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This thread has been a lifesaver! I'm dealing with almost the identical situation - separated for 16 months, no legal paperwork, and my daughter desperately needs financial aid. After reading all these responses, I feel like I finally have a roadmap. I'm going to complete the FAFSA with my husband's info (ugh, that conversation will be fun) and then immediately reach out to her college choices about professional judgment reviews. Quick question for those who've been through this - when you contacted the financial aid offices, did you call or email first? I want to make sure I approach this the right way and don't miss any deadlines while waiting for responses. Also, did anyone have luck getting fee waivers for application fees based on the separated spouse situation? Just trying to cover all my bases since this whole process is already so expensive!
I'd recommend starting with a phone call to each financial aid office if possible - it's faster and you can get immediate clarification on their specific requirements. If you can't get through by phone, follow up with an email that includes all your basic information and situation details. Most schools are pretty responsive once they understand you're dealing with a time-sensitive separated spouse situation. Regarding fee waivers, some schools do consider these circumstances for application fee waivers, but it varies by institution. When you call about the professional judgment review, definitely ask about fee waiver options too. Some schools have specific hardship waiver forms you can submit. Also, don't forget to ask each school about their timeline for processing professional judgment reviews - some take a few weeks while others can do it much faster, which might influence your application strategy. Good luck with that conversation with your husband - I know how awkward that can be, but you're doing the right thing for your daughter's future!
I'm in a nearly identical situation and this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! My daughter is a high school senior and I've been separated from my husband for about 20 months (also no legal separation filed). He's not her biological father and contributes absolutely nothing to her expenses or college planning. After reading everyone's experiences, I'm feeling much more confident about the process. It sounds like the consensus is: complete the FAFSA with spouse info initially, then immediately contact each college's financial aid office for professional judgment reviews with documentation of the separation. One thing I wanted to add that I haven't seen mentioned - I spoke with my daughter's high school counselor yesterday about this exact issue, and she mentioned that some colleges are more generous with professional judgment reviews than others. She recommended prioritizing applications to schools known for being flexible with these situations. Has anyone else heard this or have experience with certain types of schools (public vs private, etc.) being more accommodating? Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - knowing there's a path forward makes this whole stressful process feel manageable!
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hey just wondering did you apply for any scholarships too? with your SAI you should def look into them, my roommate got like $7k in outside scholarships and it reduced how much she needed in loans
I've applied for a few but probably not enough. That's a good reminder - I should definitely get on applying for more scholarships. $7k would make a huge difference in how much I need to borrow!
Welcome to the waiting game! I'm a sophomore now and remember this exact anxiety from last year. You're doing everything right - the FAFSA submission with the loan box checked is really all you need to do at this stage. Just to add to what others have said: some schools are REALLY slow with aid packages. I didn't get my final aid letter from one school until mid-April, which was nerve-wracking when trying to make my final decision by May 1st. One tip that helped me: create a spreadsheet to track each school's aid package when they come in. Include total cost of attendance, grants/scholarships offered, loan amounts, and your estimated out-of-pocket costs. It makes comparing schools so much easier when you're trying to decide where the best financial fit is. Also, don't be afraid to appeal your aid package if it's not enough! I successfully appealed at two schools and got additional grant money that reduced my loan needs. Good luck with your acceptances - sounds like you've got some great Florida options!
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Just wanted to follow up - did any of these suggestions work for you? I'm dealing with a similar issue for my nephew's FAFSA and curious if you found a solution.
Yes! We finally got it resolved. Several things worked together: 1. My husband used the password recovery on his original FSA ID (not the new one he tried to create) 2. He used his phone instead of our laptop (completely different device) 3. We used the Claimyr service someone mentioned here to get through to a support agent without the 3 hour wait The agent confirmed there were two accounts with his SSN (exactly like someone mentioned above). They were able to deactivate the duplicate account and fix the birth year in the system. My son then got the option to add contributors back in his portal (it appeared after we fixed my husband's account). It was a frustrating process but we finally completed the FAFSA yesterday! Thanks everyone for your help.
So glad to hear you got it resolved! This is exactly the kind of outcome that gives me hope when dealing with FAFSA issues. The duplicate account problem seems to be way more common than FSA admits - I've now seen several families mention this exact scenario. For anyone else reading this thread with similar issues, it sounds like the key steps are: 1. Use password recovery on the ORIGINAL FSA ID (don't create new accounts) 2. Try a completely different device 3. Get through to an actual support agent who can check for duplicate accounts in their system The Claimyr service mention is interesting - I hadn't heard of that before but might be worth trying for folks who can't get through the regular phone lines. Thanks for following up with the resolution, it really helps the community!
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As someone who went through a similar situation with my parent lacking an SSN, I wanted to add that it's really important to keep detailed records of all your attempts and communications. Screenshot any error messages you get, write down the dates and times you called, and if you do get through to an agent, ask for a reference number for your case. This documentation can be super helpful if you need to escalate the issue later or if different agents give you conflicting information. Also, some schools have specific deadlines for receiving completed FAFSAs to be considered for certain aid programs, so definitely check with your target schools about their priority deadlines while you're getting this sorted out.
This is such excellent advice! I wish I had known to document everything from the beginning. We definitely ran into the issue of getting different information from different agents when we finally started getting through. One agent told us we needed to create a new parent account, while another said absolutely not to do that. Having reference numbers and screenshots would have saved us so much confusion. Also, great point about school deadlines - we were so focused on just getting the FAFSA submitted that we almost missed some priority aid deadlines at his top choice schools.
I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now with my daughter's FAFSA! Her dad doesn't have an SSN either and we've been going in circles for weeks. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the account lockout issue or that there are specific verification processes for parents without SSNs. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service since we've been completely unable to get through to FSA on our own. Quick question though - when you finally got through to the agent, did they require any specific documentation to verify your husband's identity? I want to make sure I have everything ready before I attempt to call so we don't waste the opportunity if we do get connected.
Ava Kim
does anyone know if we will get more money with negative sai than we would have with the old efc system??? my brothers sai was like -1200 and mine is -3400 but we have same parents lol
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Aiden Rodríguez
•Great question! The new SAI system generally results in more generous aid packages than the old EFC system for many families. The fact that you and your brother have different SAI values despite having the same parents could be due to several factors: different college costs, different student income/assets, or possibly your status as dependents in the household (like your age or year in school). Most students with negative SAIs will qualify for maximum Pell Grants and often receive better institutional aid packages than under the old system. The new formula was specifically designed to be more generous to low and middle-income families.
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Jibriel Kohn
I'm going through the exact same thing right now! Reading through all these responses has been so reassuring. I was panicking thinking I somehow skipped entering our tax information, but it sounds like the automatic IRS data retrieval is supposed to handle that. My daughter's SAI came back as -$2,100 and I was worried something was wrong with the calculation. It's frustrating how different this new system is from the old FAFSA - I wish they had better explanations or tutorials walking parents through what to expect. At least now I know our negative SAI is actually good news for financial aid eligibility! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.
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