Hi Alina! Congratulations on completing your FAFSA and getting your SAI - that's a huge milestone! As a fellow community member who's been through this process, I wanted to chime in with some encouragement and a few practical tips. Your SAI of 4328 is actually quite good for financial aid purposes - it's low enough that you should qualify for federal Pell Grants (typically for SAIs under $7,400) and substantial need-based aid from most schools. The great news is you don't need to do anything with that number yourself - it's already been sent to all the schools you listed on your FAFSA. A couple of things that might help while you wait for your aid packages: 1) Set up your student portals at each school if you haven't already - that's where they'll post your financial aid letters, 2) Keep checking your email and FAFSA portal for any verification requests (totally normal if selected), and 3) Don't be afraid to call the financial aid offices if you have questions once you get your packages. Being first-gen can make this feel overwhelming, but you're asking all the right questions and you're definitely on the right track. The hardest part is behind you - now it's just waiting for those aid offers to come in! You should start seeing them soon, typically by early April for most schools.

Hey Alina! As someone who just helped my younger sibling through this same process last year, I wanted to add that your SAI of 4328 is actually really promising! That should definitely put you in range for good need-based aid. One thing I wish we'd known earlier - when you do start getting those financial aid packages, pay close attention to the breakdown between grants/scholarships (free money) vs loans and work-study. Sometimes a package that looks bigger on paper actually has way more loans than another school's "smaller" package that's mostly grants. Also, if you end up with multiple offers, don't be afraid to use them as leverage! You can actually appeal financial aid decisions and sometimes get schools to match or beat competing offers, especially if it's your top choice school. My sibling got an extra $3000/year just by politely asking one school to reconsider after showing them a better offer from elsewhere. Being first-gen is tough but you're clearly staying on top of everything. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, but it sounds like you're going to have some good options once those packages start rolling in!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community and just went through this exact same situation with my son last month. His FAFSA was processed and we waited about 10 days before getting the PHEAA email - definitely check your spam folder daily! One thing I learned that might help: if you're really anxious about the timing, you can actually create an account on pheaa.org using your son's social security number and the same email from the FAFSA. Sometimes the state grant application becomes available there even before you get the official email notification. Also, make sure to complete the application as soon as possible once you get access - I discovered that some schools really do award state grant funding on a first-come basis after eligibility is determined. The whole process took about 3 weeks total from FAFSA processing to receiving our PHEAA award notification. Hang in there - the waiting is nerve-wracking but it does all come together!

Hi everyone! I'm completely new to this community and currently going through this exact same process with my daughter. Her FAFSA was processed just yesterday and I was immediately stressed about what to do next, but reading through this entire thread has been such a huge relief! I had no idea that waiting 1-3 weeks for the PHEAA email was normal - I was already panicking that we were behind schedule. I've taken notes on so many helpful tips from everyone's experiences: I've added "no-reply@pheaa.org" to my safe senders list, triple-checked that we listed PA as her state of residence (we did!), and started organizing all our documents in a folder. Carmen's suggestion about potentially creating an account directly on pheaa.org after a week is something I'll definitely try if we don't hear anything soon. It's incredible how much practical, real-world information is in this thread that you simply cannot find on any official website. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences - it's made this overwhelming process feel so much more manageable for a first-time parent like me!

My daughter's situation was exactly like this last month! Her SAI changed by about $1200 after corrections and only one school adjusted their offer (and it was only by about $400). Most schools build in a little buffer for these kinds of changes. The most important thing is that you got it fixed before final aid packages go out!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact same thing with my son two weeks ago! The "corrections needed" status is definitely confusing but it's totally normal. What helped me understand it was thinking of it like a draft vs. final version - schools get the draft (which is still useful for them to start planning) while you work on the final version. The key thing is to make those corrections as soon as possible because some schools have earlier deadlines for finalizing aid packages. Also, don't panic if you see multiple correction requests over time - sometimes fixing one issue reveals another that needs attention. The system is definitely not perfect but it does work eventually!

As someone new to this community and facing a similar expat situation, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! My family is currently living in Switzerland for my partner's work, and I was completely panicking about how to handle the FAFSA for our daughter's college applications next year. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - especially understanding that using our legal domicile address (where we maintain our Massachusetts voting registration, tax filing, and banking) is not only acceptable but actually the correct approach according to Department of Education guidance. The distinction between legal domicile vs. physical residence finally makes sense to me now. What really stands out is how consistent everyone's advice has been about maintaining alignment between your state tax filing and FAFSA state selection. We've been filing Massachusetts taxes throughout our time overseas, so that gives me confidence we're on the right track. Thank you to everyone who shared their verification experiences too - it's reassuring to know that even if selected, having organized documentation of your US ties makes the process manageable. This thread should honestly be pinned as a resource for expat families navigating FAFSA requirements!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable for expat families! I'm currently in a similar situation - we've been living in Canada for my job for the past three years, and I was completely lost about FAFSA address requirements for my son's college applications. Reading everyone's experiences has been such a relief. Like many others, I was worried about using our home state address (Ohio) when we're not physically there, but understanding that it's about legal domicile vs. physical residence makes perfect sense now. We've maintained our Ohio voter registration, file state taxes there, and keep our banking relationships active, so it sounds like we're following the same successful approach everyone else has used. The consistency point about aligning tax filing state with FAFSA state really resonates - we've been filing Ohio taxes the entire time overseas. Thank you especially to those who shared their verification experiences - knowing that financial aid offices are becoming more familiar with expat situations gives me confidence. This community support has transformed what felt like an impossible situation into something manageable!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful I found this thread! My daughter is a high school senior and we're at about $200k household income - I was completely convinced we should skip the FAFSA since we "make too much" for need-based aid. Reading all these real experiences has totally changed my mind, especially the stories about missing merit scholarships worth $20k+ just for not submitting FAFSA. The point about federal loans having better terms than private loans really hit home too. Even if we can cover tuition upfront, having those income-driven repayment options and forgiveness protections as a backup seems incredibly smart given how unpredictable careers can be these days. I'm definitely doing the FAFSA now! Quick question - for those who mentioned the CSS Profile, is there an easy way to tell which schools on our list require it, or do we need to check each one individually? We're looking at a mix of public and private schools. Thanks everyone for potentially saving us from a very expensive mistake!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! My daughter is a senior and we're at around $190k household income - I was absolutely planning to skip FAFSA until I read everyone's experiences here. The stories about families missing out on significant merit scholarships just for not submitting FAFSA are truly eye-opening and have completely changed my perspective. What really convinced me was learning that many "merit-based" scholarships still require FAFSA submission, even when they're not technically need-based aid. I had no idea that schools use this data for their institutional aid decisions across the board. Plus the federal loan protections and income-driven repayment options provide such valuable safety nets compared to private loans. I'm submitting our FAFSA this week! One question I haven't seen addressed - for families in our income bracket, are there any particular sections of the FAFSA we should pay extra attention to or common areas where we might unexpectedly qualify for aid? I want to make sure I'm not missing anything that could work in our favor. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and potentially saving our family from a very costly mistake!