As you're evaluating offers, also pay attention to the ENTIRE cost of attendance. Some schools in expensive cities have much higher living costs than schools in rural areas. A school offering slightly less aid might actually be more affordable if it's in a lower-cost area. Looking at just the tuition number doesn't tell the whole story. And if you have specific questions about your aid package at any school, don't hesitate to call their financial aid office directly. They can often explain details that aren't clear in the letters.

Just want to echo what everyone's saying about waiting for ALL your packages before deciding - it's SO worth it! I was in a similar situation last year and the difference between my best and worst offers was almost $15,000 per year. That's $60k over 4 years! Also, don't be afraid to contact the financial aid offices if something in your award letter doesn't make sense. I called three different schools with questions and they were all really helpful in explaining the details. Some even walked me through exactly how they calculated my package. Your SAI of 8900 should definitely get you decent aid at most places. Good luck with the rest of your acceptances!

You're welcome! One last tip: make sure both you and your husband create and verify your FSA IDs well before you plan to complete the application. The verification process can sometimes take 1-3 days, and you don't want that to delay you when you're ready to submit the FAFSA.

As someone who just went through this process with my own stepson, I can confirm what everyone is saying - it's definitely confusing at first but becomes clearer once you understand the rules! The key thing to remember is that the FAFSA only cares about the household where your daughter actually lives. Since she lives with you primarily, your ex-husband is completely out of the picture for FAFSA purposes. Your current husband absolutely needs to be included though - I know it feels like you're involving more people than necessary, but that's just how the federal rules work. The good news is that once you get both FSA IDs set up, the actual application process is much smoother than it used to be. Hang in there!

Update: I got through! For anyone having the same issue, clearing cache/cookies AND using incognito mode in Chrome finally worked. The tax information section stopped freezing and I could complete my application. Thanks everyone for the help!

As someone who just went through this nightmare myself, I can confirm the agent was completely wrong about device compatibility! I had the exact same freezing issue at the tax section on my MacBook Air, and it had nothing to do with Apple vs PC. After reading through all these responses, I tried the incognito mode trick in Safari and it worked perfectly. The real problem seems to be browser cache conflicts with their new system. Don't waste time borrowing someone else's computer - just try a different browser or incognito mode first. Also, if you're still stuck, manually entering the tax info instead of using the IRS retrieval tool is a solid backup plan. Good luck with your deadline!

And BTW the FAFSA is wayyyy easier this year than before with the new simplified version (thats what I heard at least). They cut like 30 questions and streamlined the whole thing. So don't stress about it being super complicated - it's mostly just inputting basic tax info.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I've decided to fill out the FAFSA since it seems like the safer option. Already created my FSA ID and started the application. Some of my schools have priority deadlines coming up soon, so I'll try to get it done this week. I appreciate all the insights!

Thanks everyone for all the advice! After reading your suggestions, we're going to: 1. First clarify whether the marriage was legally registered with the state or not 2. Check how she's been filing taxes these past few years 3. Contact the financial aid offices at each school before submitting anything 4. Look into abandonment paperwork as a possible solution 5. Gather letters from people who can verify the father's absence I'll update once we figure out more about the legal status of the marriage since that seems to be the key question. Really appreciate all the help!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that if your aunt does end up needing to file abandonment papers or work through the dependency override process, she should start ASAP because these things can take months to resolve. The FAFSA deadline is coming up fast and you don't want your cousin to miss out on aid because of timing issues. Also, when gathering those third-party letters, make sure they're from people who have known the family for a while and can specifically attest to the father's absence over the past 3 years. Generic character references won't be as helpful as detailed statements from people who witnessed the situation firsthand. Hope everything works out for your cousin! It's really great that he has family like you helping him navigate this complicated situation.