I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm actually dealing with a slightly different but related issue - I submitted my FAFSA but realized I accidentally included a school that I'm no longer interested in attending (my parents made me apply there as a backup). Since I know I won't be going there, should I remove it from my FAFSA to avoid any confusion? Or does it not matter if I just ignore any aid packages they might send me? I don't want to mess anything up for my actual top choices by having too many schools listed. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I just went through this exact same situation two weeks ago! The panic is real when you think you've messed up something so important. I want to echo what everyone else has said - the remove/re-add method absolutely works and is much easier than it sounds. One thing I'd add that helped me: before you start the process, make sure you're logged in during off-peak hours (like early morning or late evening). I tried doing this during lunch time on a weekday and the site kept timing out on me. When I tried again around 10pm, everything went smoothly. Also, don't stress if you see that "processing" message for a few days - mine took exactly 4 days to update and all my schools received the corrected information without any issues. You've got this!

Update: My sister finally got everything sorted out! She had to withdraw the first application and start a completely new one. My niece now understands she's a dependent student for FAFSA purposes even though she lives on campus. The new application is asking for parent information like it should. Thanks everyone for your help - who knew checking one wrong box could cause so much trouble!

This is such a common mistake! I'm a college admissions counselor and we see this dependency confusion constantly. The key thing to remember is that for FAFSA purposes, almost ALL undergraduate students under 24 are considered dependent regardless of where they live or whether they have jobs. The only exceptions are very specific situations like being married, having children you support more than 50%, being a veteran, or being homeless/at risk of homelessness. Living in a dorm and having a part-time job definitely doesn't qualify as independent! I always tell families to read each question very carefully and when in doubt, assume you're dependent - it's much easier to correct from dependent to independent than the other way around.

I'm so glad you got this resolved! Your story is incredibly helpful for the rest of us navigating this chaotic FAFSA year. The Schedule C business income trigger makes total sense now - I bet a lot of parents with small businesses or side hustles are running into the same issue without realizing it. It's ridiculous that we have to become detective experts to figure out why our "completed" applications suddenly need more review, but at least you persisted and got answers. The fact that they're expediting your review and the school is providing a preliminary aid package shows that there ARE people in the system who understand how broken this process has been. Your experience gives me hope that even when things seem impossible, there's usually a solution if you keep pushing. Wishing your son all the best with his college decision!

What a rollercoaster ride you've been on! I'm so relieved to read your update that you finally got through and identified the issue with the Schedule C business income. Your persistence really paid off, and it's great that the school is working with you on a preliminary aid package. This whole thread has been incredibly educational for those of us dealing with similar FAFSA nightmares. The business income trigger seems to be catching a lot of people off guard this year. I have a small Etsy shop that I report on Schedule C and now I'm wondering if that's why our application has been stuck in processing limbo for over a month! Thanks for taking the time to post the resolution - it gives the rest of us hope that there actually ARE answers out there, even if it takes way too much effort to get them. Hoping your son gets an amazing financial aid package and can move forward with his college plans stress-free! 🎉

This thread has been so helpful! I'm going through the exact same thing with my daughter's sophomore year FAFSA. Her SAI went up about $1,200 even though our income actually decreased slightly from last year. After reading all these responses, I'm realizing it's probably because she had a much better summer job last year and earned around $4,000 vs the $800 she made the year before. I had no idea student income was assessed at 20% - that would explain almost the entire increase right there! I'm definitely going to request that side-by-side comparison from her financial aid office and also check out that Claimyr service Connor mentioned since I've been trying to reach FSA for weeks. It's so frustrating that they don't explain these calculation details anywhere obvious. You really have to dig to understand why these numbers change so dramatically year to year.

This is such a frustrating but common experience! I went through the exact same thing with my son's sophomore year - his SAI increased by about $900 even though we thought nothing had changed financially. After digging into it, I discovered several factors that weren't obvious: First, like others mentioned, student income is assessed much more heavily than parent income or assets. Even a modest increase in summer job earnings can have a big impact. Second, there are these "asset protection allowances" that change based on the age of the older parent, and the thresholds can shift slightly each year due to inflation adjustments. What really helped us was going to the financial aid office with specific questions. Don't just ask "why did it go up" - ask for that side-by-side breakdown Miguel mentioned, and specifically ask them to identify which line items changed between years. We found out my son's summer internship earnings were the main culprit, plus a small change in how we reported one of our investment accounts. The good news is that once you understand what's driving the change, you can plan better for future years. We now time his work income more strategically and are much more careful about asset reporting. Hang in there - the learning curve is steep but you'll get through it!

I'm having this exact same issue and it's been driving me absolutely crazy! My daughter sent me the parent invitation 3 days ago and that Continue button is completely dead - I've probably clicked it 200 times at this point. I was starting to think I was losing my mind or that my computer was broken, so finding this thread is such a massive relief! It's incredibly frustrating when you're trying to help your kid meet their financial aid deadline and the system just refuses to work. I'm definitely going to try Kyle's proven method tonight - Chrome incognito mode, all extensions disabled, pop-up blocker turned off, and accessing during those late night hours when traffic is lower. If that doesn't work, I'll have my daughter cancel and resend the invitation since that seems to be a crucial step for so many people here. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community is a lifesaver for stressed parents dealing with this technical nightmare! I'll report back once I hopefully get it working. Fingers crossed!

I'm going through the exact same nightmare right now! My son sent me the parent invitation 5 days ago and I've been stuck at that acceptance screen with a completely unresponsive Continue button. I've tried everything - different browsers, clearing cache, using my phone, my work laptop, even asked my neighbor to try on her computer - nothing! I was starting to think I was technologically hopeless, so finding this thread is such a huge relief. It's so frustrating when you're trying to help your child meet their deadline and the system just won't cooperate. I'm definitely going to try Kyle's proven method tonight - Chrome incognito mode, all extensions disabled, pop-up blocker turned off, and accessing during off-peak hours around 11pm. If that doesn't work, I'll have my son cancel and resend the invitation since that step seems crucial for so many people here. Thank you everyone for sharing your solutions and keeping each other sane during this technical disaster - this community support is incredible! I'll update everyone once I hopefully break through this broken system.