Hey my daughter just went thru this whole fafsa process and something nobody mentioned is that the parent and the student cant be logged in at the same time from different devices. My wifes account kept getting locked because our daughter was already signed in. Maybe thats part of your problem too?

As someone who just went through this nightmare last month, I wanted to add a few more tips that saved me after nearly giving up. First, if you're still having trouble, try using an incognito/private browsing window - sometimes cached data from previous failed login attempts causes issues. Second, I discovered that the FAFSA system sometimes doesn't recognize special characters in passwords properly, so if your password has symbols like &, @, or !, try creating a new one with just letters and numbers. Finally, if you're using a VPN or your internet provider has you behind a shared IP (common with some rural providers), try temporarily disabling the VPN or using mobile data instead. The system flags multiple failed attempts from the same IP address. I know it's incredibly stressful with deadlines looming, but don't lose hope - there's usually a technical workaround that works!

To address your specific question about filing status: For schools that only require the custodial parent's information, filing separately would typically be better IF your income is significantly lower. However, you should also consider: 1. What tax benefits you might lose by filing separately (potentially significant) 2. Whether the specific medical schools your children are applying to will actually only use custodial parent information (many still require both parents' information regardless) 3. Whether the financial aid advantage outweighs the potential tax disadvantages For medical school specifically, you should be aware that while federal loans don't require parent information since med students are considered independent, institutional grants and scholarships often do still consider parent finances - sometimes even requiring information from both divorced parents.

As someone who just went through the medical school application process with my daughter, I can confirm that filing separately was beneficial for us since I was the custodial parent with lower income. However, I'd strongly recommend getting professional tax advice first - we almost lost out on some education tax credits that would have saved us more than the potential FAFSA benefit. Also, make sure to check each school's net price calculator if they have one. Some schools like Harvard, NYU, and a few others have implemented free tuition programs for families under certain income thresholds, which could make your filing status decision less critical for those particular schools. One thing I wish we'd known earlier: start having conversations with the financial aid offices at your top choice schools now, before applications are due. They can often give you school-specific guidance about their policies regarding divorced parents.

Some practical advice for your specific situation: 1. Submit the 2025-2026 FAFSA in early December 2024 2. Contact the financial aid office at your daughter's college in January 2025 to ask: - Do they have a separate summer aid application process? - What are the deadlines for summer aid? - Are there restrictions on which summer courses new freshmen can take? - Will her aid package be split between summer and regular terms? 3. Have your daughter speak with an academic advisor about which summer courses make the most sense for her intended major 4. Remember that using financial aid for summer may reduce what's available for fall/spring, so work out the full-year plan This early planning will put you well ahead of many families who miss out on summer aid due to timing issues.

As someone who went through this process with my oldest child two years ago, I can't stress enough how important it is to start early and stay organized! Here are a few additional tips that saved us a lot of headaches: 1. Create a shared calendar with all the important dates - FAFSA opening (Dec 1), school-specific summer aid deadlines, course registration dates, etc. 2. Keep a spreadsheet tracking all the different forms and requirements. Each school seems to have slightly different processes for summer aid. 3. Don't assume summer courses will automatically be covered - some schools have separate funding pools for summer that run out quickly. 4. If your daughter is considering multiple colleges, check their summer policies before making her final decision. Some are much more generous with summer aid than others. The good news is that once you figure out the system for summer 2025, you'll be a pro for future years! Good luck with everything!

same thing happened to my cousin and they ended up at community college instead lol

I'm so sorry you're going through this stress! As someone new to the FAFSA process, I'm finding it really eye-opening (and terrifying) to read about these discrepancies between the estimator and actual SAI. It sounds like you're getting some really solid advice here about contacting the financial aid office and requesting a professional judgment review. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that once you get the full aid package, it won't be as bad as you're fearing right now. The fact that schools are apparently trying to compensate for the new formula issues gives me some hope for all of us dealing with this. Please keep us updated on how it goes - I have a feeling a lot of families are going to be in similar situations this year!

my sister got a similar SAI and ended up going to her safety school because they gave her a merit scholarship that made it WAYYYY cheaper than her dream school even though the sticker price was similar

I'm in a similar situation with my SAI! One thing that helped me was creating a spreadsheet to track each school's cost of attendance minus my SAI to see my actual financial need at each place. Also, don't forget that your SAI is valid for the entire academic year, so if a school costs $30k, your family is expected to contribute about $20k, leaving $10k in demonstrated need that the school might help with through grants, work-study, or loans. It's definitely worth waiting to see all your actual financial aid packages before making any decisions - I was surprised by how much they varied between schools!