As someone who just went through this exact situation with my daughter last year, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - you're definitely overthinking this! The confusion between tax dependency and FAFSA dependency trips up SO many parents. Here's what we learned: - We claimed our daughter as a tax dependent because we provided more than half her support (tuition, room, board, etc.) - She filed her own tax return for her part-time job earnings (about $4,000) - On her return, she checked the box saying someone else could claim her as a dependent - For FAFSA, she was automatically considered our dependent regardless of any tax decisions The key insight that helped us: there's literally no financial aid advantage to making her tax-independent. FAFSA dependency is based on age (under 24) and other specific criteria, not on tax filing status. Your situation sounds identical to ours - claim her as your dependent since you're supporting her, let her file for her campus job if needed, and don't stress about the FAFSA implications. The systems really are separate! One bonus: claiming her as a dependent saved us more in taxes than we would have gained from any theoretical FAFSA benefit (which doesn't exist anyway).

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter who turned 18 in September and started college this fall. I've been losing sleep over whether we're handling this correctly. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. The key takeaway that really clicked for me is that tax dependency and FAFSA dependency are completely separate systems with different rules and purposes. I was making the mistake of thinking they were connected somehow. For anyone else who might be confused like I was: - Tax dependency = based on who provides financial support (can claim her if you provide >50% support and she's a full-time student under 24) - FAFSA dependency = age-based system (she's automatically your dependent until 24 unless she meets special exceptions like marriage, military, etc.) What really sealed it for me was realizing there's no financial aid advantage to making her tax-independent. Since FAFSA will consider her our dependent regardless of tax filing status, we might as well claim the tax benefits since we're actually supporting her. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver for navigating all this confusing stuff!

Just want to add one more thing that might help - when you do submit your FAFSA, make sure to check each school's financial aid portal afterward to see if they need any additional documents. Some schools require verification or have their own supplemental forms even after you submit FAFSA. I learned this the hard way when one of my schools almost didn't process my aid package because I missed their deadline for additional paperwork. Good luck with your applications!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others have said - the order only matters for state aid programs, not federal aid. Since you're in Michigan, definitely put your top Michigan public university first to maximize your state grant eligibility. I'd suggest ordering them: 1) Top choice Michigan public school, 2) Other Michigan schools, 3) Out-of-state/private schools by preference. Also, don't stress too much about the exact order of your private schools - focus more on meeting all the deadlines and making sure you complete any school-specific requirements. The FAFSA is just the first step!

Congratulations on getting your FAFSA results! An SAI of 3521 is definitely in the good range for financial aid eligibility. As others have mentioned, you'll likely qualify for partial Pell Grant funding - probably around $3,000-4,000 based on current formulas. Here's what helped me when my oldest went through this process: create a simple comparison chart for each school with columns for Total Cost, Free Money (grants/scholarships only), and Net Cost. Don't include loans in your initial comparisons since those are available everywhere. Also, make sure to check if your state has additional grant programs - many states have their own need-based aid that stacks on top of federal aid. Some states require separate applications, so don't miss those deadlines! With your income level and SAI, public universities in your state will likely offer the best value. Private schools might surprise you though - some have generous institutional aid for families in your income bracket. You're doing everything right by starting early and asking questions. The waiting is the hardest part, but you should feel good about where you stand!

Your SAI of 3521 is actually really encouraging! I went through this exact same process two years ago with my daughter and had a very similar SAI (around 3800). Here's what we experienced: She qualified for about $3,200 in Pell Grant money, plus our state had an additional need-based grant that added another $1,500. The key was comparing the actual aid packages when they came in - some schools were WAY more generous than others even with the same SAI. My biggest piece of advice: don't panic about the sticker prices you see on college websites. Focus on the net price calculators each school provides, and when those official award letters arrive, look only at grants and scholarships (free money) versus total cost. The loans will always be there if you need them, but the free money varies dramatically between schools. Also, if your son is considering any private colleges, don't rule them out yet! Sometimes their institutional aid can make them surprisingly competitive with state schools for families in our income range. You're asking all the right questions and you got your FAFSA done - you're already ahead of the game! Take a deep breath, you've got this! 💪

Welcome to the new FAFSA experience! As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I can confirm what others have said - it really is just assets and IRS authorization now. The system worked perfectly for us, but I'd definitely recommend what StarStrider mentioned about checking your SAI calculation once it's ready. One thing I learned: if you do run into issues with the IRS data transfer, don't panic. The schools' financial aid offices are very familiar with these hiccups and can help resolve them quickly. Most have extended their priority deadlines this year specifically because of the new system's quirks. Good luck with your twins' applications!

As a financial aid newbie (this is my first kid going to college), I found this thread incredibly helpful! I was having the exact same confusion when I started my FAFSA yesterday. Like others mentioned, I kept looking for the income section and couldn't find it anywhere - just assets and the IRS authorization. It's reassuring to hear this is normal, but also a bit scary reading about the potential transfer failures. I think I'll definitely be obsessively checking our SAI calculation when it comes through. Has anyone figured out roughly how long it takes from submission to getting the SAI results? Just trying to manage my anxiety levels here! 😅 Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is a lifesaver for confused parents like me!

I'm currently going through my own SAP appeal process and wanted to add something that really helped me - if your school has a financial aid workshop or counseling appointments available, definitely try to schedule one before submitting your appeal. At my school, they had a financial aid counselor review my draft appeal letter and documentation before I officially submitted it. She caught a few things I missed and helped me strengthen my explanation. Some schools also have writing centers that can help with appeal letters if you're not sure how to structure it. Also, since you mentioned you're in nursing school - many nursing programs have their own student success coordinators who are familiar with SAP issues. They might be able to provide a letter of support or connect you with resources specific to nursing students. Your situation sounds very promising given your GPA and proximity to graduation. The fact that you've been successful since returning to the nursing program is exactly what they want to see. Best of luck with your appeal!

I went through a SAP appeal last year and it was approved! One thing that really helped me was creating a timeline showing my academic journey - including the reasons for my major changes and how my grades improved once I found the right program. For your appeal, I'd definitely include: - Your current nursing program GPA (if it's different/higher than your overall GPA) - A letter from your nursing advisor confirming you're in good standing and on track for May graduation - Documentation showing you've been successful since re-entering the nursing program in fall 2023 The fact that you're so close to graduation with a solid GPA works strongly in your favor. Financial aid offices generally want to help students cross the finish line when they can demonstrate they're on the right track. Just be thorough with your documentation and honest about your journey - they've seen it all before and understand that students sometimes need time to find their path. You've got this! Being one semester away with a 3.4 GPA puts you in a much better position than many SAP appeals they review.