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I'm so relieved to see this thread! My daughter and I have been dealing with the exact same situation for weeks now. My partner is undocumented and we kept hitting walls with the FAFSA system. Reading through everyone's experiences here has given me hope that we can actually get through this process. I'm going to try the zeros approach for the SSN field tomorrow and gather all the tax documents with his ITIN. It's honestly been so stressful wondering if my daughter would be able to get financial aid because of our family situation. Thank you all for sharing your stories and advice - it means more than you know to families like ours who are just trying to help our kids get an education.
You're definitely not alone in this - it's heartbreaking how many families get stuck in this exact same situation! The stress is so real when you're trying to navigate a system that wasn't really designed for mixed-status families. But seeing all the success stories in this thread gives me hope too. The zeros approach really does work, and once you get past that initial hurdle of submitting the application, the verification process is just paperwork. Your daughter is lucky to have a parent who's fighting this hard for her education. Don't give up - there are people at the financial aid office who know how to handle these cases, you just have to get to the right person sometimes. Wishing you both the best with the resubmission!
I'm a new college student going through this exact situation right now! My mom is a citizen but my dad is undocumented, and we just went through the whole FAFSA process last month. What really helped us was calling the school's financial aid office and specifically asking to speak with someone who handles "special circumstances" cases - that's the key phrase that gets you to someone who actually knows how to deal with mixed-status families. They walked us through everything step by step and even helped us submit some of the verification documents directly through their system. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you talk to doesn't know what to do - we had to ask to speak to a supervisor twice before getting to someone with the right expertise. The whole thing took about 3 weeks from start to finish, but we got our aid package approved! Your daughter will get through this too.
This is exactly the kind of detailed, step-by-step guidance that families in this situation need! The "special circumstances" phrase is so important - I wish more people knew about that magic phrase. It's frustrating that you had to ask for supervisors multiple times just to get to someone with the right knowledge, but I'm so glad you persisted. Your timeline of 3 weeks gives realistic expectations too, which is really helpful. Thank you for sharing your recent experience - it's going to help so many families who are currently struggling with this same process!
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also do teh css profile if ur schools take it!! my daughters school gave way more money after we did that even tho it's annoying to fill out
Yes, this! The CSS Profile looks at your financial situation differently than FAFSA. It's used by about 400 mostly private colleges and can result in better institutional aid packages. There is a fee, but fee waivers are available for eligible families.
I'm in a very similar situation! My SAI came back at 7,950 with a household income of around $68,000, and I was also confused about what it all means. From what I've gathered reading through these comments, it sounds like we're both just above the Pell Grant threshold, which is really frustrating. But I'm encouraged to hear about the institutional aid possibilities and the appeal process. @Chloe Boulanger thank you for all the detailed advice - it's exactly what families like us need to hear! I'm definitely going to look into the CSS Profile for the private schools we're considering, and I'll be calling about appeals too. It's reassuring to know we're not alone in this confusing process.
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As a newcomer to this whole financial aid process, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm in a similar situation with my son applying for Fall 2025, and I was completely unaware that the CSS Profile even existed until I started researching. One thing I'm still confused about - if a school uses both FAFSA and CSS Profile, do they create one combined financial aid package, or do you get separate offers based on each form? Also, has anyone found any good resources or websites that clearly list which schools require the CSS Profile? I'm trying to avoid having to check each individual college website if there's a comprehensive list somewhere. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's really helping those of us just starting this journey!
Welcome to the process! To answer your questions: schools that use both forms create one combined financial aid package - they don't give you separate offers. The CSS Profile just gives them more detailed information to work with when calculating your institutional aid. For finding which schools require CSS Profile, the College Board has a search tool on their website where you can look up participating schools. You can also use sites like BigFuture or just search "[school name] CSS Profile required" to quickly check. Most private colleges and some scholarship programs use it, while public universities typically stick to FAFSA only. One tip: when you're on college websites, look for their "Financial Aid Requirements" or "How to Apply for Aid" pages - they'll clearly state if CSS Profile is required and what their deadlines are. Good luck with your son's applications!
This thread has been so helpful! I'm also navigating this for the first time with my daughter. One thing I'm curious about - for families who own small businesses or have rental properties, how much more complicated does the CSS Profile get compared to FAFSA? I keep seeing mentions that it asks for "detailed business information" but I'm not sure what that actually means in practice. Does anyone have experience with this specific situation? I'm worried we might need to hire someone to help us fill it out correctly if it's too complex.
I can relate to your concern about the business aspect! My husband has a small consulting business and I was really worried about the CSS Profile questions too. It does ask for more detailed business information than FAFSA - things like business assets, depreciation, and net worth of the business. However, it's not as scary as it sounds. The CSS Profile has helpful explanations for most questions, and you don't need to be perfectly precise with estimates. For our rental property, we used our property tax assessment and estimated the current mortgage balance. That said, if your business finances are particularly complex (multiple LLCs, partnerships, etc.), it might be worth having your accountant review the business sections before you submit. But for most small business owners, you can handle it yourself with the documents you probably already have for tax prep. The key is just being consistent between what you report on CSS Profile and what you'll report on your taxes.
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I went through this exact same situation two years ago and it was absolutely maddening! The system really doesn't account for students who are genuinely estranged from their parents but don't fit the narrow federal criteria. Here's what worked for me: I documented EVERYTHING - every unanswered call, text, email attempt. I also got letters from my therapist, my old high school guidance counselor, and even my landlord who could verify I'd been living independently. The key was showing a pattern of long-term estrangement, not just recent conflict. My school's financial aid office was actually more helpful than I expected once I got past the initial "you need parent info" response. They walked me through the dependency override process step by step. It took about 6 weeks to process, but they approved it. One tip: when you contact your school's financial aid office, ask specifically to speak with someone about "unusual circumstances" or "dependency override requests." The front desk staff might not know the process, but there are specialists who handle these cases regularly. Also, apply to multiple schools if you can - each one evaluates these requests independently, so approval at one doesn't guarantee approval elsewhere, but it does mean you have options. Don't let this bureaucratic nightmare derail your education plans!
This is so encouraging to hear from someone who actually got through the process successfully! Thank you for the detailed breakdown. I love the idea of asking specifically for someone who handles "unusual circumstances" - that's probably why I've been getting the runaround when I call. The 6-week timeline is also helpful to know so I can plan accordingly. I'm definitely going to start documenting everything systematically like you did. I have some of those pieces already but hadn't thought to get my landlord involved - that's brilliant since they can verify my independent living situation. Did you have to reapply for the override each year, or once it was approved did it carry through? And thank you for the reminder about applying to multiple schools - I was so focused on my first choice that I forgot each school evaluates independently.
I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's one of the most frustrating aspects of the financial aid system. I was in almost the exact same situation when I was 21, and the "you're not independent until 24" rule felt like such a cruel joke when I was already completely supporting myself. A few things that might help beyond what others have mentioned: 1. When you contact your school's financial aid office, ask if they have a "professional judgment" process in addition to dependency overrides. Sometimes they use different terminology but it's essentially the same thing. 2. If you're working, ask your employer for a letter confirming your employment history and that you're self-supporting. This adds to your documentation pile. 3. Consider reaching out to local social services or community organizations - sometimes they have advocates who are familiar with these processes and can help you navigate the system or provide supporting documentation. The most important thing is to start the process NOW, even if you're not sure you have everything perfect. These requests take time to process, and you want to get in the queue as early as possible. Don't let the low approval rates discourage you - someone has to be in that 2%, and it might as well be you. You've got this! The system is broken, but there are people within it who want to help students like us succeed.
Thank you for all the encouragement and practical advice! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to share their experiences and suggestions. Reading all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I went from feeling completely hopeless to actually having a solid plan of action. I'm going to start by calling my school's financial aid office tomorrow and specifically asking about their "professional judgment" process and dependency override procedures. I'll also begin systematically documenting everything and reaching out to my therapist, former guidance counselor, and employer for supporting letters. The timeline idea and keeping screenshots of communication attempts are brilliant suggestions I hadn't thought of. It's honestly such a relief to know I'm not alone in this situation and that people have successfully navigated this broken system. Even if the approval rates are low, at least now I know what I'm up against and have a real strategy instead of just feeling stuck. Thank you all for giving me hope that I might actually be able to start school next year instead of waiting until I'm 24!
Niko Ramsey
As a parent who just finished this process with my son last year, I want to emphasize something that really helped us - don't just focus on the FAFSA timing, but also pay attention to state aid deadlines! Many states have their own priority deadlines for state grants that can be even earlier than college deadlines. For example, in our state, the priority deadline for state grants was February 1st, but some of the colleges my son applied to had March deadlines. We almost missed out on $2,000 per year in state aid because we were so focused on the federal and institutional deadlines. Also, with twins, definitely check if your state offers any special programs or additional aid for multiple kids in college simultaneously. Some states have provisions that can increase your aid when you have multiple children enrolled at the same time. I'd recommend making a three-column spreadsheet: federal deadlines, state deadlines, and individual school deadlines. This saved us from missing any opportunities and might be especially helpful when you're managing applications for two kids at once!
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Diez Ellis
•This is such an important point that I completely overlooked! State aid deadlines being earlier than federal ones could be a costly mistake. With twins, missing out on $2,000 per year each would be $16,000 over four years - that's huge! I'll definitely research our state's specific deadlines and any multiple-child provisions. The three-column spreadsheet approach sounds perfect for keeping everything straight. Do you happen to know if most states publish their priority deadlines clearly, or is this something I'll need to dig around to find? I want to make sure I'm not missing any state-specific opportunities while focusing so much on the federal and institutional aid timing. Thanks for bringing up this additional layer - it's exactly the kind of detail that could make a real difference for our family!
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Keisha Williams
As a newcomer to this discussion but someone who's been stressing about the same timing questions, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! Reading everyone's experiences really drives home that early FAFSA submission is crucial - not just for federal aid but especially for institutional grants and favorable aid packaging. What strikes me most is how the "first-come, first-served" reality isn't always clearly communicated by schools. The insight about grant-to-loan ratios being better for early applicants is something I never would have considered, but it makes total sense from a budgeting perspective. For those of us with multiple kids or twins, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1. Submit FAFSA on October 1st regardless 2. File taxes early to use IRS Data Retrieval Tool 3. Create comprehensive deadline tracking for federal, state, and institutional requirements 4. Contact each school's financial aid office directly for their specific priority dates 5. Don't forget about state aid deadlines which can be even earlier This community's willingness to share real dollar amounts and specific experiences is so valuable. Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their stories - it's helping nervous parents like me feel more prepared to navigate this complex process!
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Paolo Moretti
•Welcome to the conversation! You've done a great job summarizing all the key insights from this thread. As someone new to this process myself, I found it really reassuring to see so many concrete examples and dollar amounts from families who've actually been through it. Your five takeaways are spot-on and I'm definitely bookmarking this thread as my action plan. The point about schools not clearly communicating their "first-come, first-served" policies really resonates - it seems like you have to dig deeper and ask direct questions to get the full picture. One thing I'm taking away is that this early submission strategy seems to be a low-risk, high-reward approach. Even if the timing doesn't make a huge difference at every school, the potential benefits (better grant ratios, more institutional aid, buffer time for verification) far outweigh any downsides of applying early. Thanks for summarizing everything so clearly - it helps confirm that we're all on the right track with the October 1st strategy!
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