As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly valuable! I have a high school junior as well, and I had no idea about the different assessment rates for student vs. parent assets. The 20% rate on student assets seems so unfair when we're trying to teach our kids financial responsibility. I'm particularly intrigued by the Roth IRA strategy that's been mentioned. My son has been working at a local restaurant and has saved about $3,500. The idea that we could move some of that into a Roth IRA to both help with FAFSA planning AND give him a head start on retirement savings sounds perfect. One question I have - when people mention making changes "well before" filing FAFSA, does this 12-month rule apply to Roth IRA contributions too? Or is that different since it's a legitimate retirement account rather than just moving money between regular accounts? I want to make sure we do everything properly and don't inadvertently create any issues with our financial aid applications. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this is exactly the kind of guidance that parents need but rarely find in official resources!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this detailed discussion! My daughter is also a high school junior, and like many of you, she's been diligently saving money from her part-time job at a local tutoring center. She has about $6,800 saved up, and I was completely unaware of how this could impact her financial aid eligibility. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly enlightening. The 20% assessment rate on student assets versus the much lower rate on parent assets seems so counterintuitive when we're trying to teach our kids good financial habits! I'm definitely interested in exploring the Roth IRA strategy that several people have mentioned. It seems like such a smart approach - helping with FAFSA planning while also giving her a fantastic head start on retirement savings. She definitely has enough earned income from her tutoring job to support contributions. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who have successfully used the Roth IRA approach, did you move all of your child's savings into the IRA, or did you keep some in regular accounts for more immediate college-related expenses? I'm trying to balance the FAFSA benefits with making sure she still has some accessible money for things like college application fees, senior year expenses, etc. Thank you all for sharing such practical, real-world advice. This kind of strategic planning is exactly what I needed to learn about but had no idea where to start!

If your confirmation page shows the last 4 digits of both SSNs and indicates completion, you should be all set. Just make sure you both signed the FAFSA with your FSA IDs at the end. One last tip - save a PDF copy of your confirmation page for your records. You'll need your SAI score once it's calculated, which should happen within 3-5 business days if there are no verification issues.

I just went through this same process with my son last month and had the exact same panic! The new FAFSA system definitely takes some getting used to. One thing that helped ease my mind was logging back into both our FSA ID accounts and checking that our profiles showed our SSNs were verified - you can see a green checkmark next to "Identity Verified" in your account dashboard. Also, if you're still worried, you can always check your Student Aid Report (SAR) once it's processed in a few days - it will show your SSNs are properly linked. The system really is more secure this way, even though it feels weird not manually entering that critical info like we used to!

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I decided to cancel the application and start fresh. We cleared browser cache, used Chrome instead of Safari, and made sure to double-check every section before continuing. It worked perfectly this time! Her info is correctly showing as student only, and my information is properly listed under Parent 1. The SAI preview number looks much more reasonable now too. What a relief! For anyone else having this problem, definitely just cancel and start over rather than waiting for verification to fail.

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a college freshman and just went through this nightmare with my mom last fall. We had the exact same issue where my info was showing up in both student and parent sections. After reading all these responses, I want to add that you should also make sure to print or screenshot your final FAFSA summary page once everything is correct. The system sometimes has display glitches even after submission, and having that documentation saved us when our school's financial aid office had questions about our SAI calculation. Also, don't panic if you get selected for verification even with correct info - it's totally random this year and doesn't mean you did anything wrong!

I'm going through this exact situation right now too! My mom's credit score is around 620 after some financial difficulties, and we just submitted her PLUS loan application yesterday knowing it'll probably get denied. Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful - I had no idea about the additional unsubsidized loan option or that the interest rates would actually be better! I'm a sophomore so the $4,000 additional would definitely help close the gap. Quick question for everyone who's been through this - should I proactively contact my financial aid office now to give them a heads up, or wait until the official denial comes through? I'm worried about seeming presumptuous, but I also don't want to waste time if there are things I can prepare in advance. Thanks for creating such a supportive space to discuss these stressful financial aid situations!

I'm currently going through this process too and wanted to add something that might help others - if you're worried about the timing between denial and when tuition is due, many schools have what's called "emergency deferment" options. When I explained my situation to the bursar's office (that we were waiting on a likely PLUS denial and the additional unsubsidized loan processing), they were able to defer my payment deadline by 30 days without any penalties. This gave me breathing room to get everything sorted out. Also, donging back to what others said about private loans - if you do need them to fill the gap, definitely shop around and check with local credit unions too. Sometimes they have better student loan rates than the big national lenders, especially if you or your family already have accounts there. The whole process is stressful but reading everyone's experiences here really helps normalize what feels like a disaster but is actually pretty common!

So glad you got this sorted out! Just wanted to add - when comparing financial aid packages, make sure you're looking at the net price (total cost minus all aid) rather than just the aid amounts. Sometimes a more expensive school ends up being cheaper after aid. Also, keep an eye out for renewable scholarship requirements - some merit aid has GPA requirements to maintain eligibility all four years. Your daughter sounds like she's worked hard, so I'm sure she'll have great options!

Don't feel embarrassed at all! The FAFSA process is incredibly confusing and you're definitely not the first parent to mix up numbers on those forms. An SAI of 9,834 is actually in a pretty good sweet spot - not so low that you're struggling financially, but low enough that your daughter should qualify for meaningful aid. I'd also recommend having her apply for outside scholarships if she hasn't already - sites like Fastweb and Scholarships.com have tons of options, and even small $500-1000 scholarships can really add up. Best of luck with the aid packages!