Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'll go ahead and enter the family size manually. Seems like I also need to pay attention to the "number in college" field too. Really appreciate all the information - definitely cleared up my confusion!

Just wanted to add that you should double-check your family size calculation before submitting! I made the mistake of only counting people living at home full-time and missed including my older brother who's in grad school but still gets support from my parents. Had to submit a correction later which delayed my aid processing. The FAFSA definition of "household size" is different from what most people think - it's really about financial support, not just physical residence. Take your time with this section!

This is really helpful information! I'm in a similar situation with my son starting his junior year. I had no idea about the June timeline for Parent PLUS applications - I was getting worried that I was missing something. The suggestion about getting a signed statement of intent is brilliant too. I'm definitely going to call his school's financial aid office tomorrow to see if they have similar policies. It's frustrating that the timing doesn't align better with when we need to make these financial commitments, but at least now I know what to expect. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

As someone who went through this process last year, I can confirm that the June timeline for Parent PLUS applications is accurate. One thing I'd add is to make sure you have all your documents ready ahead of time - tax returns, bank statements, etc. When June rolls around, you'll want to submit that application as quickly as possible since processing can take several weeks. Also, if you're planning to borrow the maximum amount (cost of attendance minus other aid), double-check with the school's financial aid office about exactly how they calculate that figure. Some schools include things like transportation and personal expenses in their cost of attendance, which can affect your loan eligibility.

Wow, this thread is incredibly helpful! I'm also a parent dealing with the FAFSA delays and trying to figure out loan options. One thing I want to add - if you're considering Parent PLUS loans for PSLF, you might want to talk to a financial advisor first to run the numbers. With the higher interest rates on Parent PLUS loans (around 8.05% as someone mentioned) and the fact that ICR payments can sometimes be higher than standard repayment, you need to make sure the math actually works out in your favor over 10 years. Sometimes it's better to help your child pay their Direct loans at the lower rates, especially if they might also pursue forgiveness in their own careers. The key is running scenarios for your specific situation before committing to any loan type!

Thank you everyone for such detailed responses! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to find. I'm feeling much more confident about moving forward with Parent PLUS loans knowing they CAN qualify for PSLF, even if the process is more complex. A few follow-up questions: 1. Should I consolidate the Parent PLUS loans immediately after they're disbursed, or wait until after my daughter graduates? 2. Has anyone here actually completed the full 10 years and received forgiveness, and if so, how smooth was the final forgiveness process? 3. Given the FAFSA delays, are schools being more flexible with financial aid deadlines this year? I'm going to call Federal Student Aid this week (thanks for the tip about Claimyr if I can't get through!) and also look into those nonprofit credit counseling services mentioned. This community has been incredibly helpful - I wish I'd found this discussion sooner!

I'm also new to navigating the FAFSA process and want to echo what everyone else has said about how confusing this whole system is! Reading through this thread has been so educational - I had no idea that schools communicate primarily through student portals rather than email, or that the timeline can vary so much between different institutions. One thing I wanted to add that might be helpful: I discovered that some schools have specific "financial aid checklists" on their websites that show exactly what steps they go through and when they typically send out packages. It might be worth having your daughter look for these on each school's financial aid webpage while she's checking her portals. Also, since you mentioned being a single parent dealing with job loss, definitely look into whether any of her schools offer emergency grants or additional aid for families experiencing sudden financial hardship. Many schools have separate funds specifically for these situations that aren't tied to the regular FAFSA timeline. You're definitely not alone in finding this overwhelming - it seems like they intentionally make it as complicated as possible! But it sounds like you and your daughter are doing everything right.

I'm also completely new to this FAFSA process and stumbled across this thread while searching for answers to the exact same questions! Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to think I had somehow messed up our application when I saw that "closed" status with no additional information. My son and I completed our FAFSA about three weeks ago, and like many of you, I've been anxiously waiting for some kind of confirmation or next steps. It's such a relief to learn that "closed" actually means success rather than failure, and that the real waiting game is for the individual schools to create their aid packages. The tip about checking student portals regularly is gold - I had no idea that's primarily how schools communicate about financial aid rather than through direct email. My son has been so focused on finishing his senior year strong that he probably hasn't logged into his school portals since submitting applications. One question for the group: for those who have been through this before, is there typically a "sweet spot" time to contact financial aid offices if you haven't heard anything? I don't want to be that annoying parent calling too early, but I also don't want to miss any important deadlines. Any guidance on timing would be really appreciated! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been such a lifesaver for anxious first-time FAFSA families!

This is such a stressful situation! I'm dealing with something similar - my FAFSA shows as processed but my school's financial aid office acts like it doesn't exist. The timing pressure with summer deadlines makes it even worse. From what I'm seeing in these responses, it sounds like going in person with your SAR printout is the most effective approach. The technical delays with the new FAFSA system seem to be affecting tons of students this year, so at least we know we're not alone in this mess. Have you tried checking if your school has any emergency aid or deadline extension policies for students affected by the FAFSA delays? Some schools are being more flexible this year given all the technical issues everyone's experiencing.

I'm in a similar boat and it's absolutely maddening! My FAFSA has been showing as processed for 2 weeks but when I called my school yesterday, they said they have no record of receiving it. What's really frustrating is that I can see my SAI on the federal site clear as day, but somehow that information isn't making it to my financial aid office. I've been reading through all these responses and it sounds like the in-person approach with printed SAR might be my best bet too. The technical issues with this new FAFSA system are clearly widespread - I've seen so many posts about this exact problem across different forums. It's reassuring to know it's not just me, but also terrifying that so many of us are dealing with summer deadline pressure while the system is basically broken. Has anyone had success getting their school to acknowledge the systemic issues and maybe extend internal deadlines? I'm wondering if financial aid offices are getting guidance from higher up about how to handle all these delays.