I'm going through the same thing right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I was also caught off guard by the bank account questions since I filled out the FAFSA for my older sibling last year and it definitely didn't ask for this. It's reassuring to know this is a legitimate change and not some kind of scam or error. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - it makes me feel more confident about proceeding with the application.

I'm a parent helping my daughter with her FAFSA and had the exact same reaction when I saw the bank account questions! I actually stopped the application halfway through because I thought something was wrong. This thread has been so helpful in confirming it's legitimate. One thing I'd add - if you have multiple bank accounts, make sure you include all of them. The instructions weren't super clear on this, but when I called (using that Claimyr service someone mentioned - worked great!), they confirmed you need to report the total across all checking and savings accounts. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm new to this FAFSA process and seeing this thread is actually really reassuring! My daughter is a high school senior and we just submitted her 2025-26 FAFSA last week. I was already worried about whether we did everything correctly, so if we get one of these "reminder" emails I would have probably panicked too. Thanks everyone for explaining that this is normal - it's so helpful to have a community where parents can share these experiences. The government really should fix their email system though... seems like it causes unnecessary stress for families during an already overwhelming time!

I can totally relate to this confusion! We went through the exact same thing with my daughter's FAFSA this year. Got the application processed back in early December, everything looked good in the portal, and then BAM - got that "start your form" email yesterday and my heart just about stopped. I immediately logged into studentaid.gov thinking something had gone wrong, but everything was still there showing as processed. It's such a relief to see I'm not the only one! The government really needs to get their act together with these automated emails - they're causing way more stress than they're helping. But at least now I know for next year when my younger son applies that these emails don't mean anything if your status shows processed.

I'd recommend sitting down with your daughter to thoroughly discuss what's behind her sudden change of heart. Is it financial concerns about housing costs? Anxiety about being away from home? Uncertainty about her major? Each of these has different solutions that might not require giving up the full-tuition scholarship. Also, see if the university offering the scholarship has any housing grants or work-study options. Many schools have emergency housing funds or reduced-cost housing options that aren't advertised prominently.

I'm a current college financial aid counselor and want to emphasize something crucial that others have touched on: transfer students typically receive significantly less institutional aid than incoming freshmen. Universities front-load their best scholarships for first-year students to attract them, then have much smaller pools of money for transfers. With an SAI of 1200, your daughter would likely qualify for substantial federal Pell Grant money (probably close to the maximum), but that alone won't replace a $38,000/year scholarship. The math is pretty stark - even if community college saves you $15,000/year in housing for 2 years ($30,000 total), you're potentially giving up $76,000 in guaranteed tuition coverage that may never be replaced. I've seen too many families make this exact decision and deeply regret it. Before walking away from this opportunity, have her reach out to the university's housing office about payment plans, work-study positions in residence halls (often include free/reduced housing), or even commuter student programs if she's within driving distance.

Just wanna say that having three kids in college...respect! That's a huge financial undertaking even with merit scholarships. Hope your youngest does great!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter who has a partial merit scholarship. Reading through all these responses really clarifies the distinction between scholarships used for qualified vs. non-qualified expenses. It sounds like most of us are overthinking this question - if the scholarship money went toward tuition and fees and we didn't report any of it as income on our tax returns, then zero is the correct answer. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, especially the financial aid counselor's breakdown!

After reading through this thread, I wanted to offer some more targeted advice based on your situation: 1. When you contact the financial aid offices, specifically request an "adjustment review due to multiple family members in college" - using this exact language helps 2. For your daughter's school (the non-CSS Profile one), ask if they have an institutional methodology that might better account for siblings than the FAFSA does 3. If your son's school uses CSS Profile, they should already have a better accounting for multiple students - if his aid didn't increase, definitely question this 4. Don't be afraid to directly compare offers between schools - sometimes telling School A that School B offered more aid can result in matching 5. Check if either child qualifies for merit scholarships, even mid-year ones for your junior This is a tough situation, but with persistence and the right approach to financial aid offices, many families do get additional assistance.

I'm facing a very similar situation with my twins who will both be in college next year. What's really helped me is creating a detailed budget breakdown to present to the financial aid offices - not just income/expenses, but specifically showing how the new SAI calculation puts an impossible burden on our family compared to what we could realistically afford with one child. I also discovered that some schools have emergency financial aid funds that aren't tied to FAFSA calculations at all. These are often administered by the dean of students office rather than financial aid. It's worth asking about these "hardship funds" or "emergency assistance" programs when you call. One more thing - if either of your kids' schools participates in the "Common Application," they might also accept appeals through something called the "Coalition Application's" financial aid appeal process, which can sometimes yield better results than going directly through the school. Worth checking! Don't give up - I know it feels overwhelming, but there are more options than it initially appears.