As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. My family is facing a very similar situation - we're US citizens currently living in Switzerland for my husband's job, and our daughter just received a denial for financial aid from her university citing our foreign address. What's particularly frustrating is that we were also told during the application process that our international residence wouldn't impact federal aid eligibility. Now we're scrambling with tuition deadlines approaching and feeling completely overwhelmed by the conflicting information we've received. Based on all the excellent advice shared here, I'm planning to immediately request a professional judgment review and ask specifically whether they're denying federal Title IV aid or institutional aid. The strategies about escalating to someone who handles special circumstances cases and requesting everything in writing seem crucial. One question for those who've successfully resolved similar situations - did you find it helpful to have all your documentation (tax returns, proof of US citizenship, etc.) organized and ready to send electronically? I want to be prepared to provide whatever they need quickly to avoid any delays in the review process. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly. This community is providing exactly the support and guidance our family needed during this stressful time!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm reading through this thread with such a mix of emotions - gratitude for finding people who truly understand this situation, but also frustration that so many expatriate families have to deal with these completely incorrect denials! What really stands out to me is how every single success story follows the same pattern: the initial denial is wrong, the front-line staff don't understand expatriate cases, but once you escalate to someone knowledgeable and force them to cite actual regulations, they quickly reverse their position. This gives me so much hope! I'm particularly grateful for the specific language everyone has shared - phrases like "professional judgment review," "Title IV federal aid eligibility," and "cite the specific CFR section" are going to be game-changers. The advice about distinguishing between federal and institutional aid is also crucial since that seems to be where so much confusion originates. One thing I'm curious about - for those who successfully appealed, did you find that the schools updated their training or procedures afterward to prevent future families from going through this same ordeal? It seems like these "mistakes" keep happening across different universities, which suggests this is more of a systemic training issue than isolated incidents. Thank you all for turning your stressful experiences into such valuable guidance for the rest of us. This community is incredible!

anybody else think its CRAZY we gotta be tax experts to get through college these days lol

Just wanted to add for anyone else reading this - if your parents are married filing separately, you'll need to add up BOTH of their line 24 amounts from their individual 1040 forms. Don't just use one parent's return! I almost made this mistake when I filled out mine earlier this year. The FAFSA wants the total household federal income tax paid, not just one parent's portion.

Just wanted to jump in as someone who works at a college financial aid office - you've gotten excellent advice here! One additional tip I'd add is to make sure your daughter saves screenshots or prints copies of her original FAFSA before making any corrections, just for her records. Also, when she contacts the financial aid office, she should ask specifically about their "change in family circumstances" policy. Many schools have special procedures for mid-year changes like marriage that can expedite the review process. Some schools even have dedicated staff members who handle dependency status changes, so asking to speak with that specific person can save time. The fact that both she and her spouse are students with low income should work very much in her favor - you're likely looking at a significant increase in her aid eligibility. Make sure she emphasizes that they're both full-time students when she speaks with financial aid, as this can unlock additional funding opportunities!

This thread has been so incredibly helpful! As someone new to navigating FAFSA with all these different scenarios, I'm amazed by how knowledgeable and supportive this community is. I'm actually in a somewhat similar situation - my son got engaged recently and they're planning to get married next spring, which would be right in the middle of filing the 2026-2027 FAFSA. Reading through all these responses has given me a much better understanding of how marriage affects dependency status and what we'll need to prepare for. The advice about contacting the financial aid office before making any FAFSA corrections, keeping documentation handy, and understanding the timing implications is so valuable. It sounds like the key is being proactive and communicating with the school early in the process. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and expertise - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice that makes such a difference when navigating these complex financial aid rules!

I'm a newcomer to this community and going through my first FAFSA experience with my daughter! This thread has been incredibly enlightening - I had so many of the same questions that have already been answered here. As a stay-at-home parent for the past 7 years, I was really worried about whether I was handling the parent information correctly. One additional tip I'd like to share for other newcomers: I found it helpful to do a "practice run" by looking at the FAFSA website's demo version before actually starting our real application. It gave me a good sense of what information I'd need to gather ahead of time without the pressure of making actual submissions. Also, for anyone feeling overwhelmed by this process - you're not alone! This community seems incredibly supportive and knowledgeable. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and advice. It's made what felt like an impossible task seem much more manageable!

As someone who just went through this exact situation with my son's FAFSA this year, I can definitely confirm that both parents must provide information even if one doesn't work! I've been a stay-at-home parent for 8 years, and initially I thought I could just skip the sections that didn't apply to me - big mistake! Here's what I wish I had known from the start: yes, you'll put zeros for income fields, but you absolutely need your own FSA ID and must provide all your personal information. That inheritance you mentioned definitely needs to be reported as an asset. I made the error of thinking "well, I didn't earn it through work" but the FAFSA looks at ALL family resources regardless of source. One thing that really helped me was organizing everything beforehand: both parents' SSNs, our joint tax return, all bank statements, and any investment/asset documentation. The actual form completion went much smoother once I had everything in one place. Don't stress too much - you can always make corrections later if needed, and the financial aid offices are usually very helpful if you have questions specific to your situation!

This has been such a helpful discussion! I'm also navigating FAFSA with a blended family situation. One additional thing I wanted to mention that helped us - when we were gathering documentation for our professional judgment appeal, we also included a sworn affidavit that I wrote detailing the absent parent's lack of involvement and financial support. Our financial aid counselor said it was really helpful to have everything in one clear document rather than scattered pieces of evidence. I basically outlined the timeline of when contact stopped, confirmed there was no child support, and included details about being the sole provider for housing, medical care, education expenses, etc. Also, for anyone worried about the impact of a new spouse's income - while it's true that it can reduce aid eligibility, remember that you're also gaining a second potential income source for college expenses. It's not ideal from an aid perspective, but the overall family financial capacity does increase, which is partly why the FAFSA includes stepparent income. Still frustrating though when you're in that transition period!

As someone who works with families on college planning, I wanted to add a few practical tips for your situation. Since you're getting married in February 2025 and filing FAFSA in fall 2025, consider having a conversation with your new spouse about college financial planning early in your relationship. Even though his income will count toward the FAFSA calculation, you'll want to discuss how college costs will actually be handled - will it be a shared responsibility, or will you continue to be the primary financial provider for your daughter's education? Also, I'd suggest creating a simple spreadsheet to track all the support you've provided for your daughter over the years (housing, medical, educational expenses, etc.). This documentation could be invaluable if you need to request professional judgment later. And don't forget to check if your daughter qualifies for any merit-based scholarships that aren't tied to financial need - these can help offset any reduction in need-based aid. One last thing: consider running some preliminary financial aid calculators on college websites using both your current single-parent income and your projected married household income. This will give you a rough idea of the potential impact and help you set realistic expectations for your daughter's college search.