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Yes, verification of multiple students in college is one of the most common verification items. If either of your students is selected for verification (which happens randomly to about 30% of applicants), you may need to provide enrollment documentation for your other student. This is typically handled through a verification form provided by the financial aid office, where you'll list the colleges being attended and sometimes provide proof of enrollment. The Department of Education has systems in place to identify potential discrepancies between FAFSAs from the same family. Regarding your income increase, you're right that you won't need to report that through a special circumstances appeal. The FAFSA uses prior-prior year tax information specifically to create a standardized snapshot of family finances, so your current year's higher income won't affect this year's aid eligibility.
I feel much better about the whole process now. I'll finish my son's application and then complete my daughter's using the same parent FSA ID and identical financial information. And I'll make sure to indicate on each application that we have two in college. Thanks everyone for the helpful advice!
Just wanted to add one more tip as someone who went through this process with three kids over the years - make sure you save copies of all the completed FAFSAs! When it comes time for renewals or if you need to make corrections, having the previous year's information handy makes the process so much smoother. Also, both students should create their own FSA IDs early in the process if they haven't already - don't wait until the last minute because there can be delays in ID verification. Good luck with getting both kids through the financial aid process!
This is such helpful advice! I'm new to the FAFSA process and didn't even think about saving copies or the FSA ID timing. My oldest is just starting high school but I want to get prepared early. How far in advance can students create their FSA IDs? And do you recommend any particular way to organize all the financial aid documents for multiple kids?
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This is such a helpful thread! I'm a parent helping my son with his FAFSA and I've been getting these emails too every time I log in to check on things. I was starting to wonder if someone at his college was accessing the account or something. It's really frustrating that they designed the system this way - a security notification should only trigger when there's actually something to be concerned about, not every single time you log in. Thanks to everyone who explained this, especially @Paolo Marino for the detailed breakdown. Now I can stop worrying and just focus on making sure we meet all the deadlines!
@Geoff Richards Yes, this thread has been a lifesaver! I m'also new to this whole process and was completely freaking out when I started getting those emails. It s'crazy how something meant to be a security feature actually makes you feel LESS secure because you think something s'wrong. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to explain this - especially knowing that financial aid office workers like @Paolo Marino are confirming it s totally'normal. Makes the whole FAFSA process feel a little less overwhelming when you have a community to help figure out these confusing parts!
Oh my gosh, thank you all SO much for this thread! I'm a first-generation college student and have been absolutely terrified every time I get one of these emails. I thought for sure someone had hacked into my account and was going to mess up my financial aid. I've been checking my FAFSA obsessively to make sure nothing changed, which of course just triggers MORE of these scary emails! It's such a relief to know this is just a badly designed system feature and not an actual security threat. I wish the Department of Education would put a disclaimer on these emails explaining that they're sent for routine logins too. Would save so many students from unnecessary panic attacks! Now I can actually focus on the important stuff like meeting deadlines instead of worrying about phantom hackers.
@NebulaNova I totally get the first-gen anxiety! I'm also first-gen and the whole FAFSA process feels so overwhelming when you don't have family who's been through it before. Those emails really do feel terrifying when you're already stressed about getting everything right for financial aid. I'm so glad this thread exists because it shows we're definitely not alone in getting freaked out by these notifications. It's actually kind of comforting to know that even experienced people like parents helping their kids got scared by these emails too. Hoping they fix this system soon but at least now we know to ignore them!
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Just wanted to add something that might help with your situation - if you're looking at ways to maximize aid for your kids, consider timing any major financial decisions carefully. For example, if you're planning to make a large retirement account contribution or have flexibility in when you realize capital gains/losses, the timing relative to the FAFSA filing years can impact your aid eligibility. Also, don't forget about work-study programs and institutional grants that individual colleges offer. These often have different criteria than federal aid and might be more accessible even with higher family income. Some schools are surprisingly generous with merit aid that isn't need-based at all. Good luck with the process - it's definitely confusing but you're asking all the right questions!
This is really great advice about timing financial decisions! I hadn't thought about how the timing of retirement contributions or capital gains could affect our FAFSA calculations. Do you know if there's a specific window of income years that FAFSA looks at? Like, if my daughter is applying for fall 2025, which tax year would they be using? I want to make sure I understand the timing before we make any major financial moves.
Welcome to the community! I see you're getting great advice here. As someone who went through this process recently with my own kids, I wanted to add that it's worth checking if your state has any special programs for parents who are returning to school. Some states offer grants or scholarships specifically for adult learners that aren't tied to your previous federal aid usage. Also, regarding your kids' aid - while you can't transfer Pell eligibility, if you do decide to go back to school yourself while they're in college, having a parent in school can sometimes be factored into the family's overall financial aid picture at certain institutions. It's not common, but worth asking about during the aid process. The FAFSA system definitely isn't intuitive, but you're doing great by asking these questions early in the process!
Thank you for the warm welcome! That's really interesting about state programs for adult learners - I hadn't even thought to look into that angle. Do you happen to know if those programs typically have income limits like federal aid does, or are they more merit/completion-based? And wow, I never considered that me being in school at the same time as my kids could potentially help their aid situation. That's definitely something worth exploring further, especially since I've been thinking about going back anyway. Thanks for pointing out these possibilities I wouldn't have thought of on my own!
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I'm going through this exact same frustrating situation right now! My son's FAFSA was processed about 6 weeks ago with an SAI of around 13k, and like everyone else here, there's absolutely nothing showing up in NJFAMS for 2025-2026 yet. I was starting to panic that we'd missed some critical step or deadline, but reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief. It's really disappointing that HESAA doesn't provide any clear communication about these processing delays on their website - a simple banner explaining the 4-6 week lag time would save so many families from unnecessary stress while we're trying to make financial decisions. Based on what others have shared about SAI thresholds, it sounds like we might still have a chance for partial TAG depending on which school he chooses, which gives me some hope. I'm definitely going to stop checking NJFAMS daily and just wait until May like everyone suggests. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines - this community support makes navigating this confusing process so much more manageable for us first-time parents!
I'm so glad to see this thread continuing to help other families! As someone who was in your exact position just a few weeks ago, I completely understand the panic and frustration. It's really reassuring to hear that even after 6 weeks, you're experiencing the same delay - it confirms that this is just how slowly the system works rather than anything we've done wrong. Your SAI of 13k actually puts you in a decent position for potential state aid based on what others have shared. The lack of transparency from HESAA is so frustrating when we're all trying to make these important financial decisions with incomplete information. I've finally stopped my daily NJFAMS checking obsession and it's been much better for my stress levels! Hopefully by May we'll all start seeing our information appear in the system. Thanks for continuing to share your experience - it really helps to know we're all going through this waiting game together!
I'm dealing with this exact same issue as a first-time parent! My daughter's FAFSA was processed about 3 weeks ago with an SAI around 10k, and like everyone else here, there's absolutely nothing showing in NJFAMS for 2025-2026 yet. I was getting really worried that we'd somehow missed a crucial step or made an error in our application. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that these processing delays are completely normal, even though HESAA does a terrible job communicating this to families. The lack of a simple notice on their website explaining the 4-6 week processing lag is really frustrating when we're all trying to make important financial decisions with incomplete information. Based on what others have shared about SAI thresholds, it sounds like with our SAI of 10k we might actually have a decent shot at qualifying for some TAG funding, which gives me hope. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and stop the obsessive daily checking routine - will just wait patiently until May before getting concerned. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timelines, this community support makes navigating this confusing process so much more manageable!
You're actually in a really good position with that SAI of 10k! From what I've seen in previous years, that puts you well within range for decent TAG funding at most NJ state schools. The waiting is definitely the hardest part, especially when you're trying to compare aid packages and make decisions. I went through this same panic last year - kept thinking we'd messed something up because nothing was showing in NJFAMS for weeks. But once it finally appeared, everything was there correctly. The system is just painfully slow and poorly communicated. Definitely stop the daily checking - it'll save your sanity! Your daughter should hopefully see some good state aid once everything processes.
Natalie Wang
This whole thread is incredibly helpful! I'm a parent helping my child navigate this process for the first time, and I had no idea it could take weeks for the SAI to appear even after getting the "processed" email. We submitted our FAFSA about 10 days ago and I was starting to worry something went wrong since we couldn't find the SAI anywhere. Reading through everyone's experiences here has put my mind at ease - it sounds like we just need to wait a bit longer for the "View SAR" option to appear. I really appreciate all the detailed step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips. The reminder about making sure my child uses their own FSA ID to check for the SAR (rather than mine) is especially valuable since I helped with the initial submission. This community is such a great resource for parents and students dealing with the complexity of financial aid applications!
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Aileen Rodriguez
•You're doing great by staying on top of this process! Ten days is still well within the normal timeframe, so definitely don't worry yet. As a fellow parent who went through this last year, I'd suggest creating a simple checklist or calendar reminder to check back in another week if the SAR option still isn't available. Also, once you do get the SAI, it's worth having a conversation with your child about what that number means for their college choices - some families are surprised by how the SAI translates (or doesn't translate) to actual out-of-pocket costs at different schools. The financial aid packages from individual colleges can vary dramatically even with the same SAI. Hang in there, you're almost through the hardest part of the waiting!
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Edward McBride
This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who just submitted their FAFSA for the first time two weeks ago, I was getting really worried that I couldn't find my SAI anywhere. The detailed explanations about waiting for the "View SAR" option to appear and all the troubleshooting tips have been so reassuring. I especially appreciate the clarification about using the student's FSA ID rather than the parent's to view the SAR - that could have definitely tripped me up since my mom helped with the initial submission. Reading about everyone's timeline experiences (ranging from 3-10 days for the SAR to appear) has helped me understand this is just a normal part of the process. I'll definitely try the browser cache clearing suggestion if I don't see the SAR option in the next few days. Thanks to everyone who shared their step-by-step instructions and personal experiences - this community is amazing for helping first-time applicants navigate such a confusing system!
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