As a newcomer to this community, I'm deeply grateful to have found this discussion during such a challenging time. I'm also a single parent navigating FAFSA after losing my husband, and my daughter is starting college applications soon. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about the significant difference between parent and student asset assessment rates until seeing it explained so clearly here. Like many others, we put her life insurance proceeds into an account in her name, thinking we were doing the right thing, but now I understand how this could impact her aid eligibility at that 20% rate. It's heartbreaking that families who've already suffered such tremendous loss face these additional financial complexities when trying to help our children access education. The practical advice shared here about professional judgment requests, the Claimyr service, and proper documentation is invaluable information I never would have found through official channels. Thank you to everyone, especially the financial aid advisor, for creating such a supportive and informative space. Knowing we're not alone in facing these challenges while grieving makes such a difference during this overwhelming process.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful to have found this incredibly informative discussion right when I need it most. I'm also a single parent facing the FAFSA process after losing my spouse two years ago, and my son is applying to colleges for next fall. Like so many others who have shared here, I had absolutely no understanding of how differently parent versus student assets are assessed - the 20% rate for student assets compared to around 5.64% for parent assets is a crucial distinction that seems buried in the complexity of the system. We also received life insurance proceeds that went into an account in his name, and he receives Social Security survivor benefits. Reading everyone's experiences has been both heartbreaking (knowing so many families face these same challenges) and incredibly educational. The detailed explanation from the financial aid advisor about reporting life insurance as assets versus Social Security as untaxed income has clarified so much confusion I had. I'm definitely going to look into the professional judgment process and try the Claimyr service to actually reach someone at FSA. It's deeply frustrating that families who have already endured such loss face additional financial hurdles in accessing education, but I'm so grateful for this community's knowledge and support during what feels like an impossible process to navigate alone.

I just went through this process with my daughter last year and wanted to share a few additional tips that might help! First, make sure to check if your school participates in the Direct PLUS loan program (most do, but it's worth confirming). Also, when the Parent PLUS application does open in June, I'd recommend applying as early as possible because processing can take 1-2 weeks, and you don't want to be cutting it close to your tuition deadline. One thing that caught us off guard was that even after approval, the funds don't get disbursed to the school immediately - there's usually another week or two delay. My advice is to contact your school's bursar's office now to ask about their specific Parent PLUS loan timeline and whether they offer any grace period for tuition payments while federal loans are being processed. Most schools are pretty understanding about this situation since it happens every year!

I'm a current college sophomore and went through this exact situation two years ago! Just wanted to confirm what others have said - Parent PLUS loan applications for the 2025-2026 academic year should open around mid-June 2025. The wait is definitely nerve-wracking, but it's completely normal. One thing I'd add that really helped my family: while you're waiting, consider reaching out to your school's financial aid office to ask about their payment plan options. Many schools offer interest-free payment plans that can bridge the gap between when tuition is due and when your Parent PLUS loan funds actually get disbursed to the school. My college let us split the remaining balance (after my direct loans) into 3 monthly payments, which gave us breathing room while the PLUS loan was being processed. Also, if your parents haven't already, they should definitely create their FSA ID accounts now so they're ready to apply as soon as the application opens. The whole process from application to funds reaching your school can take 3-4 weeks, so applying early in June is key!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now with my son's FAFSA application. We've been stuck on this SSN validation error for two days and I was starting to panic about missing deadlines. Going to try the cache clearing and start over method right now. It's honestly ridiculous that such a critical system has these kinds of bugs - how many students are getting delayed or giving up because of technical issues like this? Really appreciate everyone sharing their solutions and workarounds here!

I just went through this exact same nightmare last month! The SSN validation issue seems to be affecting a lot of people. One thing that worked for me that I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you're not using autofill or password managers when entering the SSN. The FAFSA system seems to have issues with auto-populated fields. I had to manually type each digit, wait a second between each one, and then it finally accepted it. Also, if you have multiple tabs open with FAFSA, close all of them except one - the system gets confused with multiple sessions. The whole thing is so poorly designed it's embarrassing for something this important to students' futures.

Going back to your original question - another option is to have your son request his aid summary directly from Federal Student Aid and share it with you. He can download a PDF from his account that shows all federal loans and grants. This way, you don't need his login information, and you'll have documentation you can keep for your records. Much easier than trying to remember multiple logins!

Just wanted to add - if you're planning to help with loan management after graduation, consider having your son set up a third-party authorization with his loan servicer now while he's still in school. This lets you access payment info and make payments on his behalf without needing his login credentials. Each servicer has their own process, but it's much easier to set up before the loans go into repayment. Learned this with my older daughter and it saved so much hassle later!

I'm going through something similar right now! My daughter is also a senior and we just got our SAI back at $12,800 which was much higher than expected. Like others mentioned, the new FAFSA formula really does seem to hit middle-income families harder. One thing that helped me was using the Federal Student Aid estimator BEFORE submitting to get a realistic expectation - I wish I had known about it earlier. Also, don't forget that many state schools have their own need-based aid programs that use different criteria than federal aid, so your actual out-of-pocket costs could still be manageable even with a higher SAI. Keep your chin up and definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review with documentation of your medical expenses!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I want to echo what others have said about not panicking over the SAI number. We had a similar situation - household income around $90k, single parent, and got an SAI of $16,500 which felt crushing at first. But here's what I learned: many schools ended up offering much better aid packages than that number suggested. My daughter received merit aid, institutional grants, and work-study opportunities that brought our actual cost down significantly. The key is applying to a good mix of schools - some that meet full demonstrated need, some with strong merit aid programs, and definitely your in-state public options. Also, start that Professional Judgment documentation process early if you have special circumstances. Don't let one number discourage you from pursuing all your options!