This is such a stressful time! I'm in a similar boat - just got my SAI back and it's way higher than I hoped. From reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the key is to get prepared NOW while waiting for the official aid package. I'm going to start checking my credit score and researching lenders like Kara suggested so I'm ready to apply immediately once I know the exact gap amount. The school certification delays seem to be the real wildcard that catches everyone off guard. Thanks for asking this question - the responses have been super helpful!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My SAI came back much higher than expected too, and I've been losing sleep over the timing. After reading through all these responses, I think I have a clearer game plan now. I'm going to start checking my credit score this week and get pre-qualified with a few different lenders (sounds like Discover, SoFi, and College Ave are good options to compare). That way when the official aid package arrives, I can quickly compare the final offers and apply immediately. The school certification delay seems to be the biggest risk factor that nobody warns you about - some taking just a week while others take a month! I'm also going to call the school's financial aid office to ask about their preferred lenders and typical certification timeline. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this has been way more helpful than anything I found on the official websites!

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll make sure we're prepared to cover summer costs if needed. Thankfully community college is much more affordable than the CSUs he was considering.

Just want to add my perspective as someone who went through this exact situation two years ago with my twin sons! The "greyed out" status can be nerve-wracking, but it's completely normal during processing. Here are a few additional tips that helped us: 1. Create a checklist of action items from all the great advice here - check school codes, verify deadlines, look for verification requests 2. Screenshot your FAFSA confirmation page if you haven't already - you'll need that reference number for phone calls 3. Community colleges are usually very helpful with financial aid questions, so don't hesitate to call their office directly 4. Keep checking your email AND your spam folder - sometimes FAFSA notifications end up there Your son is making a smart financial decision starting at community college. Even if there are delays with aid processing, the lower tuition costs give you more flexibility. Hang in there - this process is stressful for every parent the first time around!

Update: I finally got this resolved! For anyone with the same issue - it turned out my name change from marriage was indeed the problem. Had to call the FSA help line (took forever to get through) and they had to manually override the signature verification. My daughter's application is now processed and we got her SAI score. Thanks everyone for your help!

As someone who just went through the FAFSA process myself, I can relate to how frustrating this signature issue can be! Based on what I've seen in this thread, it sounds like your name change from marriage is likely the root cause. A few quick suggestions: 1) Make sure you're logging into studentaid.gov (the official site) with YOUR own FSA ID, not your daughter's, 2) Check that all your personal info (name, SSN, DOB) on your FSA ID matches exactly what's on your most recent tax return, and 3) If there's a mismatch due to your name change, you'll probably need to call FSA to get it manually corrected. The Claimyr service that Emma mentioned seems to be helping people avoid the long hold times - might be worth trying if the regular phone line isn't working. Good luck getting this sorted out!

UPDATE: I was finally able to get through to FSU's financial aid office! Turns out there WAS a name mismatch issue - my son's middle name was missing on the FAFSA but is included in his FSU application. They manually matched his records and said it should appear in the portal within 48 hours. Such a relief! For anyone else facing this issue, definitely call the school directly. Thank you all for your helpful suggestions!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a parent going through the FAFSA process for the first time and had no idea about all these potential matching issues. Quick question - when you say "middle name was missing on the FAFSA," does that mean it should match exactly how the student's name appears on their Social Security card? My daughter doesn't use her middle name day-to-day but it's on all her official documents. Want to make sure we don't run into the same problem!

THE ENTIRE FAFSA SYSTEM IS GARBAGE THIS YEAR!!! They had THREE EXTRA MONTHS to prepare and still rolled out a completely broken system. My daughter might lose scholarships because of these stupid technical problems. The Department of Education should be ASHAMED of this disaster. And now they keep extending deadlines because they know they screwed up so badly!!!!

UPDATE: We figured it out! The problem was that my ex-husband had changed his phone number last year but never updated it in his FSA ID account. When we updated his contact information, the verification texts started coming through immediately. We've now successfully added him as a contributor and my daughter can finish her application. Thanks everyone for your help!