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Don't stress about this at all! I went through the exact same thing last year and it worked out perfectly fine. I had 7 schools on my FAFSA and ended up at my state school too. The other schools just eventually stopped sending me financial aid info once their deadlines passed. Your aid at State University is completely separate and won't be affected by the other schools having your FAFSA data - that's literally how the system is supposed to work! Just focus on making sure State has everything they need from you and you'll be all set.
Thank you so much for sharing this! It's really comforting to hear from someone who went through the exact same situation. I was definitely overthinking it and getting anxious for no reason. It makes total sense that the system would be designed to handle multiple applications since that's what pretty much every student does. I feel much better now knowing that State University will process my aid independently and I don't need to worry about the other schools interfering. I'll just focus on making sure I respond to anything State needs from me!
I can relate to this panic! When I submitted my FAFSA two years ago, I listed 4 schools and then freaked out when I realized I'd only be attending one of them. Turns out it's completely normal and expected - the whole system is built around students applying to multiple schools but only enrolling at one. Each school processes your FAFSA data independently, so State University will handle your aid package without any interference from the other schools. The other schools will just stop processing your info once you don't enroll by their deadlines. No action needed on your part - just keep checking your State University portal for any verification requests they might send you!
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This is incredible information! As a parent of a sophomore with an IEP for autism spectrum disorder, I had no idea this funding existed. We've been dreading the college financing conversation because even with good grades, I knew we'd struggle with whatever the FAFSA expects us to pay. A couple questions for those who've been through this process: 1. Do they require the student to be actively receiving special education services senior year, or is having had an IEP/504 in the past sufficient? 2. How detailed do the career plans need to be? My son is interested in computer science but hasn't narrowed down a specific focus yet. I'm definitely calling our state's VR office first thing Monday morning. Thank you Jean Claude for sharing this - you might have just changed our family's entire college trajectory!
Welcome to the community! This is such valuable information that Jean Claude shared. From what I've seen in this thread, it sounds like having had an IEP/504 in the past is usually sufficient - you don't necessarily need active services senior year, but definitely bring all your documentation. For the career planning part, computer science is actually a great field for VR funding since there's such a clear path to employment! Even if your son hasn't picked a specific focus yet, the general CS degree path should work fine. Make sure to start the process early though - several people mentioned it can take months for approval. Good luck with your call on Monday!
This is absolutely life-changing information! I'm a parent of a high school senior with ADHD who has a 504 plan, and honestly I've been losing sleep over college costs. Our FAFSA came back with an SAI of $21,000 which feels impossible given our actual financial situation. I had never even heard of vocational rehabilitation funding before reading this post. I'm definitely calling our state's VR office tomorrow morning to get the ball rolling, though I'm worried we might be starting too late since my daughter is already a senior. For those who've gone through this process - is there any chance they can still approve funding that starts in fall semester if we apply now, or are we looking at having to defer for a year? The timing aspect has me really stressed since most college deposits are due soon. Either way, thank you SO much Jean Claude for sharing this. You've given so many families hope when we really needed it most! 🙏
Don't panic about the timing! I was in a similar situation last year with my son who's now a college freshman. We applied to VR services in January of his senior year and they were still able to get funding approved for fall semester - it was tight, but doable. The key is to get your application in ASAP and be really responsive to any requests for additional documentation. Some states have emergency processing for students who are graduating soon. Also, many colleges will work with you on deposit deadlines if you explain you're waiting on VR funding approval - they want students to succeed! Call first thing tomorrow and explain your timeline - they deal with this situation more often than you'd think. You've got this! 💪
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I'm also dealing with this exact situation and wanted to add one more resource that really helped us - the UC system has something called the "Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan" that guarantees to cover systemwide fees for California residents whose family income is below $80,000. But even if you're above that threshold, they sometimes have additional funds available through appeals. What really made a difference for us was being very specific about the timing of our expenses. Since you have two kids starting/continuing at the same time, make sure to emphasize in your appeal letters that this creates an unusual financial burden that wasn't fully captured in the standard FAFSA calculations. Also, don't be afraid to mention if you're considering having one child take a gap year due to financial constraints - financial aid offices often respond more favorably when they understand you're genuinely at risk of not being able to attend due to costs. One last thing - if you have any retirement savings or home equity, be prepared to explain why you can't/shouldn't tap into those funds. They sometimes suggest these as options, but you can make a case for why that would create long-term financial hardship. The process is definitely stressful, but I've seen so many families get meaningful additional aid through appeals. Stay persistent and document everything!
This is such helpful information about the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan! I had no idea there might be additional funds available through appeals even if we're over the $80k threshold. That gives me hope that there could be more options than I initially thought. Your point about being specific regarding the timing of expenses is really smart - you're right that having two kids in college simultaneously creates a unique financial burden that the standard FAFSA calculations don't fully capture. I'm definitely going to emphasize this in our appeal letters. The suggestion about mentioning the possibility of a gap year is interesting but also terrifying - we really don't want it to come to that, but I can see how it would demonstrate the genuine nature of our financial constraints. Did you actually mention this in your appeals, and if so, how did you phrase it without sounding like you were making threats? Also, thank you for the heads up about potential questions regarding retirement savings and home equity. We do have some home equity, but tapping into it would definitely create long-term problems. It's good to know I should be prepared to explain why that's not a viable option for us. This whole thread has been incredibly valuable - it's amazing how much collective wisdom there is here from families who have been through this process!
I'm just starting to navigate this same situation with my twins who both got accepted to UCs this year - one to UC Riverside and one to UC Santa Cruz. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening and honestly both encouraging and nerve-wracking at the same time! What I'm realizing is that I need to act fast on these appeals. I've been procrastinating because the whole process seemed so intimidating, but seeing that multiple people here have had success with appeals for multiple children in college is giving me the push I need to get started. A few questions for those who've been through this: 1. Is there a particular order I should tackle things in? Should I call both financial aid offices first to understand their processes, or jump straight into gathering documentation? 2. For those who mentioned department-specific scholarships - is this something I should pursue simultaneously with the main financial aid appeal, or focus on one thing at a time? 3. Has anyone had experience specifically with UC Riverside or UC Santa Cruz appeals? I'm wondering if the smaller UCs have different approaches or success rates. I'm also curious about the timeline - for those who were successful, how long did it take from submission to getting additional aid awards? I'm trying to plan out our family budget and would love to have some idea of when we might hear back. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - this thread is like a masterclass in UC financial aid appeals that I never knew I needed!
Welcome to the UC financial aid appeal club - you're definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed! I just went through this process last year with my kids at UC Davis and UC San Diego, so I can share what worked for me. For your questions: 1. I'd recommend calling both financial aid offices first to understand their specific requirements - it saves time later and shows you're serious about the process. UC Riverside and UC Santa Cruz might have slightly different forms or documentation needs. 2. I pursued department scholarships simultaneously with the main appeal. It's more work upfront, but since both have deadlines, you don't want to miss opportunities by doing them sequentially. 3. I haven't dealt with those specific campuses, but generally the smaller UCs can actually be more responsive since they have smaller applicant pools for appeals. Don't assume they have less money - sometimes it's the opposite! Timeline-wise, I heard back from both schools within 3-4 weeks of submitting complete appeals. The key is "complete" - any missing documentation will delay the process significantly. One tip: create a simple spreadsheet to track what you've submitted to each school and when. It really helps when following up. You've got this - the fact that you're being proactive now puts you ahead of many families who wait until the last minute!
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Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community and this whole FAFSA process. I just submitted my application last week and I'm already getting anxious about the wait time after reading everyone's experiences here. It's really helpful to see the range of processing times - from 4 days to 5 weeks! I had no idea that only student emails get the notifications, so I'm definitely going to set up forwarding to my mom's email like several people suggested. Quick question for the group: if I need to make corrections to my FAFSA after it's already submitted, does that reset the processing clock completely or do they just process the changes? Thanks for all the great advice in this thread - feeling much more prepared now!
Welcome to the community! Great question about corrections - if you make changes to your FAFSA after submission, it typically doesn't completely reset the processing clock, but it can add a few extra days since they need to reprocess the updated information. Minor corrections (like fixing a typo) usually process quickly, but if you're changing major financial information, it might take longer. The good news is that your original submission date is still preserved for priority deadlines at schools. Just make sure any corrections you make are really necessary, since frequent changes can sometimes flag your application for additional review. You're smart to ask these questions upfront - it shows you're thinking ahead!
Hi everyone! I'm completely new to this community and the FAFSA process - just found this thread while frantically googling "FAFSA processing time" at 2am! I submitted my application 6 days ago and I'm already checking studentaid.gov obsessively multiple times per day. Reading through all your experiences has been both reassuring and terrifying at the same time - it's good to know the wide range of processing times is normal, but wow, 5 weeks sounds awful! I had no clue about the student-email-only thing, so I'm immediately setting up forwarding to my dad's email. One quick question - should I be worried that my application status just says "Submitted" instead of "Processing"? Or is that normal for the first week? Thanks for being such a welcoming and informative community!
Jenna Sloan
I'm a newcomer to this whole process and honestly feeling pretty overwhelmed! My parents keep asking me when I'm going to start my FAFSA and I've been putting it off because I thought it would be this huge complicated thing. But reading through all these comments actually makes me feel more prepared. It sounds like even though it's not as "simplified" as the marketing made it seem, it's still way better than the old system. Can someone confirm - do I need to have my parents' most recent tax return completely finished before I can start, or can I use estimates and update it later?
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Chloe Wilson
•Welcome to the FAFSA world! Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed at first. To answer your question: you can absolutely start your FAFSA using estimates if your parents haven't finished their tax return yet. The FAFSA actually allows you to use "will file" status and enter estimated information based on pay stubs, bank statements, and last year's tax return. Just make sure to go back and update it with the actual tax information once their return is complete - this is really important because colleges use the final numbers to determine your aid package. The key is to submit it as early as possible (even with estimates) since some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis!
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Malik Robinson
As someone who just went through this process last month, I can confirm that the "simplified" FAFSA is definitely better than the old version, but the marketing around it was pretty misleading. The automatic tax import is a huge time-saver - I didn't have to manually type in dozens of numbers from my parents' 1040. However, we still spent about an hour gathering asset information (checking account balances, investment values, etc.) because that stuff obviously isn't on tax returns. One tip that helped us: before you start, gather all your financial documents first - recent bank statements, investment account statements, and your parents' tax return. Having everything ready made the process much smoother. And don't stress too much about getting exact numbers for assets - as of the day you file is fine, you don't need to calculate average balances or anything complicated like that. The reduction from 108 to 36 questions is real though - my older brother's FAFSA from a few years ago was definitely more of a marathon!
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Connor Gallagher
•This is super helpful, thank you! I'm definitely going to follow your advice about gathering all the documents first - that sounds way more organized than my usual approach of scrambling to find things as I go. Quick question though: when you say "as of the day you file" for asset balances, do you mean I should check all the account balances on the same day I'm actually filling out the FAFSA? I was worried I'd need to do some complicated averaging or pick a specific date from weeks ago. Also, did you run into any technical issues with the website, or has that gotten better with the new system?
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