSA confusion derail your nursing dreams - you've got this! 🏥

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this incredibly helpful thread! My daughter is also a high school junior planning for Fall 2026, and I was experiencing the exact same confusion about FAFSA timing. Like many others here, I was worried I was already behind on something crucial. Reading through everyone's detailed responses has been like getting a masterclass in financial aid planning - the October 2025 timeline for the 2026-2027 FAFSA using 2024 tax information finally makes complete sense to me now. I'm particularly grateful for the actionable preparation steps: setting up FSA IDs early, exploring the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool, starting scholarship research during senior year, and the crucial reminder about checking state-specific deadlines that can be much earlier than federal ones. Learning about resources like Claimyr for phone support next year is also incredibly valuable. This community has transformed what felt like an overwhelming maze of deadlines and requirements into a clear, manageable timeline with concrete steps I can take now. Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise so generously - I'm feeling much more confident and organized about this journey ahead!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have stumbled upon this thread! My son is also a junior planning for Fall 2026, and I was in complete panic mode thinking I had already missed important deadlines. Reading through all these detailed responses has been such a relief - the October 2025 timeline for the 2026-2027 FAFSA using 2024 tax information finally makes sense to me. I especially appreciate the practical steps we can take now: setting up FSA IDs early, using the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool, and starting scholarship research during senior year. The heads up about state-specific deadlines potentially being much earlier than federal ones is something I never would have thought to check. It's amazing how this supportive community has transformed what felt like an overwhelming and confusing process into a clear roadmap with actionable steps. Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise so generously - I'm feeling much more organized and confident about navigating this journey now!

This is such an important discussion! I work at a college financial aid office and we see variations of this situation regularly. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet is to make sure your son's Social Security records reflect the name change from adoption (if applicable). Sometimes there can be mismatches between the name on the FAFSA and SSA records that can cause processing delays. Also, when he gets to college, it's worth having a brief conversation with the financial aid office there about his background - not because anything is wrong with his application, but because staff who understand his situation can be helpful advocates if any unusual questions come up during his time there. These kinds of family transitions can sometimes create quirky situations down the road (like if he needs to verify family size for aid renewals), and having someone in the aid office who knows his story from day one can save headaches later.

I just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread - what an incredibly helpful discussion! My son and I were really struggling with this dependency question, and all of your explanations have made it crystal clear. We're going to proceed with marking him as a dependent student and including his adoptive parents' (my parents') financial information. It's such a relief to understand that the adoption completely replaced the guardianship for FAFSA purposes. I also really appreciate all the practical tips about keeping adoption paperwork ready for verification, checking Social Security name records, and potentially connecting with the college financial aid office early on. This community is amazing - you've saved us from what could have been a costly mistake or major delays in his financial aid processing!