Welcome to the community! As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm what others have said - having multiple family members in college is generally beneficial for aid eligibility. One tip I'd add is to keep detailed records of all communications with financial aid offices and save copies of every form you submit. Also, if either of you are planning to take classes part-time (less than 6 credit hours), make sure to clarify how that affects the "number in college" calculation, as some schools have specific policies about enrollment status. Best of luck to both of you on this educational journey!

Hi Mateo! Congratulations on both of you pursuing higher education - that's really inspiring! I went through this exact situation with my daughter three years ago. One thing I'd recommend is timing the submission of your FAFSA carefully. Since your son has already filed his, you'll want to submit yours soon so both schools can process the multiple-in-college adjustments before aid disbursement deadlines. Also, don't be surprised if one school processes the update faster than the other - each institution has their own timeline. Keep copies of everything and follow up if you don't hear back within a few weeks. The extra paperwork is worth it - we both ended up with significantly more aid once everything was processed correctly!

I'm dealing with this same issue right now - created my account 5 days ago and still no verification email. It's honestly really frustrating because I was hoping to get my FAFSA submitted early this year to avoid any last-minute stress. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and concerning at the same time. It sounds like the new system changes have really created a bottleneck, but at least it seems like most people eventually get through. I'm going to try to be patient for a few more days before reaching out to FSA directly. Thanks for posting this question - it's helpful to know I'm not the only one experiencing these delays!

I'm currently on day 12 waiting for my verification email and honestly starting to panic a bit! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both comforting and terrifying - it sounds like most people get theirs within 7-10 days but some are waiting weeks. I've triple-checked my spam folder, confirmed my email address is correct, and I'm definitely not making a second account after reading about the fraud review nightmare. Has anyone who waited this long eventually gotten through, or should I start trying to contact FSA? The phone system sounds like a disaster but I'm worried something went wrong with my application.

Welcome to the FAFSA community, Jabari-Jo! I see you're getting some fantastic advice here. As someone new to navigating financial aid, I'd also recommend creating a spreadsheet to track all the different grants, their deadlines, requirements, and application status. It really helps keep everything organized when you're juggling FAFSA, state grants, and program-specific funding. One additional resource that might help - many Georgia community and technical colleges have dedicated healthcare program advisors who specialize in medical field funding. They often know about smaller, local scholarships that don't show up in online searches. Since you're doing a medical assistant program, they might also connect you with clinical site partners who offer educational support. Good luck with your applications! The medical field needs more dedicated people like you, and I'm sure you'll find the funding you need to make it happen.

As a newcomer here, I'm amazed by how supportive this community is! I'm also starting my journey into healthcare education and reading through this thread has been incredibly eye-opening. @Jabari-Jo, you're asking all the right questions! I'm in a similar boat trying to figure out funding for my nursing prerequisites in Georgia. The information about GAFutures.org and the HOPE Career Grant is news to me too. @Kristin Frank and @Lauren Johnson, thank you for such detailed responses! The spreadsheet idea is genius - I'm definitely going to start organizing my research that way. And @Marcus Marsh, I had no idea services like Claimyr existed for getting through to government agencies. That could be a game-changer. One thing I've learned from lurking here is how much the requirements and availability can vary even within Georgia depending on which school you attend. It seems like the key is really talking to multiple people - your school's financial aid office, the state commission, AND department-specific advisors. Thanks for creating such a welcoming space for people trying to navigate this confusing system!

That's fantastic news that the schools are being understanding! It really helps to hear some positive outcomes from this whole FAFSA mess. I'm a newcomer here but have been following all the FAFSA delay stories with growing anxiety about my own daughter's application. She submitted in January and we're still waiting for processing. Hearing that you got confirmation in writing from the schools gives me hope that when her FAFSA finally processes, we won't be completely shut out of aid opportunities. Thanks for sharing your experience and congrats on getting through this stressful process!

Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and going through the same stress with my son's FAFSA. Submitted in December and just got processed last week after 3+ months! It's really encouraging to see Dylan's success story and how responsive the schools have been. I was terrified we'd miss out on aid, but after reading everyone's advice here, I called his top 3 schools yesterday and they were all very understanding. One even told me they're seeing this with 80% of their applicants this year. Hang in there - it sounds like most schools are really trying to work with families affected by these delays!

I'm a college student who just went through this process myself! One thing that really helped me was understanding the difference between "qualified" and "non-qualified" education expenses. Qualified expenses are things like tuition, mandatory fees, and required books/supplies. Non-qualified would be things like room and board, parking passes, or optional equipment. If you're having trouble accessing the 1098-T through the student portal, most schools have a specific section called something like "Tax Documents" or "1098-T Forms" - it's usually separate from the regular financial aid info. You might need to look under "Student Accounts" or "Billing" rather than "Financial Aid." Also, just a heads up - some schools are slow to post these forms, so don't panic if it's not there yet in late January. They have until January 31st to get them out. And if your son received any work-study income, that gets reported separately on a W-2 from the school, not on the 1098-T. Hope this helps ease some of the stress! The whole process seems way more complicated than it actually is once you get the hang of it.

I'm a tax preparer and see this confusion every year! Here's a quick checklist to help you stay organized: 1. **Get the 1098-T first** - This is your roadmap. It shows tuition paid vs. scholarships/grants received. 2. **Simple rule for taxation**: - Loans = Never taxable - Grants/scholarships = Only taxable if they exceed qualified education expenses 3. **Who files what**: - Your son reports any taxable scholarship income on his return (even as your dependent) - You claim education credits on your return since he's your dependent 4. **Don't forget to maximize credits** - The American Opportunity Credit can give you up to $2,500 back, and part of it is refundable even if you don't owe taxes. 5. **Keep records** - Save the 1098-T, receipts for required books, and payment records. One more tip: If the school's financial aid office isn't helpful with tax questions, try the bursar's office or student accounts department instead. They usually handle the 1098-T forms and understand the tax implications better. The first year is always the most overwhelming, but once you have the 1098-T in hand, most tax software will guide you through the education sections step by step!