Brooklyn, this has been such an inspiring thread to follow! Your story really demonstrates that financial aid offices are often much more understanding and flexible than we expect, especially during this challenging FAFSA cycle with all the technical issues. I wanted to add one more tip for anyone else in a similar situation: when you do get your SAI back and have that follow-up conversation with financial aid, come prepared with specific questions. Ask about work-study opportunities, payment plan options, and whether there are any departmental scholarships you might still be eligible for. Some academic departments have their own scholarship funds that operate on different timelines than general institutional aid. Also, don't forget to check with your state's higher education agency about any remaining grant opportunities. Some states have rolling deadlines or emergency aid programs that might still be available. Your proactive approach and willingness to advocate for yourself really paid off. Thanks for sharing your journey - it's going to help so many students realize that a missed deadline isn't the end of their college dreams!

Brooklyn, what an incredible journey you've been on! Reading through this entire thread has been so encouraging - you went from thinking you might need a gap year to actually having real options for financial aid, all because you didn't give up and made that crucial phone call. Your experience really highlights something that I think gets lost in all the FAFSA deadline stress: financial aid officers are human beings who genuinely want to help students succeed. The fact that your school has a special consideration process for late applicants shows they understand that life happens and students sometimes make mistakes. I'm really impressed by how you handled this situation - instead of just panicking or assuming the worst, you took action by completing your FAFSA and then advocated for yourself by calling the financial aid office. That combination of personal responsibility and proactive communication made all the difference. This thread is going to be such a valuable resource for future students who find themselves in similar situations. You've basically created a roadmap for how to handle late FAFSA applications: submit immediately, call your school, be honest about your circumstances, and don't assume you're out of options until you've actually explored them. Can't wait to hear your final update once everything gets sorted out with your SAI results. Thanks for sharing your story and turning what started as a stressful situation into a learning opportunity for everyone!

I'm in a similar situation! What really helped me was creating a simple checklist of all the documents we'd need before even looking at the form - tax returns, bank statements, investment records, etc. Since you mentioned your son's father struggles with technology, having everything organized ahead of time makes the actual online completion much smoother. Also, if you're planning to help guide them through it, you might want to practice with the FAFSA demo tool first (it's on the FSA website) - it shows exactly how the online form flows without actually submitting anything. The demo helped me understand which sections would be confusing for my ex-husband so I could prepare explanations in advance.

One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you're looking at the 2025-26 FAFSA specifically, not an older version. The FSA website sometimes shows multiple years and it's easy to accidentally download the wrong one. Also, since you mentioned helping your son's father who isn't comfortable with technology, you might want to consider doing a practice run together using the demo tool first, then having all the documents ready when you tackle the real form. The new FAFSA is supposed to be simpler, but the contributor sections can still be tricky for divorced parents. Good luck!

This has been such an incredibly valuable thread to read through! I'm currently facing a similar situation with my ex-spouse and our son's college expenses, and honestly, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed before finding this discussion. What really strikes me is how the practical coordination seems to be just as important as understanding the loan mechanics themselves. The stories shared here - both the successes like @Jacob Smithson and @Noah Irving described, and the cautionary tale from @Alexander Evans - really highlight why communication and documentation are so critical. I'm particularly interested in the coordination document approach that several people have mentioned. It seems like having everything spelled out in writing beforehand could save so much stress and potential conflict down the road. @Jacob Smithson, if you're still willing to share that template, I'd be incredibly grateful! One question I haven't seen addressed yet: has anyone dealt with this when there are significant income differences between the divorced parents? I'm wondering if there are any strategies for fairly dividing the loan amounts when one parent earns considerably more than the other, beyond just splitting based on raw ability to qualify for credit. Thank you all for sharing your real experiences - it's made what seemed like an impossible situation feel much more manageable!

This thread has been an absolute lifesaver! I'm currently going through a divorce and was panicking about how we'd handle our daughter's college costs next year. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me so much hope and practical direction. The coordination document idea that keeps coming up sounds essential - I can see how having everything documented upfront would prevent the kind of miscommunication nightmare that @Alexander Evans went through. @Jacob Smithson and @Noah Irving, your detailed breakdowns of the process are incredibly helpful, especially the timing coordination strategies. One thing I'm curious about that I haven't seen discussed much: what happens if your financial situation changes between when you apply for the Parent PLUS loan and when it's time to start making payments? For instance, if one parent loses their job or has a major change in income? Are there options to modify the arrangement, or are you locked into whatever you originally agreed to? Also, for those who successfully coordinated with their ex - did you involve your kids in these financial discussions at all, or did you handle everything between yourselves? I'm trying to figure out how much my daughter should know about the logistics versus just knowing that we're working together to make her education possible. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences. This community has turned what felt like an impossible situation into something that actually seems manageable with proper planning and communication!

As someone who went through this process recently, I want to emphasize something that might ease your stress a bit - you're actually starting to think about this at the perfect time! Having over a year to plan puts you way ahead of many families who scramble at the last minute. One additional tip that saved us money: look into your state's 529 college savings plan tax benefits if you haven't already. Even if you can't contribute much, some states offer tax deductions for contributions made in the same year you withdraw for college expenses. Also, don't forget to factor in potential tuition increases - most schools raise tuition 3-5% annually, so that $34,500 for freshman year might be $37,000+ by senior year. It's better to overestimate costs in your planning than be caught off guard later!

Welcome to the college financing journey! As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding all of this information incredibly overwhelming but also reassuring that there's a clear path forward. Reading through everyone's experiences, I'm realizing I need to start preparing much earlier than I thought. My youngest will be starting college in Fall 2027, and I was planning to wait until senior year to think about this stuff. Now I see I should be researching schools' financial aid requirements, starting scholarship searches, and getting organized with tax documents well in advance. The timeline Natasha provided is exactly what I needed to see - I'm bookmarking this entire thread! One question for the group: for families with multiple kids, is there any advantage to having them in college at the same time in terms of financial aid calculations, or did that change with recent FAFSA updates?

I'm also navigating this for the first time with my son who's a high school senior! This thread has been incredibly reassuring - it's so helpful to see that other parents are dealing with the same confusion. One thing I wanted to add that might be useful: I spoke with our high school's college counselor last week and she mentioned that many schools are hosting virtual financial aid information sessions this fall. These sessions often cover FAFSA basics, school-specific deadlines, and sometimes even have live Q&A with financial aid officers. It might be worth checking if any of the colleges your daughter is interested in are offering these sessions. I found a few for our target schools and signed up - figured it can't hurt to get as much information as possible! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips - this community is such a valuable resource for families going through this process.

As someone who just finished helping my daughter through her freshman year FAFSA process, I can confirm everything everyone has said - you definitely need the 2025-26 FAFSA for Fall 2025! The whole system is admittedly confusing at first, but once you understand that the FAFSA year covers the entire academic year (Fall 2025 through Spring 2026), it makes sense. A few things that really saved us last year: First, I created a dedicated email folder just for FAFSA and financial aid correspondence - trust me, you'll get a lot of emails and it helps to keep everything organized. Second, I made copies of EVERYTHING we submitted, including screenshots of confirmation pages. And third, I set up calendar reminders not just for the FAFSA deadline but also for each school's priority deadlines since they vary so much. One last tip - don't stress too much about getting every single detail perfect on your first submission. You can make corrections later if needed through the FAFSA correction process. The most important thing is just getting it submitted by the deadlines. You've got this!