I'm a newcomer to this community but unfortunately not new to this exact problem! My family is dealing with nearly identical circumstances - our SAI skyrocketed from $41k to $275k this year after my spouse went from part-time to full-time work and we paid off a significant portion of our mortgage debt. Reading through all these responses has been both eye-opening and deeply frustrating. It's clear the new FAFSA formula is systematically penalizing middle-class families who made responsible financial decisions. The idea that paying off debt somehow makes us wealthy enough to afford a $275k annual college contribution is completely divorced from reality. I'm curious if anyone has had success with the Congressional inquiry route? My understanding is that contacting your representatives about federal program issues can sometimes expedite reviews or bring additional pressure to bear. With so many families affected, this seems like it could be a broader policy issue worth escalating beyond individual appeals. Also, has anyone looked into whether there are legal challenges to these formula changes? When a federal program undergoes changes that dramatically impact millions of families, there are usually advocacy groups that track these issues. It might be worth connecting with organizations like the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators to see if they're aware of any systematic review efforts. Thanks for sharing all this information - it's incredibly helpful to know we're not alone in this nightmare!

I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same devastating situation! Our SAI exploded from $39k to $267k this year, and like so many others here, we made the "mistake" of paying off our mortgage and having my spouse increase work hours. Reading through this thread has been incredibly validating but also infuriating - it's clear this isn't isolated incidents but a systematic problem affecting thousands of responsible middle-class families. What strikes me most is how backwards the incentives are in this new formula. We're essentially being punished for financial responsibility while families who made different choices get rewarded with aid. The assumption that our former mortgage payment is now discretionary income available for college costs completely ignores basic household financial realities. I'm planning to pursue all the appeal strategies mentioned here, but I'm also wondering if we should be organizing more collectively. With this many families affected, there might be strength in numbers - whether that's coordinated Congressional outreach, media attention, or connecting with higher education advocacy groups. This feels bigger than individual financial aid appeals at this point. Has anyone started tracking which schools are being most responsive to these appeals? It might be helpful to compile a list of institutions that are acknowledging this formula problem and working with affected families versus those that are just pointing to the SAI numbers and saying "sorry." Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences and strategies - knowing we're not alone in this makes it feel less impossible to navigate!

Thanks everyone for the responses! I feel much better knowing this is normal with the new system. I'll keep an eye out for my daughter's SAI calculation to appear in her account. I appreciate all the helpful information - this community is great!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm what others have said - the simplified FAFSA really is that quick now! I had the same panic when I completed my son's contributor section in about 15 minutes after expecting it to take forever. The IRS data transfer really does pull most of what they need automatically. One tip though - make sure you save or screenshot the confirmation page after submitting, just for your records. It gives you peace of mind to have that proof of submission while you wait for the SAI to be calculated. The whole streamlined process is actually a huge improvement once you get used to it!

UPDATE: I called two schools this morning and had completely different experiences. First school confirmed they received our SAI data last week and said aid packages should go out in the next 7-10 days. Second school couldn't find any record of receiving our FAFSA data and asked me to call back tomorrow when their system updates. So I guess the answer is...it varies completely! Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll be calling the remaining schools today and checking all their portals.

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm a new parent going through this process for the first time and honestly had no idea what to expect after getting our SAI. Our daughter just got accepted to her dream school but we're still waiting on the financial aid package. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like I should be calling them directly instead of just waiting around. Quick question - when you call the financial aid offices, are you speaking to actual counselors or just general staff? I want to make sure I'm getting accurate information about timelines. Also, has anyone had luck getting fee waivers for application deposits while waiting for aid packages? We're in that awkward spot where we want to secure her spot but can't afford multiple deposits if the aid doesn't come through.

I work in a college financial aid office, and I can confirm what others have said. The FAFSA website ONLY shows that you've applied and your student's SAI (Student Aid Index). It will never show the actual aid awards - those come from each individual school. What you should see in the FAFSA portal: - Confirmation that the FAFSA was processed - Your student's SAI calculation - Which schools received the FAFSA data What you'll only see in the school's portal: - Actual grant amounts (Pell, SEOG, state grants) - Loan offers (Direct loans, PLUS loans) - Institutional scholarships - Work-study eligibility BTW - make sure your daughter checks if she needs to complete entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) if she's accepting federal loans. These are required before loan funds can disburse and are also completed on studentaid.gov.

As a parent who just went through this process with my own kid, I totally understand the panic! The whole system is so confusing when you're doing it for the first time. Just to echo what everyone else said - you're completely fine as long as the school portal shows everything correctly. One thing I learned the hard way is to screenshot or print out that acceptance page from the school portal, especially if there are any deadlines for accepting specific aid components. Some schools have different deadlines for different types of aid, and having that documentation saved me when I had questions later. Also make sure to save any confirmation emails from when she accepted the aid package! The FAFSA site really should explain this better somewhere prominent. Would save so many parents from unnecessary stress!

Update: I finally submitted our FAFSA yesterday after getting my husband's W-2! The website was actually working for once. I also called my daughter's college financial aid office like some of you suggested, and they said their priority deadline for institutional aid has been extended to April 1st because of all the FAFSA delays. They also confirmed that she could potentially get additional need-based grants on top of her merit scholarship, depending on our SAI score. Keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for pushing me to complete it despite the hassle.

Congratulations on getting your FAFSA submitted! 🎉 As someone who went through this process with my older son two years ago, I can tell you that you made the right choice pushing through all the technical difficulties. The combination of merit + need-based aid can really make a difference in your overall costs. One tip I wish someone had told me: if your daughter ends up getting additional need-based aid, make sure to understand how it affects her merit scholarship renewal requirements. Some schools calculate GPA requirements differently when students have multiple aid sources, so it's worth asking about that now rather than being surprised later. Also, since you mentioned having two more kids heading to college soon, keep detailed records of this whole process. Having multiple kids in college at the same time actually helps with FAFSA calculations (lower Expected Family Contribution per student), so you'll likely see even better aid packages when you have multiple enrolled simultaneously. Best of luck with the aid package results!