As someone who just went through this exact situation last year with my twins, I want to add a few things that really helped us. First, don't overlook work-study opportunities - even though they weren't offered in your initial package, you can sometimes request them later, and they provide tax-free income that doesn't count against future financial aid calculations. Also, consider having your twins apply to be RAs (Resident Advisors) in their sophomore year - this often covers room and board completely, which can save $10K+ per year per child. It's competitive but worth planning for early. One thing I wish I'd known sooner: some schools will let you defer enrollment for a year if you can't make the finances work. This gives you more time to save and apply for additional scholarships. Not ideal, but better than taking on crushing debt. Finally, check if your twins' schools participate in tuition exchange programs with your employer or other schools. Some universities have reciprocal agreements that can significantly reduce costs that aren't widely advertised. Hang in there - the first year is always the most stressful financially, but it gets easier once you have systems in place!

I'm a parent who went through this same nightmare with twins in 2023, and I want to emphasize something that saved us thousands: apply for EVERY small scholarship you can find, even the weird ones. We found scholarships specifically for twins ($2K each), left-handed students ($500), students whose parents work in healthcare ($1K), even one for students born in July ($750). It sounds ridiculous but these small amounts really add up! Also, some private schools have emergency grant funds that aren't part of the regular aid process - you have to specifically ask the financial aid office about "emergency" or "unexpected hardship" grants. We got an extra $5K from one school just by explaining our twin situation as an unexpected financial burden. One more tip: if you're considering Parent PLUS, apply for more than you think you need initially. You can always return unused funds, but if you need more later, you'll have to go through the application process again. The interest doesn't start accruing until the funds are disbursed to the school. You've got this - the panic stage is normal, but there are always solutions!

I'm having the EXACT same problem right now but with the PARENT signature part. My dad keeps trying to sign but nothing happens when he clicks. Has anyone had this specific issue with the parent signature portion? Is it the same fix?

Just wanted to add another potential solution for anyone still struggling with this - I work at my college's financial aid office and we've been seeing this signature page issue a LOT this year. One thing that often helps is making sure you're not using any VPN services when trying to sign. The FSA system flags VPN traffic as potentially suspicious and can block the signature process. Also, if you're using a work or school computer, sometimes the institutional firewalls interfere with the secure connection needed for signing. Try using your personal device on your home network if possible. The good news is that your application data IS being saved even when the signature fails, so you won't lose your progress!

Just jumping in as someone who's been lurking and dealing with the exact same phantom "FAFSA Correction Started" issue! It's been sitting on my account since early May too and I've been so worried about touching anything. Reading through everyone's experiences here is such a huge relief - clearly this is a widespread system glitch that hit a bunch of us around the same time. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here and click "remove myself from correction" today. Seeing so many success stories where people's status changed to processing within hours gives me the confidence I needed. I was terrified of accidentally messing up my whole application, but it sounds like this is actually the fix we need. @Logan Chiang thank you so much for the professional perspective - it really helps to have someone from a financial aid office confirm this is a known issue. And all the tips about checking for verification requests afterward are super helpful. I'll make sure to monitor my account closely over the next few days. This thread has been a lifesaver! It's so reassuring to know I'm not alone in this FAFSA nightmare year. Hopefully I'll have some good progress to report back soon. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and helping each other through this mess! 🤞

I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been dealing with that exact same phantom "FAFSA Correction Started" status since early May and have been absolutely panicking about it. Like everyone else here, I definitely never started any correction myself, so it's such a relief to read that this is a confirmed system glitch affecting tons of students. Reading through all your experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that clicking "remove myself from correction" is the solution. I was terrified to touch anything because I didn't want to accidentally mess up my entire application, but seeing so many success stories gives me the confidence to finally do it. @Logan Chiang thank you for the professional insight from someone who actually works in financial aid! It makes such a difference to have official confirmation that this is a known issue. And @Miles Hammonds that email matching tip is something I definitely need to verify with my parents before they complete their contributor portions. I'm going to remove myself from correction right now and then keep checking daily for any verification requests that might pop up afterward. Fingers crossed I'll finally be able to get my SAI calculated and move forward with my financial aid applications. This whole 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout has been such a disaster, but at least we're all helping each other navigate through it! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community support has been invaluable during such a stressful time! 🙏

I just went through this exact same situation last year! The confusion is totally understandable. Here's what worked for me: Yes, you need a completely fresh FAFSA application for 2025-2026 - there's no way to "transfer" or update your daughter's info. Keep your parent FSA ID but make sure your son creates his own student FSA ID before you start. The hardest part for me was mentally preparing for the financial impact - with only one kid in college instead of two, our Expected Family Contribution (now called SAI) basically doubled, so we qualified for way less aid. Start the application as soon as it opens in December and don't wait - some schools have really early deadlines for their institutional aid. The 2023 tax info requirement threw me off too, but once you get started it's actually not too bad. Good luck!

I'm going through this exact situation right now too! My oldest graduates in May and my younger one starts college in fall. From what I've learned talking to the financial aid office, you definitely need to file a brand new FAFSA for 2025-2026 - no transferring info unfortunately. The biggest shock for me was finding out that having only one kid in college instead of two can significantly increase your SAI (Student Aid Index), which means potentially a lot less aid. I'd recommend calling your son's college's financial aid office directly to ask about their specific deadlines and any merit-based scholarships he might qualify for to help offset the reduced need-based aid. Also make sure to submit the FAFSA as early as possible when it opens in December - some aid really is first-come, first-served!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this process recently! The Parent PLUS application really is separate from FAFSA - took us by surprise too. One thing that helped us was that my school's financial aid portal actually had a direct link to the Parent PLUS application with our school code already filled in, which saved some time. Also, my mom was worried about the credit check but it turned out to be pretty straightforward - they mainly just check for recent defaults or bankruptcies, not your overall credit score. The whole process from application to funds being sent to the school took about 2-3 weeks for us. Definitely don't wait until the last minute though! Good luck with everything!

Hey Sienna! I just went through this exact same confusion last year with my daughter's financial aid. Everyone here is absolutely right - the FAFSA is just step one, and your parents definitely need to do a separate Parent PLUS loan application. One thing I'd add is to make sure your mom has her own FSA ID set up if she doesn't already (sounds like she might from helping with the original FAFSA). She'll need that to log into studentaid.gov for the PLUS application. Also, when she does apply, she can choose to borrow less than the full amount shown on your award letter if you don't need it all. We made that mistake the first year and borrowed more than we actually needed. The application will show the maximum she can borrow, but she can select any amount up to that limit. Hope this helps and good luck with everything! The system is definitely confusing but once you get through it the first time, it makes more sense.