I'm going through something similar right now! My dad's small business basically collapsed in January (way after we filed our taxes), and our SAI came back ridiculously high too. I started the professional judgment process at my school about 3 weeks ago and it's been a rollercoaster. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - when you call the financial aid office, ask them to email you a checklist of exactly what documents they need. Every person I talked to seemed to want something slightly different, and I ended up submitting way more paperwork than necessary at first. Getting that official list saved me so much time and confusion. Also, if your school has a student financial services website, check if they have the PJ forms available for download. Mine did, but it was buried like 5 pages deep and not easy to find. Having the forms filled out ahead of time when I called made the whole conversation much more productive. The waiting is the worst part honestly, but reading everyone's success stories here gives me hope that it'll work out. Fingers crossed for both of us!

This entire thread has been so incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar boat - my family's financial situation changed dramatically after we filed our FAFSA, and seeing all these detailed experiences and tips is giving me the roadmap I desperately needed. A few things that really stood out to me from everyone's advice: 1) Starting the appeal process ASAP since it can take weeks or months, 2) Getting an official email checklist from the financial aid office to avoid confusion, 3) Keeping copies of absolutely everything, and 4) being persistent with follow-ups. I'm curious though - for those who had successful appeals, did you find it helpful to include a personal statement explaining not just what happened, but how the change specifically impacts your ability to pay for school? I'm wondering if adding that context helps the financial aid officers understand the full picture beyond just the numbers. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially @Natalie Chen for the insider perspective from working in financial aid! This community is amazing.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this shock - it's becoming way too common with the new FAFSA formula. That SAI of 38,000 essentially means they expect your family to pay $38k per year (not per semester), so with a state school's lower total cost, there's less room for aid to fill the gap. A couple of immediate things to check: 1. You should be eligible for more federal loans - first-year students can borrow up to $5,500 total ($1,750 subsidized + $3,750 unsubsidized). That missing $3,750 could help significantly. 2. Make sure to ask about work-study, payment plans, and any institutional scholarships when you call the financial aid office. 3. With two kids in college next year, you have a strong case for a professional judgment appeal once you have all your offers. The middle-class squeeze is brutal right now, but don't lose hope until you've seen all your packages and exhausted your appeal options. Many families have successfully negotiated better deals. Hang in there!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - the sticker shock is absolutely brutal and unfortunately very common with the new FAFSA changes. Your SAI of 38,000 puts you right in that terrible "middle class penalty" zone where you make too much for significant need-based aid but nowhere near enough to actually afford these costs. A few immediate things to check: 1. That $1,750 is definitely just the subsidized loan portion - your daughter should qualify for an additional $3,750 in unsubsidized federal loans as a freshman (total $5,500/year). Call the financial aid office tomorrow to ask why these weren't included. 2. Ask about work-study opportunities, institutional scholarships, and payment plan options that might not have been in the initial package. 3. Don't panic about this first offer - wait to see all your packages before making decisions. Private schools sometimes offer better institutional aid despite higher sticker prices. 4. Start documenting everything for appeals, especially having two kids in college next year. Even though the new FAFSA doesn't auto-factor this in, schools can still consider it through professional judgment. The system feels broken for families like yours, but many people have successfully appealed and negotiated better packages. That first aid letter definitely isn't the final word - hang in there and advocate for your family!

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a very similar situation! My son's Parent Plus loan was just denied and I'm pretty sure it's because of a credit freeze I put in place after the Equifax breach a few years ago. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring - I had no idea this was such a common issue! A few questions for those who've successfully resolved this: Do you recommend calling the credit bureaus or using their online portals to lift the freeze? And should I contact my son's school before or after I reapply for the Parent Plus loan? I'm trying to figure out the best order to tackle everything. Also, for those who mentioned getting payment deadline extensions - did you need to provide any specific documentation to the school, or was explaining the situation over the phone sufficient? Thanks so much for creating such a supportive community around these stressful financial aid issues!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here too but dealing with this exact same nightmare. My daughter's Parent Plus loan was just denied yesterday and I'm 99% sure it's because of a credit freeze I completely forgot about from when my credit card got compromised in 2022. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was starting to panic thinking we wouldn't be able to cover spring tuition. The step-by-step advice about lifting the freeze at all three bureaus and the timelines people have shared are incredibly helpful. I'm planning to start with calling the school's financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning to get a payment extension, then tackle the credit bureau calls. It's so reassuring to know that schools deal with this situation regularly and are usually very understanding about Parent Plus processing delays. Has anyone had experience with this during spring semester specifically? I'm wondering if the processing times might be different since it's not peak application season. Thanks for building such a supportive community around these stressful situations!

I'm a newcomer here but I've been reading through this thread because I'm experiencing this exact same spouse section glitch! My wife completed her contributor portion three weeks ago and we received the confirmation email, but my account still shows it as incomplete. I've called FSA support seven times with no resolution - either long hold times or unhelpful agents. This thread has been incredibly valuable - it's both frustrating and reassuring to see how many people are dealing with this same system issue. I'm going to try the suggestions that seem to have worked for others: 1. The profile update trick from @StardustSeeker to force a database refresh 2. Having my wife go back and re-submit her completed section 3. Trying the live chat support instead of phone calls 4. Reaching out to my university's financial aid office about override options My deadline is coming up in two weeks and I was starting to panic, but seeing all these potential solutions gives me hope. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's clear the new FAFSA system has major issues but at least we're not dealing with this alone!

I just joined this community because I'm dealing with the exact same spouse section nightmare that everyone here is describing! My husband completed his contributor portion over three weeks ago, we have the confirmation email, but my account dashboard keeps showing his section as incomplete. It's preventing me from submitting our FAFSA and my school's priority deadline is in just 6 days. Reading through all these responses has been both eye-opening and somewhat comforting - it's clear this is a massive system-wide issue with the new FAFSA rollout, not something we're doing wrong. I'm planning to try several of the solutions mentioned here: 1. The profile update trick to force a database sync 2. Having my husband re-submit his already completed section 3. Using live chat instead of the phone support (which has been completely useless for us too) 4. Contacting my university's financial aid office about override options It's honestly shocking that the Department of Education hasn't issued clearer guidance or fixes for what's obviously a widespread technical problem. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - knowing we're not alone in this glitch gives me hope we can get it resolved before the deadline!

So glad to see this worked out! This is exactly why I always tell families to double-check which year they're selecting when creating FSA accounts. The new system can be confusing, but once you get all the contributors properly linked to the right application year, it usually processes smoothly. Your experience will probably help other families who run into the same issue!

As a parent who just went through this same nightmare last month, I can confirm that the resend invitation approach absolutely works! My husband also selected the wrong year initially and we were panicking about missing deadlines. The key thing I learned is that the student (your daughter) has complete control over the contributor invitations from her dashboard. She can resend them as many times as needed, and the system will automatically link contributors to the correct application year when they follow the email link. Don't stress too much about the March deadlines - most schools are being very understanding about FAFSA delays this year given all the system issues. The important thing is that your application is in the system and processing!