That's amazing news, Bethany! You're so lucky to have found a school that meets full need with institutional grants. Just a heads up - make sure to ask them about their aid renewal requirements. Some schools require you to maintain a certain GPA or complete a minimum number of credit hours each semester to keep your institutional grants. Also, if your family's financial situation changes significantly (like a parent gets a new job or loses one), your aid could be recalculated, so it's worth understanding their appeal process too. Congratulations on getting such great aid!

Your -1500 SAI is excellent! As a newcomer here, I just wanted to add that you should also look into state-specific grants in addition to the Pell Grant. Many states have their own need-based aid programs that stack on top of federal aid, and with your SAI you'd likely qualify for maximum amounts. Also, don't forget to check if any of your target schools participate in programs like the Yellow Ribbon Program (if you have military connections) or have special first-generation college student support programs that might offer additional funding or resources. It sounds like you're already on the right track by calling schools directly - that personal contact can make a huge difference in understanding your full aid picture!

As someone who just went through this same panic with my twins' FAFSA applications, I totally understand your stress! The new system really is confusing for first-time users. It sounds like everything processed correctly if you can see your income information on the confirmation page. One thing that helped ease my mind was creating a checklist to track our progress: ✓ FSA IDs created for all contributors ✓ Contributors added to application ✓ Income data appears on confirmation ✓ Processing status shows "submitted" ✓ Waiting for SAI calculation. It really does take a few days for the SAI to appear, but once it does, you'll know for certain that everything went through properly. The fact that you're being so thorough and checking everything shows you're doing great as a parent navigating this process!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now with my son's FAFSA! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea the new system automatically pulls tax info without making it obvious. I kept thinking I missed some crucial step where I was supposed to manually enter our income information. The fact that so many parents are experiencing this same confusion really shows how poorly the "simplification" was communicated. I'm definitely going to check our confirmation page now to see if our tax data is actually there. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's such a relief to know we're not alone in this!

Congratulations on the 0 SAI! As someone who went through a similar situation a few years ago, I can tell you that divorce absolutely can cause that dramatic of a change. When you're married, FAFSA considers both parents' incomes even if one isn't contributing to college costs. Now that you're divorced and filing as the custodial parent, they're only looking at your teacher salary. The 0 SAI is legitimate and actually pretty common for single parents in education. My sister is a single mom who teaches elementary school and her daughter has had a 0 SAI for three years running. Don't worry about them coming back to correct an "error" - this is exactly how the system is supposed to work to help families like yours afford college! Make sure your son applies for as many need-based scholarships as possible too, because that 0 SAI will make him eligible for a lot of additional funding opportunities.

As a fellow single parent who went through divorce recently, I just wanted to say congratulations and don't second-guess this! I know it feels too good to be true, but the system is actually designed to help families in our situation. My daughter's SAI dropped from around 2000 to 0 after my divorce was finalized, and it's been consistent for two years now. The difference it made in her aid package was incredible - not just the full Pell Grant, but her school also offered additional institutional grants that we never would have qualified for before. It really does make a huge difference when they're only looking at one parent's income, especially on a teacher's salary. Enjoy this blessing and don't worry about errors - you've been through enough stress with the divorce, you deserve this financial relief for your son's education!

I've been following this thread as someone who went through a very similar situation two years ago (self-employed + divorce), and I wanted to share what I wish I had known earlier. The biggest mistake I made was not understanding that the FAFSA looks at "prior-prior year" tax information. So for the 2024-25 FAFSA, they're using 2022 tax data. This means if your divorce was finalized in 2023, you might still be filing based on married/joint status from 2022, which could actually work in your favor OR against you depending on your ex's income. Also, since you're self-employed, timing is everything. If you have any flexibility in when you take distributions or make large equipment purchases, these decisions made in the "base year" (2022 for current FAFSA) can significantly impact your aid eligibility. One resource that really helped me was the College Board's CSS Profile calculator - even if the schools you're applying to don't require CSS Profile, the calculator helps you understand how different financial scenarios affect aid eligibility. It's free and helped me model different "what if" situations before submitting my actual FAFSA. My advice: definitely start with free resources, but don't be afraid to invest in professional help if you're still confused. The $275 I eventually spent on a consultant was the best money I spent in the entire college process. Just make sure they understand the timing implications of self-employment income!

As a newcomer to this whole process, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - not divorced but dealing with irregular self-employment income and feeling completely overwhelmed by the FAFSA process. Reading through everyone's experiences and advice has given me a much clearer roadmap: start with free resources (state agency hotline, college financial aid offices), then consider professional help if still needed. The specific red flags to watch out for when hiring consultants are invaluable - I had no idea that guaranteeing specific aid amounts was a scam tactic. One thing that really stood out to me was how much the timing of financial decisions can impact aid eligibility, especially for self-employed parents. I'm definitely going to look into whether any of my upcoming business expenses or income recognition can be strategically timed. For those considering professional help - it sounds like the consensus is that $200-300 for a qualified consultant (CFP, CPA, or fee-only advisor specializing in college planning) can be worth it for complex situations, especially when divorce and self-employment are involved. Just make sure they're current on the new SAI calculations! Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences - both positive and negative. It's so much more helpful than the generic advice you find online!

Hi Effie! I'm new to this whole FAFSA process too and this thread has been incredibly helpful. Just wanted to add one more resource that might be useful - the Federal Student Aid website has a FAFSA completion guide that walks you through each section step by step. It's at https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/topic/completing-fafsa. I found it really helpful for understanding what documents I'd need and how to answer some of the trickier questions. Also, if your daughter is planning to apply to any schools that require the CSS Profile (which several people mentioned), I'd recommend checking which schools on her list require it sooner rather than later. The CSS Profile has its own set of required documents and can take longer to complete than the FAFSA, so it's good to know early if you'll need to tackle both forms. Hang in there - it seems overwhelming at first but everyone here has shown it's definitely manageable with the right preparation!

I'm also navigating this for the first time with my son who's a high school senior! This thread has been incredibly reassuring - it's so helpful to see that other parents are dealing with the same confusion. One thing I wanted to add that might be useful: I spoke with our high school's college counselor last week and she mentioned that many schools are hosting virtual financial aid information sessions this fall. These sessions often cover FAFSA basics, school-specific deadlines, and sometimes even have live Q&A with financial aid officers. It might be worth checking if any of the colleges your daughter is interested in are offering these sessions. I found a few for our target schools and signed up - figured it can't hurt to get as much information as possible! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips - this community is such a valuable resource for families going through this process.