The SAI is definitely for the entire academic year! I went through the same confusion last year. What really helped me was understanding that the SAI isn't what you actually pay - it's just a number used to determine your aid eligibility. The actual aid you receive (like Pell Grants) gets split between fall and spring semesters. If you want to see exactly how your aid breaks down by semester, check your student portal or ask for a semester-by-semester breakdown from financial aid. Also, keep in mind that your total cost of attendance includes tuition, fees, room/board, books, and personal expenses - so your out-of-pocket cost will depend on how much grant/scholarship aid you receive based on that SAI number.

I'm new to the FAFSA process and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was actually making the same mistake - I thought my SAI was what I'd need to pay each semester. Reading everyone's explanations really cleared things up. One follow-up question though: if the SAI is for the whole year and aid gets split between semesters, what happens if you need to take a semester off for medical reasons or something? Does that affect your aid for the remaining semester, or do you just lose half of what you were allocated? I'm trying to understand all the "what if" scenarios before I finalize my course planning.

I'm new to this community but unfortunately not new to FAFSA frustrations! Reading through all these responses, it sounds like you have several good options to try before starting completely over. I'd recommend trying the Claimyr service that Fiona mentioned first - if an agent can manually locate and push through your existing application, that would save you from missing the priority deadline. If that doesn't work, definitely call RISD's financial aid office directly before resubmitting. Many schools are being flexible with deadlines this year given all the system issues, and they might be able to work with you on the timing. Document everything - dates you called, who you spoke with, reference numbers if they give you any. The fact that Pratt received your 2023-24 FAFSA is actually useful information - it proves you did submit something successfully, just the wrong year somehow got processed. That might help when explaining the situation to financial aid offices. Good luck! This whole FAFSA rollout has been such a mess, but it sounds like you're being persistent and that's what it takes this year.

As someone who just went through a similar nightmare with my twin daughters' FAFSAs, I wanted to share what finally worked for us. We had the exact same issue - submitted in December, got confirmation emails, then complete radio silence from the system showing no record. After weeks of frustration, I discovered that creating a paper trail is crucial. I sent a certified letter to Federal Student Aid (830 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002) documenting our submission date, confirmation numbers, and the technical issues we encountered. Include screenshots of any confirmations you received and print out that glimpse of the SAR you mentioned seeing. Within 10 business days of sending that letter, we received a callback from FSA with our daughters' applications magically "found" and processed. Apparently there's a whole department that handles these technical glitches, but you have to formally document the issue to get escalated to them. Also, definitely reach out to your state's Department of Education - many states have FAFSA hotlines that can advocate on your behalf with federal aid offices. Rhode Island's higher ed department might be able to help push things through faster than going through federal channels alone. The paper trail approach might take a bit longer than resubmitting, but it preserves your original December submission date which could be important for priority deadlines. Worth trying before starting completely over!

I just want to echo what everyone else is saying - don't wait! I went through this exact process two years ago when my mom was dealing with cancer treatment costs that were eating up about 45% of our family income. One thing that really helped our case was creating a "medical expense impact statement" where we clearly showed: - Our adjusted gross income - Total annual medical expenses - What our "effective" income was after medical costs - How this compared to the EFC the FAFSA calculated We also included a brief timeline showing that these weren't temporary expenses but part of an ongoing treatment plan. Both schools we applied to were actually very understanding once they saw the full picture. The key thing I learned is that financial aid officers want to help, but they need clear documentation to justify their decisions to their supervisors. Make their job as easy as possible by being super organized and thorough with your documentation. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you talk to seems unhelpful - ask to speak with a supervisor or the director of financial aid if needed. Some staff members are more experienced with these special circumstances than others. You've got this! The fact that you're being proactive about this now gives you the best chance of getting accurate aid packages before decision day.

I'm so glad you reached out about this - the timing confusion around medical expense appeals is so common and stressful! As someone who just went through this process last year with my own family's chronic illness expenses, I want to emphasize what others have said: contact both schools TODAY. One thing that really helped us was being very specific in our initial contact. Instead of just saying "we have medical expenses," I called and said "We need to submit a professional judgment appeal for extraordinary medical expenses that represent X% of our gross income." This immediately got us to the right person who understood the urgency. Also, when you're gathering documentation, include a cover letter that starts with something like "Due to [husband's condition], our family has unavoidable annual medical expenses of approximately $X, representing 38-40% of our gross income. These ongoing costs were not captured in our FAFSA and significantly impact our ability to contribute to educational expenses." The financial aid officers deal with so many appeals - making yours crystal clear from the first sentence will help ensure it gets proper attention. Both schools should absolutely be able to give you revised packages before May 1st if you submit everything promptly. You're being a great advocate for your daughter by tackling this now instead of waiting!

Wow, reading through all these responses has been both validating and infuriating! I'm a parent helping my daughter navigate this process, and we've been getting the same relentless email bombardment since she filed her FAFSA in January. What really bothers me is how these companies are essentially intercepting students at their most vulnerable moment - before they even know what legitimate aid they qualify for. The fact that there's a hidden checkbox allowing this data sharing feels like a massive betrayal of trust by the federal aid system. I've bookmarked this thread because the actionable advice here is gold - calling Sallie Mae directly with CAN-SPAM Act reference, updating FSA privacy settings, and setting up email filters. As a parent, I'm also going to make sure to warn other families in our community about this predatory practice. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions!

This is such an important conversation! I'm a junior dealing with this exact situation right now. What's really helped me is creating a separate "junk" email specifically for financial aid applications - I wish I had known to do this before filling out my FAFSA! For anyone still waiting on their aid packages, I'd also recommend calling your school's financial aid office directly. Mine told me they're running about 2-3 weeks behind schedule due to all the FAFSA system changes this year, but they were able to give me a rough timeline for when to expect my award letter. It's frustrating that we have to deal with predatory lenders on top of an already stressful process, but threads like this really help us support each other through it!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences in this thread! As someone new to the financial aid world, reading through all these real-world scenarios has been incredibly educational. The consensus seems clear - transparency is absolutely key, and the professional judgment process exists specifically for situations like yours with job loss and unexpected income. What really stands out to me is how many people mentioned getting audited or having issues when they tried to hide income, versus how understanding the financial aid offices were when people were upfront about their circumstances. The breakdown about different types of settlements and how they're treated was especially helpful - I had no idea there were so many nuances to consider. Your proactive approach of scheduling meetings with the financial aid offices at your son's top schools sounds like exactly the right move. Best of luck with those meetings, and I hope the combination of professional judgment for the job loss and transparent reporting of the settlement works out well for your family's aid package!

As someone who works in financial aid administration, I wanted to add a few practical points that might help with your meetings next week: 1. Bring multiple copies of everything - settlement paperwork, termination letter, last paystub, bank statements showing the deposit date 2. Ask specifically about their "income protection allowance" - some schools are more generous with this for families experiencing job loss 3. If the settlement includes attorney fees, those portions are typically not counted as available income 4. Consider asking about payment plan options in addition to aid adjustments - some schools offer interest-free payment plans that can help bridge the gap The fact that you're being proactive about this puts you in a much better position than families who wait until after aid packages are finalized. Most schools can make preliminary adjustments pretty quickly if you have good documentation. One last tip: if your son's first-choice school isn't as generous with their professional judgment decision, you can use that as leverage when talking to other schools - they often match or beat competitor offers for strong students. Good luck with your meetings!