I'm completely new to this whole FAFSA process and honestly terrified after reading all these responses. My daughter is a junior in high school and I thought we'd be okay financially for college since we make about 90k combined income. But now I'm seeing families with similar incomes getting SAI calculations that are higher than what they actually make?! This is insane. A few questions for everyone here: 1) When exactly should I start the FAFSA process for my daughter's senior year? 2) Are there any strategies to minimize your SAI that are actually legal and ethical? 3) Should I be looking primarily at merit-based scholarships instead of need-based aid? I'm genuinely panicking that we're going to be priced out of college entirely. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's eye-opening but also really scary!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening and frankly terrifying as someone just starting to navigate this process. I had no idea about the removal of the sibling discount or how brutally the new SAI formula hits middle-class families. For those dealing with the stock sale issue - I'm wondering if there's any benefit to timing when you submit corrections or appeals? Like, should you wait until after schools release their initial aid packages to see which ones might be more receptive to professional judgment reviews? Also, has anyone had success with state-based aid programs that might not rely on the federal SAI calculation? I'm starting to think we need to completely rethink our college strategy and maybe focus on schools where our kids would be in the top 25% of applicants for merit aid rather than trying to chase need-based aid that apparently doesn't exist for families like ours anymore. The fact that people are getting SAI numbers higher than their actual income is just mind-boggling. It really does feel like the system is designed to force middle-class families into massive debt or price them out entirely.

Has anyone received their SAI score from the 2024-25 FAFSA yet? We submitted in January and still waiting... wondering if others are getting results faster?

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this last year! The key thing that helped me was getting a clear breakdown from our school's financial aid office of exactly how my daughter's Pell Grant was used. They provided a detailed statement showing tuition ($4,200), fees ($800), books ($300), and the remaining $2,000 went to her dorm room. Since she was full-time, ALL of it counted as qualified education expenses, so nothing was taxable on her return. For the FAFSA, I can confirm you definitely don't report the Pell Grant anywhere - learned that the hard way when I called and was told I was overthinking it! The system already knows about federal grants. Good luck navigating this - it gets easier once you understand the basics!

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions! As someone new to the FAFSA process, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea that technical issues like the signature loop were so widespread with the redesigned system. The step-by-step troubleshooting advice here - especially about removing special characters from financial fields and ensuring exact name matching with FSA ID - is so much more helpful than anything I've found on official websites. It's both reassuring and frustrating to learn that these aren't isolated user errors but systemic problems affecting many families. I'm saving all these solutions for when I tackle our FAFSA application next month. Really appreciate this community coming together to help each other navigate what should be a straightforward process!

Wow, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm a first-time FAFSA parent and stumbled across this while desperately searching for solutions to the exact same signature loop problem. Reading through everyone's experiences and troubleshooting steps gives me hope that there's actually a way through this technical nightmare. The fact that PrinceJoe documented the entire 8-day journey from problem to solution is incredible - it's like having a complete playbook for dealing with these issues. I'm particularly grateful for the specific technical details about clearing browser data, removing special characters from financial fields, and using the direct email link instead of the portal. It's honestly shocking that families have to become IT specialists just to apply for financial aid, but this community support makes it manageable. Definitely saving this thread as my FAFSA survival guide!

I'm in a very similar situation - submitted my FAFSA about 3 weeks ago and still waiting. My daughter also has a May 1st decision deadline between two schools, and one would require significant loans if we don't get enough aid. Based on what everyone is sharing here, it sounds like I should definitely contact both financial aid offices this week to explain the situation and ask for either preliminary estimates or deadline extensions. It's frustrating that we're all dealing with these delays when the timing is so critical for college decisions. Has anyone had success getting schools to provide rough estimates based on tax information while waiting for the official SAI?

I submitted my FAFSA in late February and just got my SAI score yesterday after exactly 5 weeks of waiting. The processing time seems to be pretty consistent with what others are reporting - definitely in that 4-6 week range. One thing I learned is to check your online account regularly even if you haven't received an email notification, because sometimes the information shows up there first. For those of you with May deadlines, I'd definitely echo what others have said about contacting the financial aid offices immediately. When I called my daughter's top choice school last week to explain our situation, they were incredibly understanding and offered to provide a preliminary estimate while we waited. They said they're dealing with this exact situation with hundreds of families this year, so they have processes in place to help. Don't feel bad about reaching out - they expect these calls right now!

As a newcomer to this process, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a NJ resident who just submitted my FAFSA last week and was completely confused about whether I needed to do anything else. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key steps are: 1) Make sure I selected "yes" to sharing info with state programs on FAFSA (which I did), 2) Create a NJFAMS account to monitor my status, and 3) Be patient since processing times are much longer this year due to the new SAI system. I'm planning to check my NJFAMS portal weekly and try calling HESAA at 8:30 AM if I need to speak with someone. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's reassuring to know the delays are normal and not something I did wrong!

As someone who's been navigating NJ state aid for a few years now, I can confirm that the system has definitely gotten more complicated this year! The good news is that the FAFSA-to-HESAA transfer is still automatic, but you absolutely need to stay proactive about monitoring your status. A couple additional things I've learned: 1) If you're transferring between NJ schools, make sure to update your school list on FAFSA AND notify HESAA directly - sometimes the transfer doesn't trigger an automatic update to your TAG eligibility, 2) Keep copies of all your tax documents even after using IRS Data Retrieval because HESAA sometimes requests manual verification for random audits, and 3) If you qualify for other state programs like Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), those have separate deadlines and requirements that won't automatically flow from your FAFSA. The NJFAMS portal is really your lifeline for tracking everything, so bookmark it and check it regularly. Good luck everyone - the financial aid process in NJ is frustrating but the state aid is definitely worth the hassle!